A Systematic Review of Durum Wheat: Enhancing Production Systems by Exploring Genotype, Environment, and Management (G × E × M) Synergies

Abstract

According to the UN-FAO, agricultural production must increase by 50% by 2050 to meet global demand for food. This goal can be accomplished, in part, by the development of improved cultivars coupled with modern best management practices. Overall, wheat production on farms will have to increase significantly to meet future demand, and in the face of a changing climate that poses risk to even current rates of production. Durum wheat [Triticum turgidum L. ssp. durum (Desf.)] is used largely for pasta, couscous and bulgur production. Durum producers face a range of factors spanning abiotic (frost damage, drought, and sprouting) and biotic (weed, disease, and insect pests) stresses that impact yields and quality specifications desired by export market end-users. Serious biotic threats include Fusarium head blight (FHB) and weed pest pressures, which have increased as a result of herbicide resistance. While genetic progress for yield and quality is on pace with common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), development of resistant durum cultivars to FHB is still lagging. Thus, successful biotic and abiotic threat mitigation are ideal case studies in Genotype (G) × Environment (E) × Management (M) interactions where superior cultivars (G) are grown in at-risk regions (E) and require unique approaches to management (M) for sustainable durum production. Transformational approaches to research are needed in order for agronomists, breeders and durum producers to overcome production constraints. Designing robust agronomic systems for durum demands scientific creativity and foresight based on a deep understanding of constitutive components and their innumerable interactions with each other and the environment. This encompasses development of durum production systems that suit specific agro-ecozones and close the yield gap between genetic potential and on-farm achieved yield. Advances in individual technologies (e.g., genetic improvements, new pesticides, seeding technologies) are of little benefit until they are melded into resilient G × E × M systems that will flourish in the field under unpredictable conditions of prairie farmlands. We explore how recent genetic progress and selected management innovations can lead to a resilient and transformative durum production system.

Keywords: G × E × M; agronomy; durum wheat; environment; genotype; management.

FIGURE 1

Representation of yield potential, attainable yield, farm yield, and yield gap (Van Ittersum et al., 2013). Appropriate permissions have been obtained from the copyright holder(s) of this work.

FIGURE 2

Yield potential for durum wheat in different producing countries. The green and gray portions of the bar correspond to the actual durum yield (Ya) and the yield gap (Yg), respectively. Wheat was rainfed in all cases except for Mexico, where it was managed with irrigation. Source: Global Yield Gap Atlas. Original work.

FIGURE 3

Durum wheat genetic gain of grain yield from 1963 to 2017 in Canada. Source: Prairie Recommending Committee for Wheat, Rye, and Triticale (http://pgdc.ca/committees_wrt_pd.html). Appropriate permissions have been obtained from the copyright holder(s) of this work.

FIGURE 4

The role of agronomy management and genetics on yield increase over time (Clarke et al., 2010). Appropriate permissions have been obtained from the copyright holder(s) of this work.

FIGURE 5

Durum cultivar adoption in the Canadian Prairies based on FHB rating. Original work.

FIGURE 6

(A) No pre-emergent herbicide and (B) treated with pre-emergent herbicide. The effect of the management combination of genotype, herbicide management, and plant density on the survival and density of annual ryegrass spikes (ARG) at Tarlee 2012 (LSD 5% = 55 spikes/m²). Two durum varieties Saintly (Ο) and Yawa (•) in combination without a pre-emergent herbicide treatment (A) and treated with the pre-emergent herbicide BoxerGold at 2.5 L/ha incorporated by sowing (B) at three crop plant density levels. Original work.