Evolutionary Genomics of Adaptive Traits in Wheat Landraces: Role of Chromatin Remodeling

Wheat landraces are rich reservoirs of genetic diversity, crucial for enhancing crop resilience and productivity to ensure food security and sustainable agriculture. Present day traditional varieties are challenged by a multitude of environmental stressors, including salinity, drought, extreme temperatures, and pathogens. The current review explores the complex interactions between evolutionary genomics, adaptive traits, and chromatin remodeling, with a major focus on the role of epigenetic modifications in shaping the adaptive landscape of wheat landraces. We explain how chromatin remodeling, through mechanisms such as DNA methylation and histone modifications, orchestrates responses to various environmental stresses. These epigenetic mechanisms contribute to disease resistance, stress tolerance, and yield potential and can, in some cases, lead to the heritable transmission of adaptive traits. By employing advanced genomic tools, we can decode these molecular complexities and force the epigenetic information to develop new wheat varieties with enhanced resilience. This review summarizes the current understanding of how chromatin remodeling underpins adaptation and proposes its utilization in modern breeding strategies for sustainable agriculture.