Optimising wheat development to a range of winter climates

The effects of climate change are highly disruptive for reliable and sustainable crop production as crops have been regionally adapted to respond favorably to a set of regular, combined environmental cues. Notably in wheat, the most widely cultivated crop, the timing of floral meristem transitions and flowering is largely regulated by the combination of photoperiod and temperature cues. Identifying and understanding the key genes which regulate the physiological responses to these combined environmental cues has been important to enable the optimal development of cultivars. Winter grown crops are important as they provide ground cover, high biomass and high yield potential. However, they are critically sensitive to the duration and level of cold season temperatures and the onset of the lengthening spring photoperiod. Therefore, to enable climate robust cultivars we need to understand and tailor the crops response to the winter environment, being resilient enough to survive but flexible enough not to require a standard winter each year. Here we detail the challenges and opportunities which are presented by the changing environmental conditions for the adaptation of winter wheat.