Phenotypic and metabolic data for five Triticum turgidum subspecies subjected to a heatwave and a recovery period during anthesis [Dataset]

Climate change has led to an increase in the frequency, duration, and intensity of heatwaves. The effects of heatwaves can be devastating for wheat productivity in Mediterranean environments, which are already subject to high temperatures and droughts during the reproductive phase. Harnessing genotypic variability in wheat is crucial for identifying key traits and varieties associated with heat resilience, enabling the development of crops adapted to climate change. Four tetraploid wheat landraces (emmer, Persian, Miracle, and Polish wheats) and a modern variety (durum) were evaluated for their phenotypic and metabolic responses in flag leaves and ears under a three-day heatwave of +10°C day/night during anthesis, followed by a three-day recovery period. The dataset includes raw data for traits associated with plant physiology, thermal imaging, chlorophyll fluorescence, gas exchange, spectral reflectance, and spectrophotometric quantification of seven biomarkers for plant primary metabolism and stress-responsive biomarkers. We observed contrasting differences between photosynthetic organs and genotypes during the heatwave and recovery treatments compared to those in the control treatment. In general, most genotypes showed heat stress susceptibility, particularly Polish and Miracle wheat, whereas only Persian wheat showed certain some degree of stress tolerance. This dataset can be used to identify key traits for designing heat-tolerant genotypes, as well as to demonstrate that it is necessary to exploit the vast germplasm resources available for Triticum turgidum to improve modern tetraploid wheat.