Assessment of genetic improvements in wheat yield and nitrogen use efficiency under different nitrogen input levels: A global perspective

Wheat breeding programs have enhanced yield and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). However, modern breeding—often conducted under optimal growth conditions such as high nitrogen fertility—may reduce the adaptability of new cultivars to less favorable environments. This study assesses genetic improvement...

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Autores principales: Huang, Tiantian, Sun, Ruiqi, Wu, Qianxiang, Zhang, Xintong, Li, Jiaquan, Zhou, Bowei, Liao, Yuncheng, Qin, Xiaoliang, Reynolds, Matthew P., Siddique, Kadambot H.M.
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Elsevier B.V. 2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179141
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author Huang, Tiantian
Sun, Ruiqi
Wu, Qianxiang
Zhang, Xintong
Li, Jiaquan
Zhou, Bowei
Liao, Yuncheng
Qin, Xiaoliang
Reynolds, Matthew P.
Siddique, Kadambot H.M.
author_browse Huang, Tiantian
Li, Jiaquan
Liao, Yuncheng
Qin, Xiaoliang
Reynolds, Matthew P.
Siddique, Kadambot H.M.
Sun, Ruiqi
Wu, Qianxiang
Zhang, Xintong
Zhou, Bowei
author_facet Huang, Tiantian
Sun, Ruiqi
Wu, Qianxiang
Zhang, Xintong
Li, Jiaquan
Zhou, Bowei
Liao, Yuncheng
Qin, Xiaoliang
Reynolds, Matthew P.
Siddique, Kadambot H.M.
author_sort Huang, Tiantian
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Wheat breeding programs have enhanced yield and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). However, modern breeding—often conducted under optimal growth conditions such as high nitrogen fertility—may reduce the adaptability of new cultivars to less favorable environments. This study assesses genetic improvements in wheat yield and NUE under varying nitrogen fertilization levels. Wheat breeding has improved the yield potential of modern cultivars under high (HN; ≥180 kg ha–1), medium (MN; 100–180 kg ha–1), and low (LN; 0–100 kg ha–1) nitrogen conditions. However, a pivotal shift occurred around 2000: while yields continued to increase under HN conditions, they stagnated or declined under LN and MN. The greater genetic gains in yield under HN are primarily attributed to the higher genetic gains in harvest index under HN compared to LN and MN. Over time, the annual genetic gain in NUE increased under all nitrogen conditions: 0.47 % for LN, 0.41 % for MN, and 0.59 % for HN. The contribution of nitrogen uptake efficiency (NUpE) and nitrogen utilization efficiency (NUtE) to NUE may be related to nitrogen application rate: NUtE contributes more under HN, while NUpE contributes more under MN and LN. While breeding has enhanced wheat yield and NUE, these improvements have been less pronounced under LN conditions, limiting the adaptability of modern cultivars to suboptimal environments.
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spelling CGSpace1791412025-12-21T21:59:29Z Assessment of genetic improvements in wheat yield and nitrogen use efficiency under different nitrogen input levels: A global perspective Huang, Tiantian Sun, Ruiqi Wu, Qianxiang Zhang, Xintong Li, Jiaquan Zhou, Bowei Liao, Yuncheng Qin, Xiaoliang Reynolds, Matthew P. Siddique, Kadambot H.M. genetics wheat yields nitrogen-use efficiency Wheat breeding programs have enhanced yield and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). However, modern breeding—often conducted under optimal growth conditions such as high nitrogen fertility—may reduce the adaptability of new cultivars to less favorable environments. This study assesses genetic improvements in wheat yield and NUE under varying nitrogen fertilization levels. Wheat breeding has improved the yield potential of modern cultivars under high (HN; ≥180 kg ha–1), medium (MN; 100–180 kg ha–1), and low (LN; 0–100 kg ha–1) nitrogen conditions. However, a pivotal shift occurred around 2000: while yields continued to increase under HN conditions, they stagnated or declined under LN and MN. The greater genetic gains in yield under HN are primarily attributed to the higher genetic gains in harvest index under HN compared to LN and MN. Over time, the annual genetic gain in NUE increased under all nitrogen conditions: 0.47 % for LN, 0.41 % for MN, and 0.59 % for HN. The contribution of nitrogen uptake efficiency (NUpE) and nitrogen utilization efficiency (NUtE) to NUE may be related to nitrogen application rate: NUtE contributes more under HN, while NUpE contributes more under MN and LN. While breeding has enhanced wheat yield and NUE, these improvements have been less pronounced under LN conditions, limiting the adaptability of modern cultivars to suboptimal environments. 2025-10 2025-12-21T21:59:28Z 2025-12-21T21:59:28Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179141 en Limited Access Elsevier B.V. Huang, T., Sun, R., Wu, Q., Zhang, X., Li, J., Zhou, B., Liao, Y., Qin, X., Reynolds, M. P., & Siddique, K. H. M. (2025). Assessment of genetic improvements in wheat yield and nitrogen use efficiency under different nitrogen input levels: A global perspective. European Journal Of Agronomy, 171, 127813. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eja.2025.127813
spellingShingle genetics
wheat
yields
nitrogen-use efficiency
Huang, Tiantian
Sun, Ruiqi
Wu, Qianxiang
Zhang, Xintong
Li, Jiaquan
Zhou, Bowei
Liao, Yuncheng
Qin, Xiaoliang
Reynolds, Matthew P.
Siddique, Kadambot H.M.
Assessment of genetic improvements in wheat yield and nitrogen use efficiency under different nitrogen input levels: A global perspective
title Assessment of genetic improvements in wheat yield and nitrogen use efficiency under different nitrogen input levels: A global perspective
title_full Assessment of genetic improvements in wheat yield and nitrogen use efficiency under different nitrogen input levels: A global perspective
title_fullStr Assessment of genetic improvements in wheat yield and nitrogen use efficiency under different nitrogen input levels: A global perspective
title_full_unstemmed Assessment of genetic improvements in wheat yield and nitrogen use efficiency under different nitrogen input levels: A global perspective
title_short Assessment of genetic improvements in wheat yield and nitrogen use efficiency under different nitrogen input levels: A global perspective
title_sort assessment of genetic improvements in wheat yield and nitrogen use efficiency under different nitrogen input levels a global perspective
topic genetics
wheat
yields
nitrogen-use efficiency
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/179141
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