Durum Wheat at Risk in a Climate Change Scenario: The Carotenoid Content is Affected by Short Heat Waves.

Short heat waves (SHW), defined as periods of several consecutive days with high temperatures above the developmental optimum, will become more frequent due to climate change. The impact of SHW on yield and yield-related parameters has received considerable interest, but their effects on grain quality remain poorly understood. We employed a simulation approach to investigate the impact of SHW on durum wheat quality over a 7 day period, starting 1 week after anthesis.

Lutein esterification increases carotenoid retention in durum wheat grain. A step further in breeding and improving the commercial and nutritional quality during grain storage.

Carotenoid esterification is a common mechanism for carotenoid sequestration, accumulation and storage in plants. Carotenoids are responsible for the bright yellow colour of pasta. Therefore, carotenoid retention during storage is of great importance in the durum wheat food chain.

Towards carotenoid biofortification in wheat: identification of XAT-7A1, a multicopy tandem gene responsible for carotenoid esterification in durum wheat.

Yellow pigment content, mainly due to the accumulation of carotenoids, is a quality trait in durum wheat grain as it confers the bright yellow color to pasta preferred by consumers. Also, carotenoids are essential nutrients exerting important biological functions in human health. Consequently, biofortification strategies have been developed in many crops to increase carotenoid content.

Bread Wheat Biofortification for Grain Carotenoid Content by Inter-Specific Breeding.

Bread wheat has traditionally been selected for whitish derived flours. As a consequence, the current varieties carry carotenogenic alleles associated with low grain carotenoid. In contrast, high grain yellow pigment content (YPC) has been a major target in durum wheat programs since yellow colour is an important aesthetic factor for pasta production.

Marker-Trait Associations for Total Carotenoid Content and Individual Carotenoids in Durum Wheat Identified by Genome-Wide Association Analysis.

Yellow pigment content is one of the main traits considered for grain quality in durum wheat ( L.). The yellow color is mostly determined by carotenoid pigments, lutein being the most abundant in wheat endosperm, although zeaxanthin, α-carotene and β-carotene are present in minor quantities.

The breeder's tool-box for enhancing the content of esterified carotenoids in wheat: From extraction and profiling of carotenoids to marker-assisted selection of candidate genes.

Carotenoid esterification is a new target for cereal biofortification since esterification increases both accumulation and stability of carotenoids. A xanthophyll acyl transferase is responsible for carotenoid esterification in the endosperm of wheat and related cereals. In this chapter we describe the procedures for transferring the carotenoid esterification attribute into wheat using the wild barley Hordeum chilense as donor of the esterification trait, the outline of the breeding program and the protocols for marker assisted selection and the analysis of carotenoids in grain.

Genome-Wide Association Analysis for Stem Cross Section Properties, Height and Heading Date in a Collection of Spanish Durum Wheat Landraces.

Durum wheat landraces have a high potential for breeding but they remain underexploited due to several factors, including the insufficient evaluation of these plant materials and the lack of efficient selection tools for transferring target traits into elite backgrounds. In this work, we characterized 150 accessions of the Spanish durum wheat collection for stem cross section, height and heading date. Continuous variation and high heritabilities were recorded for the stem area, pith area, pith diameter, culm wall thickness, height and heading date.

Durum Wheat ( L.) Landraces Reveal Potential for the Improvement of Grain Carotenoid Esterification in Breeding Programs.

Carotenoids are essential in the human diet for their important functions in health. Besides, they are responsible for the yellow pigments desirable for industrial quality in durum wheat. The remarkable carotenoid content of durum wheat endosperm is mostly due to lutein.

Mediation of a GDSL Esterase/Lipase in Carotenoid Esterification in Tritordeum Suggests a Common Mechanism of Carotenoid Esterification in Triticeae Species.

Carotenoids are essential in human diet, so that the development of programs toward carotenoid enhancement has been promoted in several crops. The cereal tritordeum, the amphiploid derived from the cross between Roem. et Schulz.