Southern corn rust, caused by Puccinia polysora Underw., is a worldwide maize disease. With the changes in global climate and farming systems, southern corn rust has become one of the major diseases that seriously threaten the safety of maize production in China. The disease is airborne and presents regional epidemic characteristics in China; however, its population structure in different regions is still unclear. In this study, we used high-throughput sequencing techniques with a genotyping-by-sequencing approach to study the population structure of P. polysora in the pathogen's winter-reproductive regions. Population genetic analysis indicated that the P. polysora isolates from Ledong, Hainan, collected in July formed a distinct genetic group, indicating seasonal genetic differentiation within this region. However, the remaining isolates from Hainan, Guangdong, and Guangxi were clustered into two main genetic groups, with no significant genetic differentiation detected among the populations from these three provinces. This suggests frequent genetic exchange among P. polysora populations in Hainan, Guangdong, and Guangxi, leading to overall genetic homogeneity. These findings underscore the role of genetic connectivity in shaping the population structure of P. polysora in the pathogen's winter-reproductive regions, offering novel insights into its genetic dynamics. Furthermore, the results provide valuable information to support the development of effective strategies for managing P. polysora in China.

Climate change threatens global wheat quality by altering grain protein composition, yet quantitative synthesis of this critical issue remains lacking. Here we Meta-analyzed 65 studies (48-50 effect sizes) to assess impacts of high-temperature stress (HTS) on wheat gliadin, glutenin and total protein content. Our analysis reveals four novel insights. First, HTS significantly increased gliadin (+5.24%, 95% CI: 2.75-7.74%) and total protein (+6.54%, 4.77-8.30%), but not glutenin (+0.01%). Second, stress duration showed positive correlations with all fractions, whereas average maximum temperature exhibited negative relationships. Third, HTS from emergence to maturity had the greatest influence, increasing gliadin and glutenin by 11.92% and 10.57%, respectively. Fourth, glutenin was uniquely sensitive to stress duration (r = 0.43, P <= 0.05) but not to temperature intensity (r = -0.33, P > 0.05). These results reveal that HTS disproportionately enhances gliadin accumulation, perturbing the glutenin-to-gliadin ratio and compromising processing quality. We propose that strategies to mitigate heat stress need to encompass the entire growing season, not only the grain filling period. Furthermore, breeding efforts should prioritize maintaining stable protein composition to better secure food supplies as global temperatures continue to rise.

Abstract Background Doubled haploid (DH) lines generated via the wheat × maize system represent an effective technology for accelerating wheat breeding. However, achieving low-cost, large-scale DH production remains a core technical challenge. Results In this study, we conducted flowering-synchronization experiments to determine the hybridization window between wheat and maize. Wheat was sown year-round in the field, while maize was planted both in the field and in high tunnels. We also evaluated a novel pollination method, four new nutrition solutions for cut-tiller culture, and a newly designed optical device for screening embryo-containing caryopses prior to embryo rescue. The results are as follows: (i) spring wheat, as well as vernalized facultative and winter wheat can be naturally grown year-round in Kunming, a plateau region in China with a mild climate. The hybridization window between wheat and maize is five months (June-October) in natural conditions, but can be extended to 10 months (April-next January) through high-tunnel maize cultivation in January-February and August-September; (ii) compared with commonly used brushing pollen pollination, the rolling pollination method increased pollination efficiency more than tenfold, and raised the haploid embryo formation frequency (EFF) by 1.9 times; (iii) one new nutrient solution (A) for cut-tiller culture performed significantly better than the currently used nutrient solution B. It achieved the highest EFF (46.39%), caryopsis setting rate (97.20%), and 1000-caryopsis weight (28.49 g) among five solutions. Solution A, without sulfurous acid and silver nitrate (both present in solution B), is also more cost-effective and environmentally friendly; (iv) pre-screening caryopses using a newly designed optical device prior to embryo rescue demonstrated a 98.6% accuracy rate and a 3.46% false-negative rate in selecting embryo-containing caryopses. This method doubles the efficiency of embryo rescue and remarkably reduces the use of sterilants and labor in mass DH production. The optimized protocols were validated from 2022 to 2024, yielding over 137,080 DH lines from 1,039 diverse wheat materials. Conclusions The optimized protocol significantly improved doubled haploid production efficiency and reduced its cost, providing a more efficient and cost-effective system for mass production of wheat doubled haploids via wheat × maize. It is expected that the optimized protocol for wheat DH production will be applicable in regions with similar climates.

This study identified the fertility alteration characteristics and cytological mechanisms of the thermo-photo-sensitive genic male sterile (TPSGMS) wheat line K64S. The fertility-sensitive stage of K64S extends from pollen mother cell formation to the tetrad development stage, with critical fertility alteration thresholds of 14–14.5 °C for temperature and 9–9.5 h for daylength. Under low-temperature and short-day conditions, K64S exhibits complete male sterility, whereas it returns to fertility under high-temperature and long-day conditions. Cytological analysis shows that K64S undergoes normal meiosis and successfully forms normal uninucleate microspores. 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining revealed the uninucleate microspores failed to form binucleate microspores, with abortion occurring during the late uninucleate stage. Transmission electron microscopy indicates the pollen abortion in sterile K64S arises primarily from premature tapetal degeneration (a form of programmed cell death, PCD), initiated at the pollen mother cell stage, which disrupts nutrient supply and leads to abnormal nuclear division during subsequent microspore development. These findings provide insights into the cytological mechanism of pollen abortion in TPSGMS wheat and may guide hybrid wheat breeding and application.

Claviceps purpurea is a specialized phytopathogenic fungus that infects grasses and produces pharmacologically active compounds, attracting considerable interest in genomic research. In this study, we assembled and annotated the complete mitogenomes of 15 C. purpurea strains isolated from different host plants, including seven newly sequenced isolates from China. Analysis of the C. purpurea pan-mitogenome demonstrated that the accessory regions, with an average proportion of 48.23%, are the main contributor to mitogenome variation. Analysis of the 14 protein-coding genes revealed Ka/Ks ratios below 1, indicating strong purifying selection. Notably, the atp9 gene was absent in all strains, suggesting a potential adaptive gene loss. Structural variations were predominantly located in the intergenic region between rns and rnl. Phylogenetic analysis based on concatenated mitochondrial genes placed Claviceps as most closely related to the genus Epichloë. The 15 C. purpurea strains grouped into five well-supported subclades, with Chinese and non-Chinese isolates forming distinct lineages. Among these, the Chinese strains ACCC 37001 and KUNCC 11030 represented the earliest diverging lineages. This study elucidates the intraspecific variation and evolutionary patterns of the mitogenome in C. purpurea and highlights the value of mitogenome in resolving phylogenetic relationships.

The study investigates the morphological and phylogenetic characteristics of Colletotrichum species linked to anthracnose on Yunnanopilia longistaminea (Opiliaceae) in Yunnan, China. From July 2023 to July 2024, foliar anthracnose on Y. longistaminea 20-year-old plants with an incidence rate of 16% and two-year-old seedlings with an incidence rate of >90% were investigated in Yunnan, China. Based on morphological features and molecular approaches, four isolates of Colletotrichum were identified as C. karstii and C. fructicola. Two species were verified to induce foliar anthracnose by validating Koch’s postulates. This is the first report of C. karstii and C. fructicola inducing foliar anthracnose on Y. longistaminea in Yunnan, China, and globally. These findings enhance our understanding of the fungal pathogens affecting Y. longistaminea leaves and provides a theoretical basis of conservation and disease management in the study area. Further research is needed to explore these species’ ecological impacts and potential control measures in agricultural practices and wild resources protection.

Drought stress limits wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) productivity by disrupting plant growth, photosynthesis, and other metabolic activities. During recent times, the use of micronutrient-based nanoparticles (NPs) has emerged as a potential strategy to mitigate drought stress. However, comprehensive studies comparing their individual and combined effects on wheat under varying drought conditions are limited. This knowledge gap includes the lack of physiological and biochemical assessments of the integrated use of different NPs as well as insufficient understanding of their role in regulating oxidative stress and improving grain yield and quality of wheat under drought conditions. This study investigated the ameliorative role of different nanoparticles (NPs), namely iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and silicon (Si), on wheat under different levels of drought stress. A pot experiment was conducted to assess the impact of these NPs on plant growth, indicators of oxidative stress, activities of antioxidant enzymes, and yield attributes of wheat. Present results revealed a significant reduction in growth, biomass accumulation, and yield attributes under drought stress. On the other hand, the use of NPs led to a marked improvement in morpho-physiological growth, biomass, and yield, suggesting their potential to alleviate the negative impacts of drought on wheat. Among the treatments, the combined use of Fe and Zn-NPs (T5) showed most promising results for wheat growth under drought stress, with the maximum increases in plant height (17.59 %), leaf area (68.2 %), and number of tillers (26.1 %). Moreover, the maximum increase in total chlorophyll (16.6-44.3 %), carotenoids (15.4-46.8 %), soluble proteins (38.5-45.1 %), and relative moisture contents in leaves (31.19-35.2 %) were also recorded in Fe + Zn-NPs under varying drought levels (D0, D1, D2). Indicators of oxidative stress, such as malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) contents, were decreased by 44.5-46.2 % and 42.1-48.9 %, respectively, in Fe + Zn-NPs treatment under drought stress. Likewise, Fe + Zn-NPs increased the superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activities by 102.7-589 %, 44.5-142.7 %, 74.2-200.2 %, and 16.01-634.2 %, respectively, in the wheat plants under drought stress. Furthermore, Fe + Zn-NPs improved the wheat flour yield (4.7 %) under drought stress. These findings highlight the beneficial role of NPs in enhancing wheat performance under drought stress.

Drought stress constitutes a major challenge to wheat production. Melatonin plays a vital role in plants’ resistance to drought stress. Nevertheless, the influence of melatonin seed coating on the drought resistance ability of wheat remains unclear. Hence, in this study, wheat (Yunmai 112) was chosen as the experimental material. The research results indicated that 100 µM exogenous melatonin treatment enhanced the germination rate of wheat seeds by 11% compared to the CK group. Melatonin seed coating (100 or 200 µM) significantly inhibited the accumulation of ROS in wheat seedlings under drought stress conditions and facilitated the growth of wheat seedlings. Then, 100 µM melatonin seed coating elevated the activity of antioxidant enzymes (CAT, Cu/Zn-SOD, POD, and T-GSH) in wheat seedlings and strengthened the resistance of wheat to drought stress. In contrast to the control, 100 or 200 µM melatonin seed coating significantly raised the contents of soluble protein and chlorophyll in wheat seedlings. Further studies demonstrated that 100 µM melatonin seed coating promoted the increase in the thousand-grain weight and yield of wheat under drought stress. Taking together, melatonin seed coating is an effective approach for enhancing the stress resistance and the yield of wheat under drought stress.

Correct combinations and levels of plant macronutrients nutrients for wheat not only improve crop growth and productivity but also making better yields. The main objective of this research was to determine how nano fertilizer treatments viz., nano N, nano K, and nano P, applications affect wheat productivity. The experimental designs included treatments with multiple nano-fertilizer combinations ranging from no fertilization to separate applications of 50 mg L-1 nano N, nano P, and nano K and combinations of N + P, N + K, P + K, and N + P + K applied in foliar form. Findings revealed that applying different combinations of NPK improved the wheat growth and biomass such as root dry weight (176.96 %) but also the overall wheat productivity by improving the spike length (48.19 %), 1000 grain weight (85.25 %) and grain yield per plant (163.44 %). Combined approach of nano NPK improved the photosynthetic attributes by improving the total chlorophyll (135.63 %), and wheat quality by increasing protein contents (78.75 %), wet gluten (52.86 %) and overall flour yield (69.68 %). A linear reduction in lipid peroxidation properties was noted with the use of coupled NPK. The combined application of nano-NPK fertilization evidently improved all yield and quality parameters, which subsequently showed less response with the split application of nano-NPK fertilization. However, the use of P and K in combination indicated an inferior response when compared to NP and NK fertilization. Direct relationship between nano-NPK fertilizer application and wheat grains quality was also noticed. The findings highlighted that balanced application of NPK nano-fertilization treatments drives crop productivity through improved yield and defense systems while reducing wheat crop damage from oxidative stress.

Hybrid breeding is a promising technology for improving wheat yield potential and stability, especially in marginal environments. However, creating hybrids with strong heterosis is challenging. This study screened T307 restorer lines and seven thermo-photosensitive genic male sterile (TPGMS) lines genotyped by a 15K SNP array. Subsequently, based on the genetic distances (GDs) among parental lines, two male sterile lines and 16 restorer lines representing close, middle, and distant genetic distances relative to each sterile line were selected for production of 18 hybrids. The hybrids were subjected to a two-year field trial for assessment of 27 agronomic and end-use quality characteristics. We found that the GDs among the selected 2 sterile lines and 16 restorer lines ranged from 0.04 to 0.66, with an average of 0.47. The 18 parental lines are divided into five groups based on the phylogenetic tree. The relationship between GDs and the mid-parent heterosis showed a weak negative correlation for a majority of characteristics. Likewise, for the grain yield per plant, non-significant negative correlations were observed between GDs and the mid-parent heterosis (MPH), better parent heterosis (BPH), and commercial check heterosis (CCH). However, hybrid S003*R080 with the genetic distance of 0.36 and hybrid S005xR084 with the genetic distance of 0.44, demonstrated superior performance across all tested attributes. This study suggests that SNP marker based genetic distance is a poor predictor of heterosis and high heterosis can be obtained in hybrids of moderately distant parental lines.

A pot study was conducted to evaluate the ameliorative role of compost, vermicompost, and selenium spray on morphophysiological growth, oxidative stress indicators, antioxidant enzymes and yield attributes of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under variable drought conditions [no drought (D0), moderate drought (D1) and severe drought (D3)]. Results depicted that drought stress markedly disrupted morphological growth, biomass production and yield parameters of wheat exposed to varying levels of drought. However, application of different soil amendments and selenium spray, alone and in combination, positively minimized the injurious effects of drought stress on wheat. Among various treatments, the combined application of vermicompost in soil and selenium (Na2SeO3) foliar spray (T5) showed more promising results at all levels of drought stress. Maximum increase in growth parameters including plant height (11.83 %), leaf area (19.14 %), and number of tillers (9.35 %) of wheat was found in combined treatment of vermicompost and Na2SeO3 (T5). Likewise, total chlorophyll, carotenoids, soluble proteins also showed significant increment by applying vermicompost and Na2SeO3 together. Combined application of vermicompost and Na2SeO3 (T5) also reduced malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and superoxide anion (O2-) levels by 46.5-48.2 %, 49.1-58.9 % and 20-30 %, respectively, in wheat exposed to varying drought stress. Antioxidant enzyme activities i.e., superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) were also increased in T5 by 110.7-489 %, 54.5-152.7 %, 84.2-220.2 % and 26.01-534.2 %, respectively, in wheat plant under varying drought levels. Combined use of vermicompost and Na2SeO3 also positively affected the yield traits and enhanced flour yield by 5.56-6.03 % in wheat plants exposed to varying drought stress.

Phyllosticta yuccae is an important plant pathogen causing leaf spot disease in Yucca gigantea Lem. It is imperative to note that the amount of information available about the mitogenome of this subject is severely limited. This must be addressed immediately, as it is crucial to our understanding and progress in this field. To better understand the mitogenomic characteristics of P. yuccae, we conducted its sequencing by MGISEQ. Afterwards, the mitogenome was assembled and annotated. The mitogenomic characteristics and phylogenetic placement of the P. yuccae strain KUMCC 6213 were analyzed. The study revealed that the mitogenome of P. yuccae is a circular DNA molecule, consisting of 178,540 base pairs. It contains a total of 64 genes, including 14 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 26 transfer RNA genes (tRNA), 2 ribosomal RNA genes (rRNA), and 22 open reading frame genes (ORF), accounting for 80.98% of the total size. Repetitive sequences accounted for 15.42% of the mitogenome. The analysis of codon usage indicated that the codon UUA was the most commonly utilized, whereas the amino acid Leu was the most frequently employed. A comparative analysis of mitogenomes between P. yuccae and Macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi) Goid. showed notable variations in the position and size of gene clusters, with cox1, nad4, and nad4L genes exhibiting relatively low conservation. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 14 PCGs revealed that P. yuccae has the closest genetic relationship with M. phaseolina (Botryosphaeriaceae, Botryosphaeriales). This study first reports the mitogenome of P. yuccae and validates its phylogenetic placement. The findings enhance the knowledge of mitogenomes in Botryosphaeriales, offering novel perspectives on the genetics and evolution of the plant pathogen P. yuccae. This is crucial for the accurate prevention and management of leaf spot disease in Y. gigantea.

Wheat hybrids have been widely demonstrated to have remarkable heterosis or hybrid vigor in increasing yield potential and stability since the 1960s. Two-line hybrid wheat can achieve higher yields than local varieties, especially in marginal environments. However, the commercial application of hybrid wheat is hindered by higher seed costs, primarily due to lower yields in hybrid seed production. Stigma exsertion has been verified as a decisive factor in increasing rice’s hybrid seed yield, but more investigation is needed in hybrid wheat breeding and production. In this study, four thermo-photo-sensitive genic male sterile lines, including K41S, K64S, K66S, and K68S, with different stigma exsertion rates (SERs) were used to compare the differences in floral architecture relative to stigma exsertion over two growing seasons. The results revealed that the K41S and K64S exhibited a relatively higher SER at 21.87% and 22.81%, respectively. No exserted stigma was observed in K66S, and K68S had an SER of only 0.82%. This study found that the stigma length, glume width and the length–width ratio of the glume were significantly correlated with the SER, with correlation coefficients of 0.46, −0.46 and 0.60, respectively. Other stigma features such as the branch angle, stretch width and hairbrush length, as well as the glume length, also had a weakly positive correlation with SER (r = 0.09–0.27). For K41S and K64S, the SER was significantly affected by the differences in the stigma branch angle and stigma stretch width among florets. A cross-pollination survey showed that the out-crossing ability of florets with an exserted stigma was about three times as high as that of florets with a non-exserted stigma. As a result, the stigma-exserted florets that accounted for 21.87% and 22.81% of the total florets in K41S and K64S produced 46.80% and 48.53% of the total cross-pollinated seeds in both sterile lines. These findings suggest that a longer stigma combined with a slender glume appears to be the essential floral feature of stigma exsertion in sterile wheat lines. It is expected that breeding and utilizing sterile lines with a higher SER would be a promising solution to cost-effective hybrid wheat seed production.

Wheat stripe rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici ( Pst ), is a common airborne wheat disease. The frequent occurrence at a large scale in China has caused significant yield losses and poses a considerable threat to food security. To effectively manage and forecast the disease, a comprehensive understanding of the long-distance migration patterns of Pst is essential. Shaanxi province, situated in close proximity to the northwestern epidemic areas in China, plays a crucial role as a key overwintering region for Pst . However, it remains uncertain whether Pst , after winter reproduction in Shaanxi province, can extend its spread to the primary wheat regions in the North China Plain. In this study, during February and June 2022, a total of 302 Pst samples were collected from Shaanxi province and the North China Plain. Thirteen pairs of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were adopted to analyze the population genetic structure. It was observed that both genetic and genotypic diversities exhibited a discernible decline from the Shaanxi to the North China Plain. Moreover, Shaanxi displayed a close genetic relationship with Henan and Shandong, whereas Henan exhibited the most substantial population exchange with Shaanxi. Further analysis revealed that Shaanxi served as the primary inoculum of Pst in the investigated region, and the spread of Pst to Henan and Shandong originated from Shaanxi. As a result, the epidemics in Shandong further led to the prevailing of the disease in Hebei. Our study enhances the understanding of the epidemiological patterns of wheat stripe rust in the springtime prevalent regions of China, and it provides insights for future disease management.

双单倍体(DH)技术可使杂合育种材料在一个世代纯合稳定,被广泛用于作物遗传育种.小麦×玉米杂交是产生小麦DH的主要途径之一,但小麦和玉米一般在不同季节种植,制约了该技术的广泛应用.春性和经春化处理的半冬性、冬性小麦材料在云南昆明 自然条件下一年四季均可播种、收获,为每年4月至12月进行小麦×玉米杂交提供了便利条件.本团队前期建立了平均得胚率为25％(15％～70％)、成苗率为62％(50％～80％)以及加倍率为62％(50％～90％)的小麦DH批量生产技术规程.并于2015年以来,利用国内外共1 900余份不同遗传背景的春性、半冬性和冬性小麦材料进行验证,共获得10.5×104个小麦DH株系;构建了 64个DH遗传群体;育成了云麦110、云麦112等小麦新品种;创制了 24个优良小麦温光敏核不育系及一批抗病优良品系,初步实现了该DH技术在小麦育种中的应用.后续还需继续完善规模化DH生产技术规程,提高得胚率、成苗率、加倍率等关键技术指标和DH生产效率,降低成本,促进该技术在小麦遗传育种中更广泛地应用.

Pseudofabraea citricarpa (Dermateaceae: Helotiales) is known as a significant pathogen causing Citrus target spot disease and results in profound yield loss. In the present study, the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) determined based on next-generation sequencing technology. The circular mitogenome (56,935 bp) comprised 14 conserved protein-coding genes (PCGs), 16 ORFs, two ribosomal RNA genes (rns and rnl), one non-coding RNA gene (rnpB), one ribosomal protein S3 (rps3) and 28 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes. The overall base composition is as follows: 36.08% A, 35.25% T, 13.04% C, and 15.63% G, with a GC content of 28.70%. The phylogenetic analysis shows that P. citricarpa, belonging to Dermateaceae, forms a separate clade and is sister to Sclerotiniaceae. The mitogenome of P. citricarpa reported in this study provides more molecular data for further research on the evolutionary relationships of Helotiales.

文章归纳了云南省小麦产业发展概况,分析了小麦产业所面临的问题,并针对当前所面临的问题思考了小麦产业发展的策略,以期为云南省小麦产业健康发展提供参考.

文章主要阐述了云南省小麦育种进展,并通过分析云南省小麦品种所面临的问题,探讨了云南省小麦育种策略与思考,以期为云南省小麦品种改良和选育高产稳产、多抗、耐逆等方面具有突破性的小麦品种应用于生产提供参考.

Wheat is one of the most important food crops in Yunnan Province. Drought and yellow rust are the main limiting factors to wheat productivity. Utilization of heterosis is expected to be a promising way to increase resistance to stress and yield potential. In 1992, photo-thermo sensitive genic male sterile wheat "ES" and thermo-photo sensitive genic male sterile wheat "C49S" were developed by Hunan Agricultural University and Chongqing Academy of Agricultural Science, respectively, which provided a new way for heterosis utilization in China by conducting two-line hybrid wheat breeding. ES and C49S were sterile under low-temperature and short-day conditions, and fertile under high-temperature and long-day conditions. During 1993-2000, ten sterile lines of ES and C49S were introduced into Yunnan for sterility identification, while only C49S-87 from Chongqing showed stable sterility in three special locations of Yunnan when sowed in middle October, with 15-20 d of sterile heading duration (bagged seed-set rate <1%). In 2002, hybrid cultivar Yunza 3 from C49S-87 was released in Yunnan and increased yield by 11.4% over the inbred CK in regional tests, but was planted only 12400 ha in Yunnan due to the loss of resistance to yellow rust after 2004. Given that C49S-87 was poor in out-crossing ability (40%-50%) and susceptible to yellow rust, an improved sterile line K78S was developed from C49S-87 in 2001. K78S had 26-44 d of sterile heading duration in all regions with altitudes from 1530 to 2400 m when sowed from middle October to early November, as well as better out-crossing ability (70%-80%) and higher resistance to yellow rust. In 2004 and 2005, Yunza 5 and Yunza 6 developed from K78S were separately released in Yunnan. Both cultivars showed higher yield increase by >15% in regional tests. Meanwhile, high cross-pollination ability of K78S markedly raised the yield of hybrid seed production from 1500-1800 kg/ha of Yunza 3 to 3900-4500 kg/ha of Yunza 5 and Yunza 6 when the same techniques of mechanized seed production were applied. These cultivars have been totally planted about 700000 ha in Yunnan and parts of Vietnam till now. However, since 2005, no hybrid cultivar has been released in Yunnan. The main reasons are as follows: (1) Only two sterile lines were practically used for test-crossing before 2020 but became susceptible to yellow rust ten years ago, which greatly reduced the opportunities of creating high heterotic hybrids although thousands of restorers were test-crossed. In 2020, 24 elite sterile lines were developed by using doubled haploid (DH) breeding, and have been used in hybrid wheat breeding now. (2) Most restorers were "by-products" of developing inbred cultivars, thus the combining ability between the sterile line and the restorer was never tested during the developing of restorers, resulting in completely random or accidental emergence of heterotic hybrids. Therefore, it might be necessary to re-construct the restorer breeding program by using dwarf-male-sterile wheat with reference to maize inbred line breeding. In addition, exploitation of nucleo-cytoplasmic heterosis might be another way to increase heterosis both in yield potential and resistance to stress, as suggested by Kihara in 1979. Generally, some promising progress in two-line hybrid wheat breeding based on thermo-photo sensitive genic male sterility has been achieved in Yunnan during past 30 years. However, more efforts should be made in breeding and basic research to efficiently create hybrids with higher yield increase and better resistance to drought and diseases, and this will improve the current system and promote the wider application of hybrid wheat in Yunnan.