Conservation agriculture (CA), particularly zero tillage (ZT), imposes distinct selective pressures on wheat that are inadequately addressed by conventionally bred cultivars. This study evaluated 207 lines of a Linked Top Cross population (LTP) of wheat under zero tillage (ZT) and conventional tillage (CT) across two years to dissect phenotypic responses and identify genomic regions associated with CA adaptation. Significant genetic variation and genotype × tillage interactions were observed for all major phenological, agronomic, and yield-related traits. Grain yield under ZT was primarily influenced by tiller number and thousand grain weight, with altered correlation structures compared with CT. Genome-wide association studies identified 128 and 93 significant marker-trait associations (MTAs) under CT and ZT, respectively, including stable and pleiotropic loci for days to heading, plant height, tillering, grain weight, and yield across years and management practices. Several MTAs were consistently detected across environments, highlighting conserved genetic control of key adaptive traits under reduced soil disturbance. The integration of multi-environment phenotyping with GWAS provides valuable insights into the genetic architecture of CA adaptation and identifies robust loci for marker-assisted and genomic selection. These findings support the development of wheat cultivars with enhanced productivity and resilience under conservation agriculture systems.

GWAS of 1,273 wheat lines identified a stable MTA 3B_6127880 on 3BS chromosome arm for spot blotch resistance, and the associated candidate genes were differentially expressed in resistant vs. susceptible genotypes. Spot blotch (SB), caused by Bipolaris sorokiniana, poses a threat to global wheat production. We evaluated 1,500 elite wheat lines for SB across two environments to identify genomic regions and candidate genes (CGs) conferring resistance. Disease severity, measured as area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC), was negatively correlated with days to heading (DH) and stay-green traits (SGTs). Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) using three different models (MLM, FarmCPU, BLINK) identified seven and eleven stable MTAs for AUDPC and SGTs, respectively, with three (3B_6127880, 5B_546704556, 5B_546132836) common to both traits. To reduce the confounding effects of DH, a separate GWAS was conducted on a subset of genotypes with similar heading dates, confirming 3B_6127880 as a consistent locus for AUDPC, located near to previously known SB QTLs on 3BS chromosome arm. Several other putative MTAs and haplotypes associated with AUDPC and SGTs were identified. A time-course analysis of CGs associated with the important MTAs revealed differential expression in the resistant (Chirya 3) and susceptible (Sonalika) genotypes under SB infection. The identified SNPs, alleles, haplotypes, and CGs may be used in marker-assisted selection and breeding programs to develop wheat varieties with enhanced resistance to SB.

The rice-wheat cropping system under Vertisol in sub-tropical regions of India faces significant challenges in maintaining soil health and achieving sustainable yields. This is primarily due to climatic variability and intensive agricultural practices, which accelerate the loss of soil organic carbon (SOC) and lead to soil degradation. There is a pressing need to adopt sustainable nutrient management, that not only maximize crop yields but also support climate change mitigation through carbon (C) sequestration and soil health management. In this context, a long-term fertilizer management (25 years) study was undertaken to assess crop productivity, C fractions, sequestration potential to achieve soil C 4 per mille under rice-wheat cropping system in sub-tropical Vertisol. The experiment was based on ten different fertilizer treatments either alone or in combination with organics. Grain yield, system productivity, and the sustainable yield index (SYI) were significantly higher under the 150%NPK and NPK + Farmyard manure (FYM) treatments compared to the unfertilized control. Relying on imbalanced fertilization (N) is inadequate for long-term sustainability. Long-term application of 100% NPK+FYM increased SOC content by up to 16%, whereas it decreased by 34% under absolute control relative to the initial value. Integrated nutrient management (INM) significantly enhanced the SOC pools, with higher proportion (57%) of total SOC in passive C pools. The increase in SOC stock was significantly correlated (R2 = 0.76) with system productivity, requiring a minimum C input of 2.7 Mg C ha-1 yr-1 to maintain C equilibrium. The INM treatment achieved the highest C sequestration (2.27 Mg ha-1), potential (7.04 Mg ha-1) and rate (0.10 Mg C ha-1 yr-1) compared to NPK. In the present study, the C sequestration rate under NPK+FYM and 150%NPK surpassed the annual increment requirement of 0.4% SOC to achieve the target of the “4 per mille”. Over 25 years, application of 5 Mg ha-1 FYM with NPK proved to be the most sustainable practice for SOC management. In addition to enhancing SOC stock, this practice maximizes crop productivity, thereby highlighting the potential of soil management as an effective voluntary carbon sequestration pathway for climate-change mitigation strategy in sub-tropical regions.

Lodging is a major constraint in wheat production, often resulting in substantial yield losses. Resistance to lodging is influenced by various morphological, biochemical, and anatomical traits of the stem, and the relative contribution of different stem parts, particularly individual internodes, to lodging tolerance remains unclear. In this study, key culm-related morphological internode length (IL), internode weight (IW), stem diameter (SD), culm wall thickness (CWT), pith diameter (PD), the stem diameter to culm wall thickness ratio (SD/CWT) and the internode length to internode weight ratio (IL/IW), biochemical (cellulose), and anatomical traits were evaluated across the first three internodes in diverse wheat genotypes. The results revealed that the second internode played the most critical role in lodging tolerance. Lodging-resistant genotypes presented higher PD, CWT, IW, and cellulose content in the second internode, whereas susceptible genotypes presented increased IL and IL/IW ratios. Anatomical analyses revealed that resistant genotypes possessed more vascular bundles, thicker sclerenchyma, well-developed parenchyma, and enhanced lignin deposition in the second internode, collectively contributing to superior mechanical stability. Furthermore, single-marker analysis using SSR markers revealed 12 significant loci associated with 16 culm strength traits, with Gwm337 and Wmc273 explaining the greatest percentage of the phenotypic variance (24.40% and 23.01%, respectively). These findings underscore the pivotal role of the second internode in lodging tolerance and provide valuable molecular markers to support marker-assisted breeding for enhanced culm strength in wheat.

Conservation Agriculture (CA) is based on the simultaneous practice of three principles: (i) no or minimum mechanical soil disturbance, (ii) permanent soil cover, and (iii) crop diversity e.g. crop rotation and/or intercropping systems. In parts of Sub Saharan Africa (SSA), conventional tillage practice is still pervasive and includes the practice of crop burning, resulting in severe soil erosion. Moreover, there is heavy reliance on maize, which contributes to limited dietary diversity. Crop modelling efforts allow for future scenarios to be explored to support policy formulation and farmer decision making. Research exploring potential benefits of CA on food and nutrition security has been limited and existing crop modelling efforts have failed to model the full CA system and/or have been limited to comparisons against monocultures or a narrow range of crops. The APSIM crop model was used to simulate the productivity and protein yield of a variety of intercropping systems involving three crops (maize, cowpea and pigeonpea) under full CA practice relative to conventional tillage (CV) with the same intercropping system. A baseline scenario used site-specific daily historical weather data acquired between 1997 and 2015 for Pemba-Metuge district in Cabo Delgado province (Northern Mozambique). A second set of simulations used incremental changes in temperature corresponding to future climate scenarios. Results showed that temperature plays the most important role, contributing to nearly 60

Context/problem: Growing catch crops in autumn after the main crop is known to reduce nitrate leaching and improve soil fertility. Residual effects of growing catch crops repeatedly for several years on the grain yield and grain nitrogen (N) of the following main crop, and nitrate leaching are less known. Methods: We conducted field experiments with spring barley and catch crops, including an herbicide treated bare treatment, from 2015 to 2022 at two sites in Denmark, differing in soil type and climatic conditions. The spring barley was fertilized at four N levels (0-150 % of the recommended amount). The residual effect of the repeated catch crops was measured in 2021 for barley grain yield and grain N, and for nitrate leaching in the percolation periods of 2020-21 and 2021-22. Results: During the repeated catch crop periods the average aboveground biomass N ranged between 20 and 61 kg N ha(-1) yr(-1). A residual effect of the repeated catch crops on grain yield and grain N was only observed in unfertilized barley. Catch crops significantly reduced nitrate leaching compared to the bare soil, with a reduction of 38-91 % per percolation period. After discontinuing the catch crops, there was no residual effect on nitrate leaching. Conclusion: Repeated catch crops for four percolation periods did not have measurable residual effects on the following main crop, nor on nitrate leaching after their discontinuation. Implications or significance: More research is needed on N immobilization and mineralization processes, and the factors that influence them to better understand the residual effects of catch crops.

Lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) is an important perennial forage legume in Sweden, but its potential cultivation area is constrained by uncertainty of successful establishment. This study aimed to identify management practices that could lead to improved establishment of lucerne. Lucerne cultivar SW Nexus was grown at four different locations in southern Sweden over two establishment/production cycles. At all locations except Svalöv, lucerne had not previously been cultivated in the plot location for at least seven years. Inoculation treatments of one standard rhizobia (Nitragin Gold, NG), two NG-related, three NGs combined with single micronutrient, and six alternative inoculants were assessed in comparison with a no inoculation control for their effects on lucerne establishment and production. The results showed that alternative inoculants were sometimes better than the standard inoculants. The largest contrast between different inoculation treatments was at Rådde in the first crop cycle, where the best treatment yielded 12000 kg DM ha−1 across three harvests, nearly twice that of the control, and all alternative inoculant treatments had higher total nitrogen concentration (TN), lower carbon to nitrogen ratio (C:N), and greater normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) than the control. There was no evidence that the soil-applied micronutrients improved yield at any location. At Svalöv, where lucerne had previously been grown, there was no effect of any of the treatments. In conclusion, inoculation is essential at locations where there is no history of lucerne cultivation, and choice of inoculation product can affect establishment and production.

Wild relatives of wheat possess biological nitrification inhibition (BNI) capacity, which hinders soil nitrification and can be transferred to cultivated bread wheat through methods of wide crossing. The chromosome addition lines (CAL) with Lr#N translocations in chromosome 3BS of wheat were crafted through crosses between Leymus racemosus and Triticum aestivum. Since the CAL has been shown to possess both BNI and other advantageous traits for wheat improvement, it was utilized as a donor to transfer improved BNI capacity into recently released wheat varieties as recipient parents. Marker-assisted backcrossing was deployed. We validated the Sequence Tagged Site markers developed from de-novo sequencing of the Leymus species, along with Kompetitive Allele-specific PCR markers, to identify both translocated and non-translocated lines of wheat and detect the introgressed segments in backcrossed progenies across various cross combinations. For marker validation, Genomic In-situ Hybridization was used to confirm the presence of the translocated region in the recipient lines.

Good establishment of cover crops early after harvest of the main crop is challenging and requires optimized sowing time to maximize ecosystem services in Northwestern Europe. We quantified the abilities of three cover crop species, fodder radish (Raphanus sativus), oats (Avena sativa), and phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia) to (i) take up nitrogen (N), reduce nitrate leaching when sown at four sowing times from 10 Aug to 7 Sep at two sandy loam sites in Denmark (Foulum and Flakkebjerg) during two percolation periods of 2022-23 and 2023-24, and (ii) provide carbon (C) input to the soil at two sowing times at Flakkebjerg in 2023. N uptake and nitrate leaching reduction declined with delayed sowing time. The decline followed different patterns for N uptake and nitrate leaching reduction and varied depending on interactions between species, percolation period, and site. Each day of delayed sowing from 10 Aug to 7 Sep decreased the ability of cover crops to reduce nitrate leaching by 0.5 kg N ha-1 day-1 at Flakkebjerg and 1.2 kg N ha-1 day-1 at Foulum. Overall, fodder radish and phacelia more efficiently reduced leaching at the early sowing times, while fodder radish was most effective at the later sowing times. At Flakkebjerg in 2023, fodder radish accumulated more C than oats and phacelia when sown on 10 Aug. Delaying sowing to 30 Aug reduced total C input from all cover crops by 60 %. These findings can potentially be used for enhancing environmental and climate benefits of cover crops in sustainable cropping system design.

CONTEXT: Nitrogen (N) application to crops is crucial to feed an increasing world population. Yet, much of this N is not taken up by crops, initiating a cascade of N losses with dire environmental and economic consequences. There is, therefore, a need to develop crops with traits that make them use N more efficiently, thereby reducing N losses. Process-based models have been used to design in-silico crops with desirable traits to maximize yield and increase climate resiliency, but few have been used with the perspective of reducing N losses. OBJECTIVE: To examine the way process-based models capture interactions between root traits and N losses, and propose opportunities to improve model representation of observed relationships. METHODS: We synthesize the current knowledge on the relationships between plant traits and N losses based on experiments reported in the literature, conduct a survey of process-based models simulating crop growth and N losses, and run a sensitivity analysis with selected models (DSSAT, APSIM, DNDCvCAN, Daisy). RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The results show that the relationships between root traits and N losses can be very strong in experiments, but model simulations do not capture the magnitude of these associations well. This is mainly due to the lack of a robust representation of the plant root mechanisms influencing N losses. Suggested model improvements include designing new functions to link root traits with key N-cycling processes supported by experimental evidence-such as root exudation of various compounds including biological nitrification inhibitors-and using easily observable morphological traits in process-based models as proxies to predict changes induced by plants on N-cycling by soil microbial communities. SIGNIFICANCE: This work represents a key step towards designing novel root function-based ideotypes adapted to reduced fertilizer inputs while maintaining the same level of yield, and that is, therefore, potentially less harmful to the environment.

Wheat crops (Triticum aestivum) that are conventionally planted may exhibit susceptibility to yellow rust (YR). However, the disease can be mitigated if the crops are planted earlier than the recommended planting time. A wheat screening experiment was carried out at the Borlaug Institute of South Asia located in Ludhiana, Punjab, India. The purpose of the study was to gain a deeper understanding of the adaptation patterns of early planted wheat. Early planting was found to be more advantageous for production potential, as well as phenology, stature, and physiological traits. In a separate experiment, each year, the same number of genotypes were screened for YR by artificially inoculating them with pathogen spores. The well-adapted genotypes for early establishment tend to possess a greater vulnerability to YR infection. Furthermore, the infection type score for the genotype selected for early planting showed a significantly greater proportion of S (susceptible) type reactions than for the genotypes adapted to early planting. Intriguingly, more R (resistant) and moderately resistant types of reactions were observed in early-adapted genotypes than in timely-adapted ones. Therefore, further concentrated research on YR screening is required to assess the possibility of breeding early sown wheat in the northwest part of the Indo-Gangetic region.

Allelopathy in rainfed crop production systems can be a boon or bane for smallholder farmers depending on their crop choices in intercrops, sequences, and rotations. Crop and weed allelopathy can lead to serious problems like poor germination, low crop stand, and reduced crop growth and productivity. Residual toxicity in soil due to allelopathic monocultures and detrimental impacts on ecosystems, human habitats and health are other problems caused by allelopathy. Allelopathy can be exploited to control weeds, reduce herbicide use, avoid herbicide resistance, stimulate crop growth, and enhance nutrient availability.This review aims to provide practical knowledge that can improve the management of farming systems in the semi-arid tropics of the Indian subcontinent, a region prone to allelopathic effects induced by biotic and abiotic stresses. We focus on synergistic and antagonistic allelopathic effects of major cereals, legumes, oilseeds, commercial crops, and weeds and summarise the current knowledge on the mode of release and properties of allelochemicals in crops, residue management and their impacts on crops and weeds. We then list options to effectively suppress weeds, reduce risks of residual toxicity in soil and environmental hazards and outline synergistic crop rotations that reduce disease build up and eradicate parasitic weeds in rainfed production systems of the semi-arid tropics. Finally, we highlight research gaps to further improve and employ knowledge of allelopathy of weeds and crops for improved crop production, with reduced synthetic herbicide usage.

Context/Problem: Importing protein into Europe is causing sustainability challenges, which has resulted in an increasing European interest in locally growing faba bean as a protein source. There is, however, a concern that this may result in higher nitrate leaching compared with conventional cereal-based systems. Objective/Research question: We investigated the risk of nitrate leaching and its mitigation strategy after growing faba bean with catch crops within a conventional European cropping system that also includes catch crops in spring barley. Methods: We conducted a field experiment with faba bean (Vicia faba L.) and three catch crops (chicory (Cichorium intybus L.), perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and winter rye (Secale cereale L.)) grown in sequence with spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and replicated in time over a period of three years. Continuous spring barley with catch crops (perennial ryegrass and fodder radish (Raphanus sativus L.)) were used as a reference. Measurements included grain yield and grain nitrogen (N) of the main crops, aboveground biomass and N yield of the catch crops, and nitrate leaching. Results: Grain yield and grain N of faba bean grown with undersown catch crops were not statistically different than without catch crop and post-harvest sown catch crops. Catch crops with faba bean had lower aboveground biomass and N yield than with spring barley. Faba bean as pre-crop compensated for the reduced amount of fertilizer input and also increased the grain yield and grain N of the subsequent spring barley. In 2020-21, nitrate leaching from both spring barley and faba bean without catch crops was not statistically different, with an average of 64 kg NO3-N ha-1. In contrast, in 2021-22, nitrate leaching after faba bean without catch crops was higher with 104 kg NO3-N ha-1, compared with spring barley with 68 kg NO3-N ha-1. Catch crops significantly reduced nitrate leaching on average by up to 55 kg NO3-N ha-1 from faba bean and 62 kg NO3-N ha-1 from spring barley fields. Conclusions: The study reveals that growing faba bean can reduce N fertilizer input without compromising the grain yield and grain N of following spring barley. Variable nitrate leaching between years from faba bean requires more research on diverse pedo-climatic and agronomic conditions to better assess nitrate leaching risks and reduction strategies. Implications or significance: These results will aid in designing cropping systems including faba bean and catch crops combinations to reduce N fertilizer input and nitrate leaching risks and improve protein sufficiency.

A well-developed root system is essential for efficient nutrient and water uptake. We phenotyped a set of 172 Triticum durum-Aegilops speltoides backcross introgression lines (BILs) for various root architecture traits during 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 cropping seasons. The roots were sampled at the maximum tillering stage, and data on various root architecture traits were recorded. The quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping was carried out using 5672 polymorphic SNPs obtained from genotyping-by-sequencing. A total of 21 QTLs were detected for various root architecture traits on chromosomes 1A, 2A, 2B, 3B, 5A and 6B. Stable QTLs were detected for total root length, number of root tips and root dry weight over the two seasons. Candidate genes were identified by scanning the physical interval corresponding to the linkage disequilibrium (LD) decay flanking the SNPs linked to the stable QTLs. In silico expression studies of postulated candidate genes revealed root-specific upregulation of some of the genes. These QTLs can be used in breeding programmes after the development and validation of suitable marker assays.

Context: Water is one of the major limiting factors for wheat production. Mult-environmental evaluation is necessary to identify stable drought tolerant wheat genotypes. Objectives: To identify stable drought tolerant wheat genotypes and reliable phenotypic and/or spectral markers for drought tolerance. Methods: One hundred ninety-six diverse wheat genotypes were evaluated at three different locations in India for two years (E1 to E12). Drought was imposed at the heading stage (Z59) by withholding irrigation until the moisture content reached <45% as compared to the control (100%). Various Morpho-physiological and phenological traits: Days to flowering (DTF) and maturity (DTM), plant height (PH), grain yield (GY), NDVI, canopy temperature depression (CTD), and chlorophyll readings were recorded. Different stress indices and stability models (AMMI - Additive Main Effects and Multiplicative Interaction; WAASB - Weighted Average of Absolute Scores from the singular value decomposition of the matrix of BLUPs; and MTSI - Multi-Trait Stability Index) were used to identify the stable and tolerant genotypes. In addition, discriminate function analysis (DFA) was performed to identify drought tolerant genotypes. Results: Genotype performance reduced significantly under drought for all traits in all environments. Overall, GY was reduced by 35% under drought compared to control. Pooled ANOVA showed that 81% of the variation in grain yield was due to the environment and 10.6% due to its interaction with genotypes. MTSI and WAASBY identified 11 common genotypes with stable performance across all environments. Further, 29 stable genotypes selected by MTSI (with 15% selection intensity) had higher selection differential than other stability models. Further, NDVI at maturity showed a positive and significant correlation [r = 0.41** in E2 and 0.36** in E4) with the GY specifically under drought for two years. Conclusion: MTSI is an effective method for selecting stable wheat genotypes under drought conditions. NDVI may be a high throughput screening tool for drought tolerance. Implications: MTSI may be used to identify stable genotypes, while DFA is useful in selecting drought tolerant genotypes. Further, NDVI can be used in addition to yield traits to screen wheat genotypes for drought tolerance.

Wheat, a major cereal crop, is the most consumed staple food after rice in India. Frequent episodes of heat waves during the past decade have raised concerns about food security under impending global warming and necessitate the development of heat-tolerant wheat cultivars. Wild relatives of crop plants serve as untapped reservoirs of novel genetic variations. In the present study a mapping population comprising 311 BC2F10 backcross introgression lines (BILs) developed by crossing Triticum durum and heat-tolerant diploid wild wheat relative Aegilops speltoides accession pau3809 was used to map QTLs for terminal heat tolerance. The homozygous BILs were evaluated for heat stress tolerance component traits under an optimum environment (OE) and a heat-stressed environment (HE) for the two cropping seasons. Data on spike length, spikelet number per spike, peduncle length, thousand-grain weight, grains per spike, days to heading, days to maturity, grain filling duration, NDVI at heading, plant height and plot yield were recorded. Genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) of the BILs was carried out, and 2945 high-quality, polymorphic SNPs were obtained. Thirty QTLs were detected for various heat tolerance component traits on chromosomes 1A, IB, 2A, 2B, 3B, 4B, 5A, 5B, 6A and 6B with phenotypic variance ranging from 5 to 11.5%. Several candidate genes reported to play a role in heat stress responses were identified by browsing the 1.85 Mb physical region flanking the stable QTLs detected under the HE. Identified QTL and linked markers can be employed for genomics-assisted breeding for heat tolerance in wheat.

The need to increase the annual genetic gain in crops continues to be urgent to sustain the growing food demand and the sustainability of the agri-food system. An important way to achieve this is by reducing the cycle time of crop breeding. There are various approaches where more than one generation of wheat can be grown each year, including by taking off-season crops. The greenhouse or artificial generation advancement facility is also used for quick generation advancement. However, it is costly and not suitable for developing countries or institutions having financial limitations. Moreover, the amount of breeding material to be handled in speed breeding facilities is also quite limited reducing the chance of obtaining all probable recombinant lines. Therefore, we explored a viable and cost-effective way to grow two wheat crops in a single season under natural field conditions in a location in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India where wheat has never been grown in the off-season. The experiment was conducted using six genotypes, varying in days to maturity on four different treatment combinations at the research farm of Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA), Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh which falls under the Central Zone (CZ) of India. Out of four treatments, we got seed germination in two treatments with a success rate of >80%. The results proved that it is possible to obtain at least two generations of wheat crop under field conditions in the location used. This approach not only saves resources and time but also provides an opportunity to make selections in breeding populations at least from the first cycle. The results serve as a base to further refine this technique and eventually use it for wheat breeding or off-season multiplication of seeds to fast-track the entire process of varietal development and its dissemination.

The determination of optimum nitrogen (N) fertilisation rates, which maximise yields and minimise N losses, remains problematic due to unknown upcoming crop requirements and near-future supply by the soil. Remote sensing can be used for determining the crop N status and to assess the spatial variability within a field or between fields. This can be used to improve N fertilisation, provided that the optimal fertilisation rate at the time of fertiliser application for an expected yield is known. Using the APSIM-wheat model, we developed an algorithm that relates the N status of the plants at early development stages to the yield response to N. Simulations were performed for winter wheat under growth conditions in Denmark. To obtain a range of different N status in the biomass at early growth stages, the soil N in autumn was varied from 20 to 180 kg N ha−1, and at BBCH23, fertiliser was applied at a rate of 50 kg N ha−1. In a full factorial setup, additional N fertiliser was applied ranging from 0 to 150 kg N ha−1 during three different development stages (BBCH30, 32, and 37). The algorithm was evaluated by comparing model outputs with a standard N application of 50 kg N ha−1 at BBCH23 and 150 kg N ha−1 at BBCH30. The evaluation showed that, depending on the N status of the soil, the algorithm either provided higher or lower optimal N fertilisation rates when targeting 95% of the maximum yield, and these affected the grain yield and the grain N, as well as the amount of N leaching. Split application of fertiliser into three applications was generally beneficial, with decreased product-related N leaching of up to nearly 30%. Further testing of the model under different environmental conditions is needed before such an algorithm can be used to guide N fertilisation.

Bread wheat (T. aestivum) is one of the world's most widely consumed cereals. Since micronutrient deficiencies are becoming more common among people who primarily depend upon cereal-based diets, a need for better-quality wheat varieties has been felt. An association panel of 154 T. aestivum lines was evaluated for the following quality traits: grain appearance (GA) score, grain hardness (GH), phenol reaction (PR) score, protein percent, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) sedimentation value, and test weight (TWt). In addition, the panel was also phenotyped for grain yield and related traits such as days to heading, days to maturity, plant height, and thousand kernel weight for the year 2017-18 at the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA) Ludhiana and Jabalpur sites. We performed a genome-wide association analysis on this panel using 18,351 genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) markers to find marker-trait associations for quality and grain yield-related traits. We detected 55 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) marker trait associations (MTAs) for quality-related traits on chromosomes 7B (10), 1A (9), 2A (8), 3B (6), 2B (5), 7A (4), and 1B (3), with 3A, 4A, and 6D, having two and the rest, 4B, 5A, 5B, and 1D, having one each. Additionally, 20 SNP MTAs were detected for yield-related traits based on a field experiment conducted in Ludhiana on 7D (4) and 4D (3) chromosomes, while 44 SNP MTAs were reported for Jabalpur on chromosomes 2D (6), 7A (5), 2A (4), and 4A (4). Utilizing these loci in marker-assisted selection will benefit from further validation studies for these loci to improve hexaploid wheat for better yield and grain quality.