The project objectives are new insights and new methods for breeding high-performing wheat cultivars with improved adaptation to drought and heat stress. The project will examine how reliably the drought and heat tolerance of wheat genotypes can be assessed in a high throughput using multicopter-based sensor techniques. The project is also looking to answer the question whether specific genetic structures or characteristic phenological features have an increased disposition for drought and/or heat tolerance, and to what extent genotypic differences are caused by a different depth and intensity of root penetration.

Subprojekt 1

About 250 wheat genotypes of international origin will be cultivated on three selection sites with varying drought stress disposition. The areas will be overflown with an octocopter, equipped with a thermal, a color, and a near infrared camera. The multicopter-based high-throughput phenotyping will also be applied on a rain-out shelter facility where time, duration, and intensity of drought stress can be  simulated and largely reproduced.

Subprojekt 2

Extensive accompanying root studies will be carried out, while continuously monitoring the soil water content. If there are significant associations between the development of roots and above-ground measured plant traits, this would open up new possibilities for indirect selection on root characteristics.

Subprojekt 3

In another experiment, the heat tolerance of wheat genotypes is examined. For this purpose a moderate heat stress is generated in a foil tunnel with temperature-controlled ventilation and at the same time an adequate water supply is provided to make sure that heat stress effects are investigated without superimposed drought stress effects.