Exploiting wheat response to blackgrass at small scale to predict tolerance in the field

Wheat is a major crop both worldwide and in the UK. Across the UK and Northern Europe however, the weed blackgrass is gaining ground. As only a few blackgrass individuals can cause a severe reduction in wheat yield, the spread of blackgrass is highly problematic for farmers.

A high rate of herbicide resistance combined with a general move away from pesticide usage has opened the door for the development of innovative strategies to tackle the problem.

In the Department of Plant Sciences, Dr Stéphanie Swarbreck is working towards a root-based tool that will help breeders identify wheat strains better able to suppress blackgrass growth and tolerate some level of infestation. By growing various combinations of wheat and blackgrass together in the lab and analysing the wheat root structures, she hopes to link root structure with field performance. “Roots are not being considered enough by industry, so with this project we hope to add more information,” Stéphanie explains.

The pump-prime funding has not only enabled Stéphanie to carry out this project, but also encouraged her to partner up with agri-tech company Agrii.

“The collaboration with Agrii has been very helpful,” says Stéphanie. “They have informed the experimental design and we’ve also been given access to field trial data they have collected over the years.”

Key to this project is the speed at which the blackgrass-suppressing wheat strains can be identified. “Early screening techniques for blackgrass resistance in wheat are missing in industry,” says head of group Dr Julia Davies. Development of this seedling root-based assay will therefore be of great benefit to both breeders and growers: breeders get a quick and simple pre-breeding test for wheat, and growers get stronger, more reliable wheat strains able to suppress blackgrass.

The next steps in this research will be to identify the genetic markers for these beneficial root traits, and to continue testing more wheat varieties for their ability to suppress blackgrass growth. This will further aid breeding programmes and contribute to the development of non-chemical blackgrass management strategies for growers.

“It’s been good getting in touch with the breeders and getting their views on the experiment,” says Stéphanie. “This kind of funding has been perfect for the project.”