Agronomic innovation to protect wheat from droughts and heat waves

The initiative strengthens wheat resilience in Argentina and Uruguay against droughts and heatwaves caused by climate variability.

Context of the story

In Argentina and Uruguay, wheat production is a fundamental pillar for global food security and the regional economy. However, modern agriculture faces the challenge of increasing climate variability, manifested in prolonged droughts and frequent heatwaves during critical stages of phenological development. These conditions impose severe penalties on crop yields, limiting the socioeconomic sustainability of farmers. It is imperative to study how these environmental trends affect the wheat cycle and which physiological mechanisms confer resilience to the crop, thus allowing the development of agronomic strategies that ensure long-term productive stability.

Strengthening wheat cultivation

The Implemented Initiative

The project seeks to mitigate damages caused by thermal and water stress. The intervention articulates physiological research with field validation, evaluating the performance of various commercial wheat varieties. Through partnerships with farmer groups, this knowledge is transferred directly to decision-makers. Demonstration plots and simulation models allow the identification of climate adaptation attributes that guide current practices.

Agronomic simulation and phenotyping

The technological solution

The technological solution integrates predictive modeling with controlled physiological experimentation. Simulation models are employed to quantify the potential impacts of climate variability across different phenological stages of wheat, processing historical meteorological data and future scenarios. Experimentally, mobile rain-out shelters are implemented to restrict water availability in a controlled manner, along with portable polyethylene tents to induce artificial temperature increases in the crop canopy (exceeding 5°C above the control). These tools facilitate the precise measurement of yield components, biomass, and water capture efficiency. Additionally, the effect of the photoperiod sensitivity gene (Ppd-D1) on heatwave tolerance is investigated, providing functional biomarkers for the cultivars.

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Type of project

Agronomic Practices

Applied

Technological

Results

A nivel de ejecución, el proyecto ha evaluado exitosamente 14 variedades comerciales en 16 sitios experimentales, consolidando una robusta base de datos comparativa. Se han ejecutado ensayos controlados bajo refugios contra la lluvia con cuatro cultivares contrastantes y se han inducido tratamientos de calor efectivos mediante carpas portátiles. La divulgación de estos avances alcanzó a 1.100 participantes mediante plataformas de transmisión técnica, validando los primeros productos oficiales de difusión. Como metas proyectadas, el consorcio finalizará la parametrización de los modelos agronómicos predictivos, publicará catálogos sobre atributos de tolerancia climática y organizará talleres presenciales de transferencia en Argentina y Uruguay.