Australian, French scientists team up to conduct research on wheat

FRANCE – Researchers from The University of Queensland (UQ), the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment (INRAE), and the University of Clermont Auvergne in France have joined forces to establish a new collaborative laboratory.

Karine Chenu, the principal investigator and an associate professor at UQ, explained that the goal of the International Associated Laboratory, named “Wheat Adaptation to Changing Environments” (WheatACE), is to harness the expertise of the participating organizations to enhance the production of high-quality grain.

Chenu noted that French researchers have focused on tillering, a pre-flowering trait in which a wheat plant produces additional side shoots, leading to more heads and grains.

This trait increases the number of stems, which is a critical factor in grain production and ultimately, yield—especially in favorable environments.

“Australian expertise is vital in this context, as greater tillering and a larger canopy require more water—an increasingly scarce resource in major wheat-growing regions,” “While an increased number of stems can lead to carbohydrate reserves being diluted, these reserves play a significant role in maintaining yield under drought conditions,” said Chenu.

Chenu also highlighted their findings that extending green leaf retention during drought often correlates with prolonged photosynthetic activity and improved yield, a phenomenon referred to as the stay-green trait.

WheatACE aims to integrate findings from both teams to better understand the relationship between these traits across different environments, enhance yield predictions in genetic models, guide crop improvement, and ultimately develop varieties that can thrive in future conditions.

The collaboration also plans to establish a high-throughput method for assessing stem reserves.

A five-year agreement was signed this month, providing opportunities for PhD candidates to be trained in both Australia and France.

“We want our PhD students to gain invaluable international experience by working in both laboratories. At UQ, we have several training centers, such as the International Research Training Group and the ARC Training Centre in Predictive Breeding, which offer excellent learning environments. Additionally, we have state-of-the-art facilities designed to cultivate plants under future-like conditions in our new Plant Futures Facility,” said Chenu.

Australia and France are among the world’s leading wheat producers and exporters. According to the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the US Department of Agriculture, Australia’s wheat production is projected to reach 31 million tonnes in the marketing year 2025-26.

Meanwhile, COCERAL, the European association focused on agricultural trade, predicts that France will produce 32.5 million tonnes of wheat in 2025.

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