66 Crop Improvement Consortium ADVANCING THE WHEAT BREEDING PLATFORM Over the past 30 years, South Africa has experienced a notable decline in wheat planting areas, raising concerns around national sustainability and food security. In response, the Wheat Breeding Platform (WBP) was established in 2017, coordinated by Grain SA and involving a collaborative network of industry representatives, breeding companies, researchers, and government stakeholders. The WBP unites experts from both the public and private sectors to support local wheat breeding efforts aimed at improving yields, adaptability, and resilience. The WBP has greatly enhanced the breeding programs of Syngenta, SA Seed Development and the ARC-Small Grain. A diverse global germplasm collection is characterised genotypically and phenotypically, enabling effective crosses to produce pre-breeding material with improved yield potential, local adaptability, and key traits such as disease resistance. Over the past six years, more than 1 500 entries have been distributed to participating seed companies, enhancing wheat production and building plant breeding capacity across South Africa. The platform also includes a Pre-Harvest Sprouting (PHS) project, which screens wheat cultivars in the Western and Eastern Cape for their tolerance to sprouting prior to harvest. This work provides valuable insights into cultivar performance under variable climatic conditions and supports the development of varieties that maintain grain quality and yield stability, particularly in regions prone to untimely rainfall. RESEARCH, INNOVATION AND CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT Objective Sub-objectives Projects Conduct pre-breeding to develop inbred lines with improved yield potential. Source and characterise newly acquired germplasm. Wheat Breeding Platform Incorporate new germplasm into local nurseries. Conduct multilocality field trials to identify germplasm traits of interest. Make use of phenotyping and genotyping to improve selection of improved traits. Support local breeding efforts. Distribute germplasm to local breeding programmes. Wheat Breeding Platform Screen commercially available cultivars for tolerance to preharvest sprouting. Evaluate Pre-Harvest Sprouting (PHS) of local wheat Build local plant breeding capacity. Train students in plant breeding. Wheat Breeding Platform Train graduates as technicians. Table 1: Overview of the Crop Improvement Consortium. In September, the Grain SA Research Team, together with representatives from the DSTI and the TIA, visited the WBP at SU. The engagement offered an opportunity to reflect on the platform’s achievements, review current progress, and plan for the future. The visit included tours of the phenotyping (PhenoSpex) facilities, field trials, and laboratory spaces, providing valuable insights into the program’s ongoing contributions to wheat research and breeding. The program has also seen leadership changes, with Willem Botes moving on to the barley industry, where he now serves as managing director of South African Barley Breeding Institute (SABBI). SU remains committed to the WBP and is actively seeking a replacement for Botes. In the meantime, the platform is fully capacitated to continue its work.
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