Tolerance mechanisms for breeding wheat against heat stress: A review

Abstract Heat stress is one of the major abiotic stresses affecting the growth and yield-related characters of wheat. Using various genetic approaches we can develop heat tolerant wheat varieties in order to mitigate the effect of heat stress on wheat production. Currently different strategies have been adopted to develop thermotolerance in wheat. Development of thermotolerant wheat varieties is one of the major steps toward the improvement of wheat yield against heat stress. For this purpose, it is important to have a complete and clear concept of the morpho-physiological, biochemical and molecular mechanisms of heat tolerance in wheat. This review may provide better knowledge about heat tolerance through discussing the morphological, physiological, biochemical and molecular mechanisms of heat tolerance in wheat based on different parameters such as grain filling duration, grain yield, leaf senescence, canopy temperature depression, photosynthesis, chlorophyll content, membrane thermostability, translocation of photo-assimilates, starch synthesis, antioxidant response, protein synthesis and omics approaches.