Muhammad Usama Noman 1*, Salman Azhar1, Muhammad Kashif1, Fozia Saleem2 and Muhammad Bilawal Junaid3
1Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan 2Center of Agricultural Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan 3Department of Plant Production, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
*Corresponding author: musamanoman@gmail.com
Wheat, a primary staple food in numerous countries, is extensively cultivated worldwide due to its adaptability. It constitutes a significant portion of the global calorie intake, accounting for approximately 20% of the total. Wheat cultivation spans a vast area of 215 million hectares, resulting in a worldwide production of 772 million metric tons. One of the major challenges in wheat breeding is the lengthy process of selecting homozygous genotypes. However, a valuable technique called speed breeding has been developed to address this bottleneck. Speed breeding significantly reduces the time required for variety development and selection, allowing the production of 5 to 6 wheat generations per year. Despite the accelerated growth achieved through speed breeding, the size of wheat plants remains shorter compared to traditional methods, although biomass has a positive correlation with plant yield. Biomass accumulation is influenced by the activity of the vital enzyme RuBisCO. An experiment was conducted on five wheat genotypes under normal sunlight and controlled conditions using light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to evaluate RuBisCO activity. The experiment followed a factorial, completely randomized design with three replications. Various traits, including plant height, flag leaf area, spike length, stomata size, chlorophyll content, biomass, and 1000-grain weight, were measured and showed significant differences among the genotypes and treatments. Proteomics analysis using SDS-PAGE revealed variability in RuBisCO protein expression between normal and controlled plants. Light intensity was also measured for sunlight and the speed of breeding chamber lights. The findings highlight the critical role of light intensity, which remains an indispensable factor in studies about biomass-related research.