Dataset on wheat tolerance to heat

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This dataset relates to multi-environment field trials conducted in wheat to assess genotype tolerance to heatwaves. Trials were carried out using both conventional machine-harvested plots and the photoperiod-extension method (PEM), which was employed to synchronize flowering among genotypes, ensuring heat impacts were assessed at similar developmental stages Irrigated field experiments were conducted across three locations in Australia between 2018 and 2020. Twenty-five spring wheat genotypes were evaluated with the photoperiod-extension method (PEM) and in adjacent conventional plot trials at two sowing times (s1, standard and s2, late sowing) to generate contrasting levels of post-flowering heat exposure. In PEM trials, approximately 20 stems per replicate per genotype were tagged at flowering, and spikes were manually harvested at maturity to measure individual grain weight (IGW) and grain protein content (GPC). Conventional plots were machine-harvested at maturity, providing crop-level measurements of grain number, IGW, yield, and GPC. Linear regression analyses were used to quantify reaction norms in response to heat exposure and assess genotype heat tolerance. Details of the experimental design, data collection procedures, and data analyses are provided in Ullah et al. (2023, 2024) and Yahya et al. (2026). Processed datasets, along with associated table and figure references, are reported in Yahya et al. (2026). References:Ullah N, Christopher J, Frederiks T, Ma S, Tan DKY, Chenu K. 2023. A robust field-based method to screen heat tolerance in wheat. European Journal of Agronomy 144: 126757. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eja.2023.126757Ullah N, Collins B, Christopher JT, Frederiks T, Chenu K. 2024. Pre-and post-flowering impacts of natural heatwaves on yield components in wheat. Field Crops Research 316: 109489. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109489Yahya M, Ullah N, Christopher J, Cozzolino D, Mellor V, Fox G, Kuhn E, Chenu K. 2026. Improving wheat tolerance to post-flowering heat using matched development stages and field-based reaction norms. Journal of Experimental Botany. In Press.