Genetic regions determine tolerance to nitrogen deficiency in European elite bread wheats grown under contrasting nitrogen stress scenarios.

key messageClustering 24 environments in four contrasting nitrogen stress scenarios enabled the detection of genetic regions determining tolerance to nitrogen deficiency in European elite bread wheats. Increasing the nitrogen use efficiency of wheat varieties is an important goal for breeding. However, most genetic studies of wheat grown at different nitrogen levels in the field report significant interactions with the genotype. The chromosomal regions possibly involved in these interactions are largely unknown. The objective of this study was to quantify the response of elite bread wheat cultivars to different nitrogen field stress scenarios and identify genomic regions involved in this response. For this purpose, 212 elite bread wheat varieties were grown in a multi-environment trial at different nitrogen levels. Genomic regions associated with grain yield, protein concentration and grain protein deviation responses to nitrogen deficiency were identified. Environments were clustered according to adjusted means for grain yield, yield components and grain protein concentration. Four nitrogen availability scenarios were identified: optimal condition, moderate early deficiency, severe late deficiency, and severe continuous deficiency. A large range of tolerance to nitrogen deficiency was observed among varieties, which were ranked differently in different nitrogen deficiency scenarios. The well-known negative correlation between grain yield and grain protein concentration also existed between their respective tolerance indices. Interestingly, the tolerance indices for grain yield and grain protein deviation were either null or weakly positive meaning that breeding for the two traits should be less difficult than expected. Twenty-two QTL regions were identified for the tolerance indices. By selecting associated markers, these regions may be selected separately or combined to improve the tolerance to N deficiency within a breeding programme.