Please find below our own workshops, Expert Working Group meetings and other external events, which share our focus concerning wheat research, food security and sustainable development.
We are pleased to show our support of events that may be of interest to the global wheat community. If you would like us to feature your conference, workshop or other event here, please contact our Secretariat directly.
The goal of the Wheat Pathogens Symposium is to provide a platform for researchers to share the latest knowledge on pathogen-wheat interactions and to offer opportunities for networking. This will enable the EWG to facilitate a discussion on strategies to minimise the impact of microbial diseases of wheat. Presentations will focus on short research talks, with early career researchers given priority to present and chair sessions. Time permitting, an open discussion session will be held in the afternoon.
If you are interested in being part of the global wheat pathognes community? Join our Control of Wheat Pathogens Expert Working Group
This annual meeting will bring together members of the Expert Working Group on Nutrient Use Efficiency in wheat . Anyone interested in the subject is welcome to attend.
If you are interested in being part of the Expert Working Group on Nutrient Use Efficiency in wheat?Join here: https://www.wheatinitiative.org/ewg-nutrient
This annual meeting will bring together members of the WheatIS expert group. Anyone interested in the subject of wheat databases is welcome to attend the meeting.
News
WheatIS Data Discovery
Travel grant awardees presentations
Follow-up on AI hackathon
If you are interested in being part of the global wheat information system community? Join our Wheat Information System Expert Working Group
Aenda TBC:
If you are interested in being part of the Expert Working Group? Join here:
How do we explicitly restore agronomy as the science that connects G×E×M×S, rather than leaving it as just “the M”? What structural or cultural shifts are needed within research systems? And how do we better connect efforts globally, building capacity in agronomy.
Kenton Poker and Romulo Lollato will provide a brief presentation with an overview of the Agronomy EWG recent developments and activities, as well as discuss future directions and planned activities. The remaining meeting, discussing the role of agronomy in wheat production systems, will follow a roundtable discussion format rather than presentations, which will help the group plan future strategies for the WI agronomy EWG.
Are you interested? Join our Expert Working Group on Wheat Agronomy https://www.wheatinitiative.org/ewg-agronomy
Chairs: Romulo Lollato and Kenton Porker
The meeting will design the ideal durum wheat variety for future climatic scenarios and value chain requirements through an open discussion on heat and drought tolerance and how it can help the crops’ value chains.
All EWG members are invited to share their experience of selecting novel, more resilient varieties that fulfil the requirements of their value chains.
Updates on ongoing activities, such as FHB ring trials and GDP phenotyping, will also be presented.
Are you interested? Join our Expert Working Group on Durum Wheat Genomics and Breeding
This workshop, held within the Annual Meeting of the EWG on Wheat Phenotyping of the Wheat Initiative, will provide a snapshot of current developments and future directions in wheat phenotyping, bringing together early-career and senior researchers.
The session will touch on emerging themes such as digital twins, artificial intelligence, and modelling, highlighting their potential to enhance data integration, crop understanding, and decision-making in breeding and management. It will also open discussion on future EWG activities and priorities.
Overall, the workshop aims to encourage exchange and collaboration toward next-generation phenotyping approaches for wheat improvement.
Draft agenda:
09:00–09:30 Welcome greetings and report on 2025 activities
09:30-10:30 Emerging Voices in Wheat Phenotyping: New Approaches and Perspectives from Early-Career Researchers
10:30-11:00 coffee break
11:00--12:00 Strategic Insights and Future Directions in Wheat Phenotyping (EWG senior presentation)
12:00-12:30 Discussion about 2026 activities
If you are interested in being part of the Expert Working Group? Join here: https://www.wheatinitiative.org/ewg-phenotyping
The workshop aims to encourage collaboration, knowledge exchange, and networking within the wheat pest community. Members of the Pests EWG, as well as participants attending the 4th International Wheat Congress working on wheat pests, are invited to join and present their research during the workshop. Interested researchers are encouraged to confirm their participation as early as possible, including if they wish to present a short oral presentation.
If you are interested in being part of the wheat pest working group download an application and find more info here: https://www.wheatinitiative.org/ewg-pests
The EWG meeting will host speakers highlighting current research trends in wheat breeding, such as the integration of AI into breeding schemes. We will also reserve time to discuss how our EWG can be of service in supporting our early career members.
If you are interested in being part of the EExpert Working Group on Wheat Breeding Methods and Strategies join here: https://www.wheatinitiative.org/ewg-breeding
During this workshop, we would like to use the collective expertise of international experts to discuss breeding strategies for adapting wheat to heat and drought, and to collect information on the requirements for germplasm exchange of resilient varieties. As discussions about these topics have been raised in the AHEAD Network and the WI EWGs, we would like to jointly discuss about them, inform ourselves about our activities on these topics, and perhaps plan future joint discussions or activities. There will be an opportunity to hold interactive discussions in mixed groups during the breakout session at the end of this workshop. We are looking forward to implement the outcomes of these discussions in our future activities.
6th Annual AHEAD Workshop - 2026 Preliminary Agenda: Session Topics (Speakers)
Keynote: Greg Rebetzke
1: EWG Shorts: Chairs /Co-chairs of Wheat Initiative Expert Working groups give a short insight into the activities of their EWG: (Speakers tbd)
2: Breeding of physiological traits: (2 Experts, 1 Early Career Researcher, tbd)
3: Germplasm: (2 Experts, 1 Early Career Researcher, tbd)
4: Breakout Session: The Breakout Session will give room to discuss the issues raised in Session 2 and 3. (All participants)
Are you interested in AHEAD have look at opportunites to join: https://www.ahead-wheat.org/
This interactive workshop will provide a platform for researchers to share and discuss current advancements in wheat germplasm conservation and utilization.
Participants will explore key challenges, emerging opportunities, and innovative approaches that can strengthen global wheat improvement efforts.
The workshop aims to foster collaboration, encourage knowledge exchange, and build stronger scientific networks within the wheat research community.
Draft agenda and/or preliminary list of speakers: Will be announced soon.
Participants attending the 4th International Wheat Congress actively working on wheat germplasm, you are invited to join and present their research during the workshop. Given the limited number of seats, interested researchers are encouraged to confirm their participation as early as possible by emailing germplasm.chairs@gmail.com. Selected participants will have the opportunity to showcase their research through oral presentations and engage in focused discussion.
Are you interested in Wheat Germplasm? Join the Expert Working Group on Global Wheat Germplasm Conservation and Use
The International Wheat Congress (IWC) was merged from two original international wheat conferences, the International Wheat Genetics Symposium and the International Wheat Conference. It serves as an important gathering for the global wheat community, providing a platform for leading experts, researchers, policymakers, and industry professionals to discuss advancements in the field of wheat breeding, genetics, genomics, and agronomy.
The IWC is a biennial event (find history here) , the 3rd edition 2024 was held in Perth, Australia.
The IWC2026Bologna will provide a key opportunity for the global wheat community to gather, share knowledge and discuss advancements in agronomy, genetics, genomics and breeding of wheat.
National Organization Chair:
Roberto Tuberosa
DISTAL, University of Bologna
Italy
Dr. Jessie Alt will discuss theoretical and practical implications on wheat breeding at Corteva. She will also discuss Ideas to consider when implementing breeding theory at scale.
11th of July 2025
10:00 AM CDT (Chicago time, USA)
8:00 AM PDT (Los Angeles, USA)
6:00 PM CET (Berlin, Germany)
1:30 AM ACST (Adelaide, Australia)
Please follow the link below to join:
Friday, July 11, 2025
8:30 AM | (UTC-06:00) Mountain Time (US & Canada) | 2 hrs 30 mins
The Expert Working Group on Wheat pathogens invites you to join in to their next webinar! The invited speaker is Dr. Liu Zhaohui from North Dakota State University. His talk titled “Further Dissecting Genetics of Virulence in Wheat Tan Spot Pathogen Pyrenophora tritici-repentis”. Please feel free to foreward and share to those who are interested.
Microsoft Teams Need help?
Meeting ID: 218 759 695 773
Passcode: PW2FP7AP
Thank you for your interest in our in-person meeting of our Pathogens EWG Meeting Registration for this satellite meeting is free. If participants plan to attend the International Wheat Congress 2024 (IWC2024), they will have to register and pay separately.
Find the Presentation Schedule here: Presentation Schedule
The meeting will start on September 21st at 9:00hrs (Perth/AU Time) am and will close on 18:00Hrs (Perth/AU Time).
To attend pre-registration is mandatory.
--- Deadline for registration is August 30, 2024 ----
Pre-registration has closed.
!NOTE TO EARLY CAREER RESEARCHERS! The EWG will hold oral presentation prizes for early career researchers (ECRs) at the symposium. To be eligible, non-member ECRs will need to sign up for Wheat Initiative EWG ECR membership before the Symposium. It's free! You can sign up for membership by following the instructions found in this link (download application form). The winner will receive 300€ (Euro) and runner-up will receive 200€ (Euro). The winner and runner-up will be required to contribute to the Wheat Initiative newsletter thereafter by providing a snapshot of their research and a researcher profile. Great exposure of your research and looks good on the CV!
We look forward for your active participation!
Symposium location
Curtin University of Technology, Bentley Campus
Building 300 Room 217 (300.217:CT)
We will put signs up around the place on the day of the symposium
How to get here?
If you have already booked your accommodation in the city centre near the Perth Convention Centre where the IWC will be held, you can easily catch public transport (https://www.transperth.wa.gov.au/). The Elizabeth Quay Busport and Train station is next to the Perth Convention Centre. You can take;
1. Take buses 34 and 72 from the Elizabeth Quay Bus Port directly to the Curtin University Hayman Road Busport adjacent to the symposium venue.
2. Take a train on the Mandurah Line from the Elizabeth Quay Train station. Alight at the Canning Bridge Station. Catch bus 101 to the Curtin University Hayman Road Busport adjacent to the symposium venue.
The other alternative is to take a taxi or ride shares (Ola, DiDi or Uber). There won’t be any traffic jams on a Saturday morning.
Accommodation
If you seek accommodation closer to the symposium venue at Curtin University, try the ‘Nesuto Curtin Perth Hotel’ (https://www.nesuto.com/curtin). It is a new hotel located at Curtin University.
Local restaurants
You can find a few local restaurants and fast-food joints at the Waterford Plaza. But I recommend taking a short trip (via bus) to Victoria Park for more choices.
Anna is a geographer and crop protection modeller with experience working on highly collaborative projects tackling crop pest problems in the USA, Europe and sub-Saharan Africa. Before joining CABI in 2021 as a Technical Lead on the Global Burden of Crop Loss initiative, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher in modelling groups at the Plant Science Department in Cambridge (2018-2021) and at Rothamsted Research (2014-2018). Anna has experience in modelling spatial distribution of host plants, monitoring the spread of pathogens, advising surveillance strategies, working with qualitative farmer survey data, modelling pest climatic niche and pest population dynamics.
Please join on Wednesday November 8th, 9am Calgary time , 5pm Berlin time, 12am (00:00) Perth time via the link:
Dr. Viviane Cordovez from the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (Wageningen) will give a presentation on;
“Wheat Phyllosphere Yeasts: Diversity And Potential For Improving Plant Resilience To (A)biotic stresses”
Please join the webinar following the link:
When?
Tuesday, Oct 24th, 2023
Berlin, Germany 4pm
Calgary, Canada 8am
Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a widespread disease, resulting in grain yield losses and drastic grain quality deterioration because of mycotoxin contaminations, particularly in the form of deoxynivalenol (DON), the predominant and most economically important mycotoxin for wheat. F. graminearum is the main causal agent of FHB worldwide. In the last years Fusaria increase their spread and accumulate more of their related mycotoxins on durum wheat grain production at maturity. Although variation for resistance to FHB is known, no wheat variety is completely immune and durum wheat is particularly and almost universally highly susceptible to FHB. In the resistance or tolerance response to FHB, several biochemical components are involved and different quantitative traits (quantitative trait loci, QTL) capable of controlling this disease have been identified.
The meeting organised by the Expert Working Group on Durum Wheat Genomics and Breeding will present an overview of the most significant advances in genetic/genomic research on tolerance to FHB in durum wheat and will promote a discussion on future perspectives on their application in breeding practices to effectively improve durum wheat tolerance and reduce the accumulation of mycotoxins in grain.
On the second day, the meeting will also present an update on the most recent advances in durum wheat genomics, focusing on the ‘Svevo’ platinum quality reference genome and on the tetraploid wheat pangenome.
The meeting will start on October 17th at 9 am and will close on 18th at 2 pm.
Participants working in the field of fusarium head blight in wheat are
invited to submit an abstract of max 400 words to:
Anna Maria Mastrangelo (annamaria.mastrangelo(a)crea.gov.it)
before September 15th.
To attend this meeting pre-registration is mandatory. Please pre-register in the following link:
Dr. Brande Wulff from the Centre for Desert Agriculture at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia will be speaking about “Harnessing genetic diversity in wheat and its wild relatives for disease resistance”.
Abstract: Genetic diversity for disease resistance has been eroded in bread wheat through polyploidisation, domestication and breeding. We have developed sequence-configured panels of wheat and wild progenitors for high-throughput identification of disease resistance genes by association mapping or mutational genomics [1-4]. Cloned resistance genes can speed up resistance breeding through generation of GM stacks [5] or by conventional marker-assisted selection in combination with speed breeding [6,7]. We propose internationally coordinated efforts to clone and characterize wheat resistance genes to facilitate a more judicious deployment of resistance genes in GM and conventional breeding programmes [8].
Wulff is a molecular plant pathologist and geneticist. He uses high throughput DNA sequencing and bioinformatics to identify genes restricting stem rust and Septoria tritici blotch, two major diseases of wheat. His long-term aim is to use cloned genes from wild ancestors of wheat to engineer durable resistance to these diseases in cultivated wheat. Dr. Wulff recently took up a faculty position in the Centre for Desert Agriculture at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia. Prior to this he worked for ten years in the John Innes Centre and The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich, UK.
Please join on Tuesday Oct 3, early morning 6 am Calgary time via the link https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_YjZiNTA2MzEtNzkxMC00ZTcxLWFlNDctZGRmYjlhNWM3ZjAw%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%229da98bb1-1857-4cc3-8751-9a49e35d24cd%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%2229719dd4-9895-4fd3-8e9e-b8827910d03e%22%7d Dr.
Dr. Janna Beckerman from Purdue University, USA, will give a presentation on
“Fifty years of Fungicides Development, Deployment and Future Use”
Please join the webinar folling the link:
The Expert Working Group on DURUM WHEAT GENOMICS AND BREEDING will hold their 5th virtual meeting in May!
The title: “Challenges and Prospects of Durum Wheat of the Future”
The 5th VDM will be held on May 10th and 11th, 2023.
The Virtual Durum Meeting is a two-day webinar with 4-5 short presentations every day given in about 2 hrs followed by time for discussion. The webinar will start at 15.00h (Central European Time/Berlin Time), corresponding to morning in US and late evening in Australia.
You can find the full programme here!
Virtual Durum Meeting Hosted by the Expert Working Group on DURUM WHEAT GENOMICS AND BREEDING from the Wheat initiative
DAY 1
Wednesday, Mai 10th 2023 3pm Amsterdam, Berlin, Bern, Rome, Stockholm, Vienna
https://wheatinitiative.webex.com/wheatinitiative/j.php?MTID=mc6f04ffd535f29f8c3544e3754da8205
May 10 (between 3 and 5 pm, Central EU Time)
Chairs: Karim Ammar & Agata Gadaleta: Welcoming talk
3.00 pm Opening talk Luigi Cattivelli, Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA), Italy
3.10pm Peter Langridge, Wheat Initiative: The role of the Wheat Initiative
3.20pm Fei Lu, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China & John Innes Centre, UK: Population genomics unravels the Holocene history of bread wheat and its relatives
3.40pm Liubov Govta, University of Haifa, Israel: Durum wheat immune responses activated by WTK1 (Yr15) against stripe rust
4.00pm Shuang Zhang, University of Vienna, Austria: Spatial distribution of proteomic architecture in wheat grains and different responses to grain filling stages
4.20pm Jad B Novi, University of Bologna, Italy: Multienvironment phenotypic evaluation and GWAS analysis on the global durum genomic resource wheat collection for resistance to yellow rust
4.40 pm Hafssa Kabbaj, ICARDA, Morocco: Implementation of Genomic Selection in the ICARDA durum wheat breeding program
DAY 2
Thursday Mai 11th 2023 3pm Amsterdam, Berlin, Bern, Rome, Stockholm, Vienna
https://wheatinitiative.webex.com/wheatinitiative/j.php?MTID=m0067a7e1caf132e95f910e161c23b593
May 11 (between 3 and 5 pm, Central EU Time)
Chairs: Jemanesh Haile & Anna Maria Mastrangelo
3.00 pm Opening talk
3.10pm Roberto Tuberosa, University of Bologna, Italy: A perspective vision on the role of EWG
3.20pm Caixia Gao, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China: Genome-edited powdery mildew resistance in wheat without growth penalties
3.40pm Junli Zhang, University of California, Davis, USA: Accessing natural and induced variation in the regulatory regions of the wheat genes
4.00pm Chiara Natale, CREA Research Centre for Engineering and Agro-Food Processing, Italy: Crop rotation, soil tillage and fertilization source affect durum wheat grain and semolina pasta traits
4.20pm Matteo Bozzoli, DISTAL - University of Bologna, Italy: Fine mapping of Sbm2, a locus for soil-borne cereal mosaic virus (sbcmv) resistance in durum wheat
4.40pm Justin D. Faris, United States Department of Agriculture – USDA, USA: Genetics of resistance to tan spot in durum wheat
Organised by Early Career Researchers of the Expert Working Group on Durum Wheat Genomics and Breeding.
This is the fourth Webinar of the Expert Working Group on Wheat Pathogens:
Dr. Zhiyong Liu will present his talk titled: “Wheat disease resistance genes: from NLR to WTK”
This is the third Webinar of the Expert Working Group on Wheat Pathogens:
Trends in Fusarium and Ergot in Canadian wheat from 1995
Sean Walkowiak PhD, Research Scientist at Canadian Grain Commission since 2019.
Please join via:
This is the second Webinar of the newly established Expert Working Group on Wheat Pathogens:
'Wheat blast: a potentially catastrophic disease threatening global food security
Md. Tofazzal Islam, a biotechnologist, ecological chemist, and professor and founding Director of Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (IBGE) of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU), Gazipur.
Thursday, 16th February 2023
8.00 am MST (4pm Berlin Time, 1.30am Adelaide Time)
This is the first Webinar of the newly established Expert Working Group on Wheat Pathogens:
Dr. Tom Fetch, a stem rust pathologist who recently retired from AAFC Canada in 2022, will be discussing his experiences working on stem rust for over 30 years.
Thursday, 26th January 2023
11.00 am MST (7pm Berlin Time, 4.30am Adelaide Time)
Oklahoma State University
CIMMYT
https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2022am/meetingapp.cgi/Symposium/525
9:45 AM Introductory Remarks
9:50 AM 246-1 A Historical Look at Hard Winter Wheat Yield and End-Use Quality Indicates No End in Sight
Brett F. Carver, Plant & Soil Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, US and Liza Van der Laan, Agronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, IA
Mary J Guttieri, Hard Winter Wheat Genetics, USDA-ARS, Manhattan, KS, US, Nathan O. Nelson, Agronomy, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, US, Allan Fritz, Agronomy, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS and Romulo Pisa Lollato, Department of Agronomy, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
Curtis J Pozniak, Adam Carter, Jemanesh Haile, Teketel Haile, Andrii Fatiukha and Amidoi N'Diaye, Crop Development Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
10:50 AM 246-4 Understanding Nitrogen Response in Cereals: From Genetics to Management
Alison R Bentley1, Stéphanie Swarbreck2, Beata Orman-Ligeza2, Nick Fradgley2, Aleksander Ligeza2, Hannes Karwat3, Jose Ortiz-Monasterio4 and Julio Huerta espino3, (1)CIMMYT, Texcoco, MEXICO, (2)The John Bingham Laboratory, NIAB, Cambridge, United Kingdom, (3)Global Wheat Program, CIMMYT, Texcoco, Mexico, (4)CIMMYT, Houston, TX, US
11:10 AM 246-5 Heat Waves Effects on Wheat Grain Size and Quality
Roxana Savin, Department of Crop and Forest Sciences, University of Lleida, Lleida, Lleida, Spain and Gustavo Slafer, Department of Crop and Forest Sciences, University of Lleida, Lleida, Spain
11:30 AM Discussion
Dear Virtual Durum Meeting (VDM) attendee,
To keep the EWG active and to provide an update while promoting some discussion on the latest scientific advancements on wheat genetic diversity, the EWG on Durum Wheat Genomics and Breeding will organize a webinar meeting part of the Virtual Durum Meeting (VDM) series.
The 4th VDM will be held on April 21 and 22, 2022.
The VDM is titled “Contribution of Tetraploid Wheat Genetic Resources to Enhance Wheat Sustainability” and will focus on the role of the tetraploid wheat genetic resources to improve the sustainability of durum and bread wheat production.
SAVE THE DATE on your agenda!
You can find the program HERE!
The Virtual Durum Meeting is a two-day webinar with 4-5 short presentations every day given in about 2 hrs followed by time for discussion. The webinar will start at 15.00h (Central European Time/Berlin Time), corresponding to morning in US and late evening in Australia.
Join from the meeting link
https://wheatinitiative.webex.com/wheatinitiative/j.php?MTID=m9726b8fa48db000d34764715d2a4bcb4
Join by meeting number
Meeting number: 2732 081 9055
Meeting password: 3bhMEaeXp34 (32463239 from video systems)
Many thanks for your collaboration.
Best regards,
Luigi Cattivelli and Roberto Tuberosa
Virtual workshop
The Breeding Methods and Strategies Expert Working Group and the Wheat Initiative are very pleased to collaborate with Genomic Open-source Breeding informatics initiative (GOBii), http://gobiiproject.org/, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
GOBii has developed open-source genotype data management and marker- and genomic-assisted breeding tools and are working on integrating these with adjacent data management systems and tools. Its mission is to enable genomic-assisted breeding in routine breeding applications in under-resourced breeding programs. In the last three years, GOBii has given 10+ training and workshops with the audience size ranging between 10 and 75 in Asia, Africa, and US.
Through this collaboration, two workshops will be hosted in February 2021.
Both workshops will focus on GOBii data management and data analysis in Flapjack (marker-assisted backcrossing, pedigree verification and forward breeding) developed in collaboration with the James Hutton Institute), and Galaxy (Genomic Selection).
To see the full programme click here.
Pre-registration is required: Workshops will be open to a maximum of 15 participants each.
To participate attendees are required to:
Download the Flapjack (which is free), at the following link: https://ics.hutton.ac.uk/flapjack/download-flapjack/
Access Galaxy, at the following link: http://galaxy-demo.excellenceinbreeding.org/
Please, be aware that all training will be given in English.
WORKSHOP #1
Tuesday 9th Wednesday 10th and Thursday 11th of February 2021, each day at:
Mexico 8:00 hrs. to 11:00 hrs.
New York (EST) 9:00 hrs. to 12:00
UK 14:00 hrs. to 17:00 hrs.
Berlin 15:00 hrs. to 18:00 hrs.
New Delhi 19:30 hrs. to 22:30 hrs.
In order to give opportunity to attendees from all over the world - we are offering the workshop on two different timings: Click here for the alternative.
If you are joining us from another country, please use EST time as a guide to check your local time for the workshops.
Please, be aware that in order to complete the workshop attendees must participate all three (3) days (no changes from workshop 1 to 2 will be allowed, as attendance will be limited).
Pre-register until January 8th, 2021: Pre-registration form
We look forward for your active participation.
