The Root Rangers are drilling four exciting wheat varieties as part of the TRUTH trials in 2025-26.
Four wheat varieties with potentially game-changing traits will be put through their paces in on-farm trials this year.
Two of the wheats come from the Watkins collection of landrace wheats at the John Innes Centre, while the other two are durum wheats (Russello and Capelli) from the global wheat collection based in Bologna, Italy.
The durum wheats were among 10 varieties chosen for the WISH Roots project, which saw them trialled in several countries around the world. John Innes Centre scientist Dr Maria Hernandez-Soriano selected these two for the TRUTH based on those results and their potential for biological nitrification inhibition, as well as interesting root architecture.
The Watkins varieties have also been widely studied, though previous work mainly focused on their above-ground traits such as pest and disease resistance, explains Maria.
“My work has been looking under the ground and revealed some very interesting traits.”
This research culminated in a paper published earlier this year which reveals that landrace wheats build different soil microbial communities to elite modern varieties. The older types showed reduced nitrification and potentially increased nitrogen use efficiency.
What is biological nitrification?
Biological nitrification is the process that transforms nitrogen from fertiliser from a stable ammonium form into a more mobile nitrate form. Nitrate is easily taken up by plants but is also more prone to losses, so managing the rate and timing of nitrification is key to both crop performance and environmental protection.
Some of the landraces studied were found to have fewer nitrifying microbes, meaning they can naturally suppress this process and help reduce nitrogen losses to the environment.
The landraces were also found to support microbes that break down organic matter and recycle nutrients, improving nutrient availability and soil health. This suggests they promote a more ‘closed’ nitrogen cycle – keeping nitrogen available in the soil and reducing leaching or gas losses.
The TRUTH trials
The Watkins and durum varieties selected for the TRUTH on-farm trials have all shown potential for inhibiting biological nitrification under the right conditions.
“The Watkins cultivars have been grown successfully in Norfolk for the past six years and trialled in other countries too,” explains Maria. “The durum varieties have also grown well on sites from Norfolk to China, and it will be fascinating to see how they perform on the Root Rangers’ farms.
“With conventional, regenerative and organic systems all represented among the Root Rangers, these trials will show how the varieties perform under different management systems, and the potential benefits this trait could bring.”
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