Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a major cereal crop grown worldwide, providing approximately 20% calorie and 25% protein intake. Wheat productivity is significantly affected by high temperatures, particularly during the grain-filling period. Heat stress accelerates leaf senescence, impairs photosynthesis, reduces starch accumulation, and alters protein synthesis, ultimately leading to a decrease in grain yield and quality. To mitigate the adverse effects of heat stress, wheat utilizes adaptation mechanisms, including the expression of heat shock proteins, activation of antioxidant defense systems, osmotic regulation, and transcription factor-mediated gene regulation. Stay-green traits also play a role in maintaining photosynthetic efficiency at high temperatures. Breeding strategies such as traditional breeding, marker-assisted selection , genomic selection , and genome editing are being explored to improve heat tolerance. Recent advances in the CRISPR-Cas9 technology enable precise gene editing, thereby enhancing the resilience of wheat to heat stress. Additionally, quantitative trait locus mapping and genome-wide association studies facilitated the identification of genetic regions associated with heat tolerance, thereby accelerating the development of climate-resilient wheat varieties. Future research should focus on integrating genetic and molecular approaches with sustainable agronomic practices and crop modeling strategies to optimize wheat productivity under rising temperatures. The integration of advanced breeding techniques and improved crop management can facilitate the development of wheat varieties that are more resilient to climate change.

A new winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivar “Joongmo2015” was developed by the NICS (National Institute of Crop Science), RDA (Rural Development Administration) in 2019. Its heading date was April 20 and its maturity date was June 1, which was similar to Keumkang. “Joongmo2015” had a longer culm length (80 cm), similar spike length (7.8 cm) and spikes per m² (804), lower 1,000-grain weight (43.0 g) than “Keumkang” (78 cm, 7.8 cm, 804 g, 46.3 g, respectively). “Joongmo2015” was showed stronger to winter hardiness than “Keumkang”, and susceptible to fusarium head blight and powdery mildew. The average grain yield in the advanced yield trial (AYT) was 4.97 MT/ha, which were 26% more than “Keumkang” and in the regional yield trial (RYT) was 5.75 MT/ha in upland and 5.27 MT/ha in paddy field, which were 16% and 18% higher than those of “Keumkang” (4.95 MT/ha and 4.46 MT/ha, respectively). “Joongmo2015” showed lower protein content (11.7%), SDS-sedimentation volume (42.8 ml), gluten content (9.0%) and flour lightness(90.76) than “Keumkang” (13.6%, 61.8 ml, 11.4% and 91.50, respectively). “Joongmo2015” showed higher lightness (83.10) of noodle dough sheet than “Keumkang” (82.48). “Joongmo2015” exhibited higher hardness (3.92N) and similar springiness and cohesiveness of cooked noodles (0.94 and 0.60) compared to “Keumkang” (3.65N, 0.93, and 0.59, respectively). High molecular weight gluten subunits (HMW-GS) composition are Glu-D1d (5+10), granule-bound starch synthase (GBSS) composition are Wx-A1a, Wx-B1a, Wx-D1a and composition of puroindolines are Pina-D1a, Pinb-D1a (Registration No. 9790).

Barley and wheat are a major food crop of humans, along with rice, soybean and corn. A systematic breeding program for Korean barley began in 1906 with selection and introduction breeding. In 1908, landrace barley was collected, and breeding focused on selection and introduction for high yielding varieties until the 1970s. In the 1980s and 1990s, breeding was carried out for diversity; thereafter, we aimed to improve quality, productivity and lodging tolerance that can be applied to the paddy field in Korea. Since 2010, the major result of breeding was shortening cultivation to approximately 6–12 days, making a double cropping system possible in the paddy field in Korea. Yield has increased by 1.2 times from 438 kg/10 a in the 1960s to 536 kg/10 a in the 2010s, and farm yield has increased by 1.7 times. In addition, as cultivation safety has been enhanced, the varieties have also improved, such as the covered barley used in making tea and other processing products. In case of wheat, up to now forty cultivars have been developed in Korea. In the early stage, we developed a domestic wheat variety that was early maturing and high yielding. As a result, the maturation time of wheat planted in the 1970s to 2010 was shortened (from 13 to 30 days), while productivity increased by 30% from 408 kg/10 a in the 1970s to 532 kg/10 a in 2010. In recent years, there have been remarkable efforts for a more stable production by focusing on increasing disaster and pest resistance due to climate change. In addition, a wheat variety discrimination marker was developed using a variety-specific marker, and selection was made using a trait-specific marker at the early stage of breeding to enhance breeding efficiency. In the 2000s, winter cereals for forage have been promoted to expand forage production and to replace imported feed grains. Therefore, winter cereal that is useful for feed, such as rye, oat, and triticale, have had various varieties and safe production techniques developed. Currently, our research goal for winter cereals for feed is to develop a double-cropping adaptation and abiotic stress tolerance cultivar, and safe production in paddy field. Hence, aggressive action is needed to support the strategic survival of the Korean wheat and barley industry. Barley is a health food that requires a multifaceted effort to improve breeding efficiency, develop varieties that contain large amounts of functional components and are more resistant to stronger biotic and abiotic stresses in response to climate change. It is necessary to recognize the role of wheat and barley as the second main crop after rice, and to improve the self-sufficiency rate of these crops for the health and food industry crisis of Korea.