Bread Wheat Tolerance to Biotic and Abiotic Stresses

Bread wheat faces multiple biotic and abiotic stresses that reduce green leaf area, directly impacting yield. The authors established the Integrated Green Leaf Area Index (IFVI/AUGLAI) as a comprehensive indicator for multi‐stress tolerance by collating extensive field data from research institutes and industry partners. They automated high‐throughput phenotyping and validated the index across the INRA “ITK Blés rustiques” network. The study differentiates intrinsic tolerance—dependent solely on IFVI and reflecting yield potential—from specific tolerance, which captures varietal responses to environmental or management changes. Results show yield potential and stress tolerance can be jointly selected, yet reveal a trade‐off between tolerance and combined resistance/escape mechanisms. The proposed indicator aims to guide the selection of wheat varieties suited to specific environments and support the design of ecologically intensive cereal cropping systems.