Field‑Based Dissection of Stomatal Anatomy and Conductance Reveals Stable QTL Under Drought and Heat in Wheat.

Stable QTL for stomatal anatomical traits are identified in wheat across drought and heat conditions, with 60 putative loci mainly linked to anatomy.

• Why it matters: Understanding how stomatal traits respond to environmental stress is crucial for breeding climate-resilient wheat, yet their genetic basis remains underexplored.
• What they did: The study conducted large-scale field trials over two years, measuring physiological and anatomical stomatal responses, and performed genome-wide association mapping to identify key loci.
• The result: Findings show wheat maintains anatomical gas-exchange capacity while regulating conductance under stress, with anatomically stable traits offering promising targets for improving climate resilience and yield stability.