@article{article_1704334, title={Gene Expression Studies on Water Use Efficiency in Wheat}, journal={Wheat Studies}, volume={14}, pages={22–34}, year={2025}, author={Kayıtmazbatır, Betül and Türköz, Musa and Avci, Sevgi}, keywords={Kuraklık, Su Kullanım Verimliliği, Gen İfadesi, Gen Keşfi, Buğday Islahı}, abstract={Drought stress constitutes a critical challenge to wheat production worldwide by substantially limiting yield. The genetic complexity of drought tolerance which is characterized by its polygenic inheritance, low heritability, and strong environmental interactions, has hindered progress through conventional breeding. Consequently, molecular breeding approaches focused on improving water use efficiency have gained significance. Selecting genotypes with superior water use efficiency under drought conditions is central to these efforts. Gene expression analyses have provided critical insights into the genetic regulation of water use and drought tolerance mechanisms. A multi-omics approach that integrates transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic datasets offers a more comprehensive understanding of the plant’s stress response. This review synthesizes recent advances in gene expression studies on water use efficiency in wheat, emphasizing key genes, regulatory networks, and traits related to physiological regulation, stress adaptation, carbohydrate metabolism, stay green, stem reserve mobilization, root architecture, and nutrient-water interactions. By integrating molecular and physiological breeding strategies targeting critical transcriptional pathways, the review outlines opportunities to improve water use efficiency, nutrient uptake, and multi-stress resilience. The identified molecular targets provide a foundation for developing climate resilient wheat cultivars with stable yields under water limited conditions.}, number={1}, publisher={Bahri Dağdaş Uluslararası Tarımsal Araştırma Enstitüsü}