135 | Genotype-dependent modulation of drought-induced responses in durum wheat through wheat–clover intercropping

Noemi Gatti¹, Moez Maghrebi¹, Matteo Spada², Giuseppe Mannino¹, Stefania Astolfi², Gianpiero Vigani¹ | ¹University of Turin, Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, Turin, Italy; ²University of Tuscia, Department of Agriculture and Forest Sciences, Viterbo, Italy.

Climate change is rapidly increasing the frequency and intensity of drought events, particularly in Mediterranean agroecosystems. In these systems, the challenging is to redesign cropping systems that remain functional under water limitation. This is particularly critical for key food-security crops in the Mediterranean Basin, such as durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.). In this framework, wheat–clover intercropping is investigated as a nature-based solution aimed at developing an integrated biodiversity approach within the cropping system, in order to assess whether plant diversity can modulate drought-induced physiological and biochemical responses in durum wheat genotypes. Six different genotypes of durum wheat were screened under controlled conditions to identify discriminant marker traits associated with drought responses. Multivariate analyses highlighted a clear separation between genotypes and stress conditions, allowing the identification of genotype- and drought-dependent markers. Based on this screening, two genotypes with contrasting drought responses (Svevo and Senatore Cappelli), were selected to investigate plant-plant interaction mechanism in wheat-clover intercropping system under both well-watered and drought stress conditions. Intercropping positively affected plant growth in both genotypes, confirming its potential to support biomass production under limiting water availability. However, a pronounced genotype-dependent response was observed. In particular, Svevo exhibited marked changes in mineral composition and flavonoid profiles when intercropped with clover, under both control and drought conditions, whereas Senatore Cappelli showed a more stable response. Our work suggest that, durum wheat–clover intercropping contribute in reshaping drought-induced responses in a genotype-dependent manner, modulating mineral homeostasis and secondary metabolism rather than simply promoting growth. These results suggest that the effects of integrated biodiversity emerge at the cropping-system level and depend on interactions between plant diversity and crop genotype, highlighting the need to match biodiversity with genotype to design resilient agroecosystems.