**Acknowledgements**

ing several physical traits such as the plant structure, phenology, soil water content, canopy/ leaf temperature, physiological state of the photosynthetic machinery as well as automated weighing and water efficiency usage measurement [93]. These technologies have the capability to provide solutions to genomics-enabled crop improvement through the high-throughput

The era of the omics has largely contributed to our current understanding of various biological and physiological processes in wheat in a faster way through the provision of high-throughput data that have made a provision for researchers to understand and manipulate some complex traits in wheat. The high-throughput data generated from different omics technologies could expedite efforts aimed at improving our current understanding of other complex traits that have not been fully characterized and also allow researchers to easily manipulate complex traits to suit current and future research needs. However, this will depend on whether the output data from a specific omics technology will be in a format that could be linked with

Furthermore, there is little or no research on integrating selected omics technologies in order to obtain a holistic overview of physical and biological processes to improve the bioavailability and stability of selected nutritional components, thereby improving nutritional quality in wheat. Nonetheless, there have been some attempts to integrate omics data in other fields of biology with some challenges experienced in trying to integrate omics data. Difficulties that could arise in integrating omics data could mainly arise from the fact that research in these areas is still at elementary stage and research objectives, and outputs from different research programmes were not outlined in such a way that the data could be linked or integrated. Thus, the research outputs should produce data that can be easily used for combined analysis

Several research applications involving the use of molecular techniques, analytical techniques and biochemical techniques have been applied in attempt to improve nutritional quality in wheat to establish a platform that has allowed the application of biofortification of wheat with improved grain Zn. However, this only made it possible to improve the total grain Zn, mainly for wholemeal flour and not across specific wheat grain compartments; wherein the wheat endosperm would have been an ideal region that could have been targeted to enhance

One major challenge is that research is mainly conducted independently across the world, and this makes it a major challenge on the turnover in which data are obtained. This leaves a gap in other areas of research in that some research aspects of the same research focus are left uncovered, making it a challenge to obtain a holistic view of the data generated. Thus, should researchers form consolidated consortiums aimed at addressing similar challenges, it would be easier to integrate the data generated in order to allow researchers to obtain a holistic overview of data generated to allow targeted manipulations of the system in a more controllable

platforms that can be integrated with genomics-based platforms [93].

that of the other omics technology output data for combined analysis.

of omics data for a holistic overview of the entire system.

the concentration of Zn.

or desirable manner.

**5. Concluding remarks and outlook**

356 Wheat Improvement, Management and Utilization

The authors would like to acknowledge funding from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry through the National Research Foundation of South Africa and also Agricultural Research Council.
