Safdar, L.B.Foulkes, M.J.Kleiner, F.H.Searle, I.R.Bhosale, R.A.Fisk, I.D.Boden, S.A.2023-10-102023-10-102023Plant Communications, 2023; 4(6):100716-1-100716-152590-34622590-3462https://hdl.handle.net/2440/139658Available online 14 September 2023Rising demands for protein across the world are likely to increase livestock production, as meat provides ∼40% of dietary protein. This will come at significant environmental expense; therefore, a shift towards plant-based protein sources would provide major benefits. While legumes provide substantial plant-based proteins, cereals are the major constituents of global foods with wheat alone accounting for 15-20% of the required protein intake. Improving protein content in wheat is limited by phenotyping challenges, lack of genetic potential of modern germplasms, negative yield trade-off, and the environmental cost of nitrogen fertilisers. Presenting wheat as a case study, we discuss how increasing protein content in cereals through a revised breeding strategy combined with robust phenotyping can ensure a sustainable protein supply while minimising the environmental impact of nitrogen fertiliser.en© 2023 The Authors. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).Grain protein contentInnovative breedingProtein nutritionSustainabilityChallenges facing sustainable protein production: Opportunities for cerealsJournal article10.1016/j.xplc.2023.1007162023-10-10656270Safdar, L.B. [0000-0002-9544-8259]Searle, I.R. [0000-0003-4306-9756]Fisk, I.D. [0000-0001-8448-3123]Boden, S.A. [0000-0001-5297-4067]