Wheat is one of the most important crops globally, and its grain is mainly used for human food, accounting for 20% of the total dietary calories. It is also used as animal feed and as a raw material for a variety of non-food and non-feed industrial products such as a feedstock for the production of bioethanol. Starch is the major constituent of a wheat grain, as a result, it is considered as a critical determinant of wheat yield and quality. The amount and composition of starch deposited in wheat grains is controlled primarily by sucrose transport from source tissues to the grain and its conversion to starch. Therefore, elucidation of the molecular mechanisms regulating these physiological processes provides important opportunities to improve wheat starch yield and quality through biotechnological approaches. This review comprehensively discusses the current understanding of the molecular aspects of sucrose transport and sucrose-to-starch metabolism in wheat grains. It also highlights the advances and prospects of starch biotechnology in wheat.

小麦是全球最重要的农作物之一，其谷物主要用于人类食品，占总饮食热量的20％。它也用作动物饲料，并用作各种非食品和非饲料工业产品的原料，例如用于生产生物乙醇的原料。淀粉是小麦籽粒的主要成分，因此，淀粉被认为是决定小麦产量和品质的关键因素。小麦籽粒中沉积的淀粉的数量和组成主要受蔗糖从源组织向籽粒的运输及其转化为淀粉的控制。因此，阐明调节这些生理过程的分子机制为通过生物技术方法提高小麦淀粉产量和品质提供了重要机会。这篇综述全面讨论了目前对小麦籽粒中蔗糖运输和蔗糖-淀粉代谢的分子方面的理解。它还突出了小麦淀粉生物技术的进展和前景。