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ISLAMABAD: In a landmark discovery for global wheat production, an international team led by the University of Saskatchewan and scientists from International Maize and The Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) has sequenced the genomes for 15 wheat varieties that Represent breeding programs around the world.
The latest discovery has enabled scientists and breeders to identify influential genes for improved yield, pest resistance and other important plant traits much faster.
Ravi Singh, head of global wheat improvement at CIMMYT, says these discoveries paved the way for identifying genes responsible for traits that wheat farmers in partner countries demand, such as high yields, tolerance to heat and drought, and resistance to Insect pests.
The research just published provides the most comprehensive atlas of wheat genome sequences ever reported. More than 95 scientists from universities and institutes in Australia, Canada, Germany, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States were involved in the “10 Genome” project collaboration.
The « 10 Genome » research marks the beginning of major efforts to generate thousands of genomic sequences from wheat, including genetic material introduced from wild relatives of wheat.
Wheat, one of the world’s most widely grown grain crops, plays an important role in global food security and provides around 20 percent of human caloric intake worldwide. It is estimated that wheat production will have to increase by more than 50 percentage points by 2050 to meet increasing global demand.
The research results build on the first complete reference map of the wheat genome published by the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium in 2018. This increased the number of wheat genome sequences almost tenfold and allowed scientists to identify genetic differences between wheat varieties.
« It’s like finding the missing pieces for your favorite puzzle you’ve been working on for decades, » said project leader Curtis Pozniak, wheat grower and director of the USask Crop Development Center (CDC). . « With the availability of many complete gene assemblies, we can now help solve the great mystery that the massive wheat pan genome represents and usher in a new era for wheat discovery and breeding, » he said.
Scientific groups in the global wheat community are expected to use the new resource to identify genes linked to traits in demand, which will accelerate breeding efficiency.
« With this resource, we can control breeding more precisely to increase the rate of wheat improvement for the benefit of farmers and consumers and to meet future food needs, » said Pozniak.
Wheat, Genome, Research, Harvest
World News – CA – “10 Genomes” offers 15 improved wheat varieties
Ref: https://www.dawn.com
