Scientists from the University of Adelaide and John Innes Centre have cracked the code for higher quality wheat. The secret is a genetic driver that enhances yield traits, resulting in an increased protein content of up to 25%.
Limited information is available on the drivers for yield and protein content in relation to wheat, shared research lead Scott Boden from the University of Adelaide’s School of Agriculture, Food and Wine in a news release.
Despite these limitations, developing higher quality wheat will help to secure a crop which 2.5 billion people are dependent on.
“Discovering a gene that controls these two factors has the potential to help generate new wheat varieties that produce higher quality grain,” Boden explained. “As wheat accounts for nearly 20 per cent of protein consumed worldwide, the impact of this research can significantly benefit society by providing grains with a higher protein content, which could therefore help produce more nutritious food, such as bread and breakfast cereals.”
This is the first known study to utilize a forward-genetics screen of a mutant population to pinpoint a gene that controls reproductive development for wheat. Knowledge gained from the research has the potential to boost wheat’s nutritional and economic value, according to the University of Adelaide.
“The genetic variation we identified provides a 15-25 per cent increase in protein content for plants grown in the field. These varieties also produce extra spikelets, known as paired spikelets,” said Boden. “The increase in protein content occurs without the trade-off of a reduced yield so this discovery has even better potential to provide economic benefit to breeders and growers than just the increased nutritional value by itself.”
The team predicts that breeders will have access to the new wheat varieties in two to three years, meaning farmers and consumers could reap the benefits in seven to 10 years.
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