NOVEMBER 2026  SEEDWORLD.COM/CANADA   39
Scientists Identify a Wheat Allele That Boosts Both Nitrogen-
Use Efficiency and Yield
A Nature Communications study identified an elite wheat allele, 
TaNPF7.6-A1mod, that improved nitrogen-use efficiency and 
grain yield. The allele showed higher expression and nitrate 
transport activity than another form of the gene, helping plants 
use available nitrogen more effectively. Researchers also mapped 
an upstream regulatory pathway controlling the trait and found 
evidence that the favourable allele has been positively selected 
during wheat breeding, pointing to a potentially useful target 
for developing higher-yielding varieties that require nitrogen 
more efficiently.
McGill is Hunting Wild Potatoes for Virus-Resistance Genes
Génome Québec announced funding for a McGill University 
project led by Martina Stromvik, working with Progest2001 
and AAFC. The team will characterize virus strains threatening 
potatoes in Quebec and Eastern Canada and search wild potato 
relatives for resistance genes that could feed into new varieties. 
At the same time, McGill’s Jean-Benoit Charron is sequencing 
and phenotyping more than 200 lettuce lines to identify mark­
ers for climate adaptation and disease resistance.
A Major Wheat Insect-Resistance Gene has Finally Been 
Cloned
Researchers reported in Nature Genetics that they cloned Gb3, 
a wheat gene providing greenbug resistance. What makes it 
especially interesting is its history: the resistance originated in 
Aegilops tauschii, has been used in wheat breeding for decades 
and provides resistance against numerous greenbug biotypes. 
Researchers validated its function using CRISPR knockouts 
and transgenic expression. 

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