Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
Page 9
Page 10
Page 11
Page 12
Page 13
Page 14
Page 15
Page 16
Page 17
Page 18
Page 19
Page 20
Page 21
Page 22
Page 23
Page 24
Page 25
Page 26
Page 27
Page 28
Page 29
Page 30
Page 31
Page 32
Page 33
Page 34
Page 35
Page 36
Page 37
Page 38
Page 39
Page 40
Page 41
Page 42
Page 43
Page 44
Page 45
Page 46
Page 47
Page 48
Page 49
Page 50
Page 51
Page 52
Page 53
Page 54
Page 55
Page 56
Page 57
Page 58
Page 59
Page 60
Page 61
Page 62
Page 63
Page 64
Page 65
Page 66
Page 67
Page 68
40 SEQUENCINGthe wheat genome has long been considered an insurmountable challenge. World demographics how- ever have left society with no choice wheat production must increase to feed a growing planet. Improving average wheat yields has become a major objective with genome sequencing as its prerequisite. Last year the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium IWGSC unveiled the first draft sequence of the bread wheat genome. A complete reference sequence that will pave the way to improved wheat varieties could be achieved by 2018. The European Union is the worlds leading wheat producer ahead of China and the United States with 20 per cent of the total world harvest 140 million tons in 2013 on 64 mil- lion acres cultivated. Today 4.6 million European farmers depend on this crop for their income. The EU leads the world in wheat improvement with a significant number of seed companies involved with breeding and production of wheat and wheat seeds as well as world-leading academic research institutes engaged in wheat research. In 2013 the contribution of wheat net output to the EU economy was estimated to be more than nine billion euros. With a projected world population of 9.6 billion by 2050 the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FAO forecasts that demand for wheat will increase by 60 per cent. To meet that demand annual yield increases must grow from the current level of less than one per cent to at least 1.7 per cent. Since availability of new land is More financing needed so the full genome of bread wheat can be sequenced. The International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium regularly adapts its strategy to integrate the newest sequencing technologies. PhotoIWGSC. Wheat Genome Sequencing CatchingUp