b'S T R A T E G Yresistant starch wheat.and pest resistance things Even within the pan breadthat breeders are looking at, side, there are qualities likebut they have to somehow gluten strength characteristicstechnify wheat, according to where there may be someMorano.value down the road, accord- Hybrid vs. pure lines: The ing to Fritz. Being prepareddebate about hybrids vs. pure for a marketplace that may belines has not changed much more segmented where therein the past five years. Some are materials more suitedmajor companies are very to the IP segment for qual- heavily invested on the hybrid ity. People want traceabilityside. The question is, what will for their food supply. Theneventually win out: the hybrids there is the commodity classor pure lines.channel that is more focusedThere is still that fight on yield potential and thefor acres and how do we nuances of your selection aremaintain relevance. We need a little bit different. What areto see wheat not just as a the production systems goingAndrew Green serves as assistant professor and hard spring wheatwheat crop, but how does it to be? As cropping systemsbreeder at North Dakota State University. fit into the overall agricultural change, there are a lot ofsystem? In some ways that things we need to think aboutand our understanding of thestory. I think it will be severalinvolve how we breed that to put products out there thatwheat genome. I think thereyears before the tide turns.crop, Fritz explains. A lot are best suited to what theis real opportunity there, FritzCulturally, that will be a majorof our wheat in Kansas goes farmers need.observes. These are some ofhurdle. Syngenta is not work- after soybeans. That should Genetic Diversity: Fritzthe important things I foreseeing on GM wheat today. influence some of our deci-says a USDA geneticist inas we go down the wheatThe other thing that plantsion about how we breed. Manhattan is looking forimprovement road in the nextbreeders have been scratch- The quality traits are still diversity with emmer wheat30 to 40 years. ing their heads about formuch more front and center. to create diversity, especiallyGM technology: Beyondyears is getting more qual- How do we address those for agronomic traits, abioticthat, there has to be discus- ity into wheat. Wheat is stillthings? What role will be a stress tolerance and diseasesion around GM wheat: isa basic food crop. Therehigh enough volume to make resistance. There may be anthis something that is agree- are a lot of issues out there,it rational to make a change? untapped a treasure-troveable to the marketplace?including gluten. What canWill there be a reasonable that have not been tappedFor other crops, GM hasbe done to make it a morereturn on benefit? Some into for traits that couldbeen a big factor for gettingsellable product for the foodtraits might be interesting, influence quality characteris- them planted on new acres,market, whether that be anbut too small in volume to be tics from flavor preferenceswhether that is grade A acresall-around better bakingeconomically viable. Those to gluten functionality andin Illinois or poor acres inproduct or a better feedare all things wheat breed-nutritional characteristicssome other place. GM wheatproduct for animals? Thoseers are wrestling with to find life iron and zinc content.is something that needs to beare some of things that needanswers. SWEffectively mining that diver- looked at, says Paul Moranoto be researched in order to sity is another outcome fromsays, head of NA Cerealsincrease wheats competitive-the advances we have hadfor Syngenta GM wheat isness to other crops. There are with advancing technologyneeded, and that is a differentalways the standard disease ENDORSED BY 54/ SEEDWORLD.COMINTERNATIONAL EDITION 2020'