10 / SEEDWORLD.COM JANUARY 2019 Pre-breeding in Action For the first time, a team of more than 40 scientists has genetically characterized values of exotics in hexaploid wheat. CIMMYT scientists and partners in Mexico, India, Pakistan, Denmark and the United Kingdom used next- generation sequencing and multi- environment phenotyping to study the contribution of exotic genomes to pre-breeding lines. Results of the study, recently published in Nature Scientific Reports, show that some DNA from exotic germplasm improved the biotic and abiotic stress tolerances of lines derived from crosses of exotics with CIMMYT's best elite lines. In Canada, researchers including Gavin Humphreys, a research scientist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, are pre-breeding to make wheat more resistant to fusarium head blight (FHB). A breeding line has been developed from a cross between Crocus hexaploid wheat and a hybrid line that contains chromosomes of Thinopyrum elongatum, a type of wheatgrass. The new breeding line, which has segments of Thynopirum DNA, is resistant to FHB, leaf rust and stem rust. SW RESOURCES TO CHECK OUT iwyp.org | The International Wheat Yield Partnership (IWYP) represents a long-term global endeavor that uses a collaborative approach to bring together funding from public and private research organizations from a large number of countries. During the first five years, the growing list of partners aims to invest up to $100 million. hedwic.org | The Heat and Drought Wheat Improvement Consortium (HeDWIC) is a network that facilitates global coordination of wheat research to adapt to a future with more severe weather extremes, specifically heat and drought. seedsofdiscovery.org | Seeds of Discovery (SeeD) studies and characterizes maize and wheat genetic diversity for use in breeding programs, which develop wheat varieties and maize hybrids improved through conventional technologies. These hybrids are better adapted to climate change, more resistant to pests and diseases and have higher yield potential. 800.942.5816 sales@blackburnflag.com Connect with us! Visit or Chat LIVE with us at: www.blackburnflag.com