A consortium of scientists said Wednesday they had made major progress in deciphering the genome of bread wheat, a vital crop whose DNA is notoriously complex. <\/p>\n
Publishing in the journal Nature, they said they had analysed between 94,000 and 96,000 genes in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum). <\/p>\n
The plant's genome is nearly five times as big as humans', they said. <\/p>\n
The genes exist in what is in fact a triple genome, reflecting bread wheat's legacy as the 8,000-year-old offspring of three species of grasses. <\/p>\n
Gene sequencing will help plant breeders in their search for strains that offer higher yields and are better able to tolerate floods, droughts and salty soils, the researchers said. <\/p>\n
Wheat today accounts for a fifth of the world's calorific intake, and this importance can only grow, given the world's rising population and the impact of climate change on food production, say experts. <\/p>\n
\"This work moves us one step closer to a comprehensive and highly detailed genome sequence for bread wheat, which along with rice and maize is one of the three pillars on which the global food supply rests,\" said co-author Jan Dvorak, a professor of plant sciences at the University of California at Davis. <\/p>\n
\"The world's population is projected to grow from seven to nine billion by 2050,\" said Dvorak. <\/p>\n
\"It is clear that, with no new farmable land available to bring into cultivation, we must develop higher-yielding varieties of these three cereals to meet the growing global demand for food.\" <\/p>\n
A complete, \"polished\" version of the genome may still lie several years away, cautioned Neil Hall of the University of Liverpool, northwestern England, which led the research. <\/p>\n
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\nCracked wheat: Scientists make inroads into wheat genome<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"