<
https://www.positive.news/society/century-old-wheat-varieties-could-help-feed-the-world/>
"Researchers have unearthed a genetic ‘goldmine’ in a century-old collection of
lost wheat samples, which could help solve the conundrum of feeding our
increasingly populous planet.
A collaborative effort between scientists at the UK’s John Innes Centre (JIC)
and the Agricultural Genomics Institute (AGI) in Shenzhen, China, revealed that
as much as 60% of the genetic diversity found in historic wheat landraces is
missing from modern varieties.
The discovery opens up opportunities for breeding new strains with better
yields, lower emissions and – good news for beleaguered British farmers –
improved slug resistance.
“You have to capture as much natural diversity as possible,” said the JIC’s Dr
Simon Griffiths, one of the project leads. “The missing 60% discovered in this
study is full of beneficial genes that we need to feed people sustainably.”
Around a fifth of calories consumed globally come from bread wheat, but in some
regions the cereal accounts for as much as half. However the climate crisis and
novel diseases pose a twin threat to wheat crops, with modelling predicting
yields will decline in African and South Asian countries by up to 16% by the
mid-century."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
