'Heat-tolerant' wheat gene in development

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‘Heat-tolerant’ wheat gene in development

January 2, 2015 By Ken Anderson Filed Under: Crops, News

Kansas State University researchers are working on a transgenic wheat that would tolerate warmer temperatures during the critical grain filling stage.

The researchers have been working with durable “thermo-tolerant” genes found in other plant species, including rice and grapes. They are now crossing those genes into elite wheat varieties that have their own heat tolerance potential.

With just a single added gene to boost “thermo-tolerance”, the researchers say wheat yields could be increased be increased by up to 35 percent.

Because no genetically modified wheat is currently in the U.S. supply chain, the K-State researchers say the heat tolerant wheat will eventually need a sponsor that can take it through the strenuous and extensive regulatory process before it can be commercialized and be planted by farmers.

Link to article on Kansas Wheat web site

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1 comments

Tags: ag research, Kansas State, Wheat

Jonathon Harrington says:

January 5, 2015 at 2:35 pm

Here is another example of the potential for crop biotech to produce. If the luddites do not keep poking spanners in the works we just MIGHT see the results of this work! JAH

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