An unprecedented diversity in the wheat genome, recently discovered, could offer fundamental solutions in the future to improve and protect what is one of the most important crops in the world.
Wheat has a very large and complex genome, and different varieties can use their genes in different ways. By studying RNA — molecules responsible for carrying out DNA instructions — scientists can identify which genes are active and at what times. For the first time, by mapping this genetic activity, it is possible to accelerate international wheat breeding programs and develop new varieties capable of adapting to increasingly accelerated climate change.
Wheat is the most cultivated crop in the world: it occupies more than 215 million hectares per year. To satisfy the growing demand of the world’s population, anyone trying to improve it faces the tough challenge of increasing wheat production by around 60% over the next 40 years, explains this Monday, citing the authors of the article on the same day in Nature Communications.
Wheat RNA data makes it possible to develop more resilient varieties, capable of withstanding high temperatures, water scarcity and low-quality soil, and without increasing dependence on fertilizers, associated with loss of biodiversity and pollution.
Much of this unexplored genetic diversity results from wheat’s adaptation to different environments over time, shaped by more than 100 years of modern breeding and more than 10,000 years of cultivation.
