Wheat Gene Discovery Seen as "Holy Grail" by Scientists- Elvowire

Wheat has been a crucial crop for human civilization, enabling the shift from hunter-gatherers to food producers and supporting the diets of billions worldwide. However, global warming and climate change threaten the crop’s production, with more frequent heatwaves and storms.

While scientists have sought to create a more resilient strain of wheat, the crop’s complex genome has hindered these efforts.

Now, researchers at the John Innes Centre in Norwich, the world’s leading crop research institute, have achieved a major breakthrough in wheat genome research.

Using gene-editing technology, they have discovered the “holy grail” of wheat genes, a stabilizing gene called Zip4.5B that normally prevents the exchange of traits with wild wheat varieties.

The researchers have developed a mutant strain that allows for the exchange of desirable traits from wild wheat varieties, which are more resilient to the elements. This discovery has the potential to create new and improved wheat varieties that can better adapt to a changing world.