Kansas State scientists collaborate in wheat gene breakthrough
A team at Kansas State University’s work with scientists from around the world has finally cracked the code for wheat genomics.
The Kansas State Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Wheat Genomics published an article Thursday — in collaboration with the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium — in the journal Science describing the complete genome for wheat.
The K-State team worked with over 200 scientists from 73 research institutions in 20 countries to create the reference genome. The genome sequence will serve as a roadmap to the wheat plant, allowing for improved breeding to create wheat varieties with higher yields, improved stress resistance, higher quality and more.
“If we know what genes have favorable traits and where they are located in the genome, we can use DNA marker technology to select them,” said Dr. Jesse Poland, director of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Wheat Genomics. “This is kind of the roadmap or blueprint for that.”
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