New Wheat and Barley Genomes Will Help Feed the World
Published:02 Dec.2020 Source:University of Adelaide
Researchers from the 10+ Wheat Genomes Project, led by Professor Curtis Pozniak (University of Saskatchewan, Canada), and the International Barley Pan Genome Sequencing Consortium, led by Professor Nils Stein (Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Germany), have sequenced a suite of genomes of both cereals, published today in the journal Nature. They say it will open the doors to the next generation of wheat and barley varieties.
"Wheat and barley are staple food crops around the world but their production needs to increase dramatically to meet future food demands," says the University of Adelaide's Associate Professor Ken Chalmers who, together with his School of Agriculture, Food & Wine colleague Professor Emeritus Peter Langridge, led the Adelaide research. "It is estimated that wheat production alone must increase by more than 50% over current levels by 2050 to feed the growing global population." Professor Chengdao Li at Murdoch University also played a key role in the Australian component of the barley sequencing.