World Grain - November 2018 - 6

FROM THE EDITOR

Wheat genome breakthrough
worth the wait
EDITORIAL STAFF

fter years of standing on the sideline,
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developments occur in the corn, soybean and rice industries and seeing wheat
acreage dwindle as a result, the global wheat
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exciting breakthrough to celebrate.
A group of scientists from 20 countries,
known as the International Wheat Genome
Sequencing Consortium (IWGSC), in August announced that after 13 years and a
$70 million investment, their mission was
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a detailed description of the highly complex
genome of bread wheat, the world's most
widely cultivated crop.
Why did it take so long for scientists to
solve the bread wheat genome code compared to the relatively short process for
other grains such as corn, soybeans and
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larger than the human genome (one of the
wheat chromosomes is almost as large as
the entire soybean genome), it's amazing
they were able to successfully complete
this task at all.
The importance of this accomplishment
cannot be overstated. Wheat is the staple
food for more than one-third of the global
human population and accounts for almost
20% of the total calories consumed by
humans worldwide, more than any other
single food source, so this is a victory to
be celebrated beyond the wheat and milling industries.
The successful wheat genome sequencing
paves the way for the development of wheat
varieties with higher yields, which will be
crucial going forward as the world's population is expected to grow to nearly 10 billion
people by 2050.
Of equal importance, it will lead to enhanced nutritional quality, improved sustainability and varieties that are more adaptable to climate change.
Although the wheat genome sequencing is completed, the work of the IWGSC
is far from over. The next step for the IWGSC will be focusing on producing a ge-

nome sequence-based toolbox for breeders
and scientists to use for wheat improvement.
The IWGSC said researchers will undertake
several projects, including maintaining and
improving the current reference genome to
ultimately produce a "Gold Standard" reference genome sequence that is manually and
functionally annotated; sequencing other
varieties of wheat to represent the worldwide diversity of wheat; and continuing to
develop a database for the wheat community
to access all the genomic resources.
The agronomic impact of the genome
sequencing of wheat will be profound. Already, it is believed the key genes responsible for the susceptibility of certain wheat
varieties to preharvest sprouting have been
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varieties that will produce greater yields, are
more tolerant to drought and more resistant
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producers, those further down the food supply chain, such as millers and bakers, are
eager to see what processing, end-use and
nutritional characteristics can be improved.
For the partnership between industry and
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and bakers must clearly communicate with
scientists the types of properties they are
seeking so that researchers can search for
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are sure to be key targets as are genes that
impact protein levels, starch quality and
other characteristics that affect the processing, baking and nutritional quality of wheatbased foods.
After being stuck in
neutral all these years,
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a fast track to a bright and
innovative future. The
international group of
scientists who succeeded
in this wheat genome sequencing endeavor should be thanked and
praised for their efforts.

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WORLD GRAIN (ISSN 0745-8991) Volume 36, issue 11,

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World Grain - November 2018

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