A discovery by scientists at the University of Sydney could have profound impacts on wheat farming and, along with it, on the need for and price of crop insurance.
Scientists at the University of Sydney, in collaboration with several other universities from around the world, announced on Nov. 10 that they had identified a gene, Lr67, that can prevent some of the most harmful and prevalent wheat diseases. The findings, which have been published in Nature Genetics, could dramatically improve wheat production.
The paper, “A recently evolved hexose transporter variant confers resistance to multiple pathogens in wheat” says the gene provides resistance to three wheat rust diseases and also to powdery mildew.
According to lead researcher Harbans Bariana, rust diseases are among the most significant constraints to global wheat production. Bariana is an associate professor at the University’s Plant Breeding Institute. He said Australia alone loses about $1.5 billion a year to rust diseases. US production of wheat is about double that of Australia, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.
“The transfer of the gene Lr67 into modern wheat cultivars is already in progress at the University of Sydney… The transfer to future wheat varieties through marker assisted selection based on this work will increase diversity for resistance,” Bariana said.
In the United States, leading producers of wheat include North Dakota, Minnesota, Montana, South Dakota, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Utah, Wisconsin, Texas, Kansas, and Oklahoma.
