An international team of researchers has mapped the
wheat genome, opening the door to improved wheat breeding.
“The release of the chromosomal draft of the wheat
genome sequence will accelerate gene discovery in wheat, and pave the way for
development of tools to improve breeding of complex traits such as yield,
insect and disease resistance, and end-use quality,” said Curtis Pozniak of the
University of Saskatchewan.
“The chromosome-based draft is a technical tour de force
and highlights improvements in sequencing and bioinformatics over the last few
years,” said Andrew Sharpe, co-principal investigator for CTAG (Canadian
Triticum Advancement through Genomics) and research officer at the Saskatoon
labs of the National Research Council.
“The work has provided a fascinating glimpse into the
evolution of the wheat genome. However, the full story will only be established
with the development of a reference genome sequence,” he said.
The team’s work is published in the current issue of
Science.
