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Major Breakthrough in Deciphering Bread Wheat’s Genetic Code
Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 7:30 am
by alan refail
John Innes Centre scientists have led a project to unlock the genetic code of wheat, one of the world’s three most important crops. This first analysis of the exceptionally complex and large wheat genome, published today in Nature, is a major breakthrough that will help to breed wheat varieties with higher yields and better able to cope with disease, drought and other stresses that reduce yield.
http://news.jic.ac.uk/2012/11/decipheri ... ts-genome/I wonder how the anti GM campaigners will respond to this.
Re: Major Breakthrough in Deciphering Bread Wheat’s Genetic
Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 5:08 pm
by PLUMPUDDING
I don't think it mentions using the data for genetic modification, but I suppose they could. It seems to suggest that they can use the data to quickly indentify the specific traits of different varieties of wheat and can then select the desired characteristics and breed these into new varieties. In the same way they can find those with undesirable traits and avoid them. Sounds like quite a breakthrough.
Pity scientists are concentrating on feeding growing populations instead of reducing them though.