Genetic code of wheat 'mapped'
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British scientists have mapped the genetic code of wheat, which is five times larger than the human genome, a breakthrough they claim would ease pressure on the world's food supply and help stabilise rising food prices. A team, led by University of Bristol, says the genome sequence will also pave the way for development of new wheat strains which are more resilient to harsh conditions and disease and deliver higher yields. Wheat is one of the world's most important food crops, with an annual global harvest of more than 550 million tonnes. And, the new genome data will give breeders access to 95 per cent of all wheat genes, 'The Daily Telegraph' reported. Professor Keith Edwards, one of the scientists from the University of Bristol who worked on the blueprint, said the size and complexity of the wheat genome made it a "huge challenge for scientists". Further work is needed to produce a finished copy of the genome, with the data assembled into chromosomes, he said. Dr Anthony Hall, another member of the team from the University of Liverpool, said: "Wheat production is already under pressure with failures in the Russian harvest driving up world wheat prices. "It is predicted that within the next 40 years world food production will need to be increased by 50 per cent. "Developing new, low input, high-yielding varieties of wheat will be fundamental to meeting these goals. Using this new DNA data we will identify variation in gene networks involved in important agricultural traits such as disease resistance, drought tolerance and yield." The project was funded by Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. David Willetts, the Universities and Science Minister, was quoted by the newspaper as saying, "This is an outstanding world class contribution by the UK to the global effort to completely map the wheat genome."
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