BEIJING, CHINA — Chinese scientists have developed higher yielding wheat for bread production, according to a research paper published in the latest issue of Plant Biotechnology Journal.
Using CRISPR-CAS9 genome editing and by identifying molecular mechanisms that affect grain development, researchers from several institutions in China boosted the length and weight of wheat, the paper said. China is the world’s largest wheat producer.
The researchers identified that TabHLH489, a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor, is associated with the grain length of the crop. The results showed that the knockout of TabHLH489 enhanced the length and weight of the grain, while overexpression had the opposite effect. The team also identified that the TaSnRK1α1-TabHLH489 regulatory module uses brassinosteroid and sugar signaling to control grain length.
After many years of research, the sequencing of the bread wheat genome, which is more than five times larger than the human genome and more complex, was completed in 2018. Wheat is the world’s most widely grown food grain, with production and consumption forecast to reach nearly 800 million tonnes in the 2023-24 marketing year, according to the Foreign Agricultural Service of the US Department of Agriculture.
China’s government in recent years has made food security a top priority. In addition to using gene editing to boost wheat yields, it is in the process of commercializing widespread production of genetically modified corn and soybeans to lessen its dependence on imports of those ag commodities.
