With wheat providing 20% ​​of daily human caloric intake and demand growing at 1.7% annually, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council's (BBSRC) innovative initiatives are focused on increasing yields as well as improving resistance to various diseases and physiological stress.

A project led by the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium and the Earlham Institute with partners including JIC and Rothamsted Research has made ground-breaking progress in sequencing, annotating and assembling the complex wheat genome.

The Earlham Institute's innovative tools enabled precise genome analysis, accelerating the development of improved wheat varieties.

The achievement not only provided new insight into wheat genetics, but will also serve as a model for sequencing other complex plant genomes.

Earlham Institute's recent research endeavors, such as identifying genetic markers for heat tolerance and investigating the circadian clock in wheat, further contribute to the improvement of technologies for the development of climate-resistant wheat varieties.

JIC researchers have made a discovery that completely changes what was previously thought. A new copy of the ZIP4 gene plays an important role in the exchange of genetic information from linked chromosomes. The discovery provides an opportunity to create new, high-yielding wheat varieties designed to withstand climate challenges.

In terms of disease, researchers at the University of Nottingham introduced resistance genes from wild wheat lines to improve resistance to Fusarium wilt.

These advances are vital to global agriculture, especially in low-income countries.

Internationally, commercial wheat producers are already adopting these resistant lines.