9-29 FB DNA Wheat

 Genetically modified sugar beets…and now genetically modified wheat? I’m David Sparks and I’ll be right back to talk DNA.

British scientists have decoded the genetic sequence of wheat, which they hope will lead to the breeding of better strains. The researchers are posting the genetic code on the Internet so farmers can use it as a tool to improve harvests.?  Neil Hall, a University of Liverpool scientist, said the information could help farmers better identify genetic variations responsible for disease resistance, drought tolerance and yield.? This year marks the 10th anniversary of the date that the human genome was decoded. The genetic code of rice was unraveled in 2005, corn in 2009 and soybeans earlier this year. Hall said breaking wheat’s genetic code took longer than other crops because it is more massive than corn, soybeans, rice and sugar beets. Heres’ Blaine Jacobson,Executive Director of the Idaho Wheat Commission: “You could start to see some genetically modified wheat but that’s probably 10-12 years away. There’s a lot of approvals that that needs to go through whereas sugar beets had the approvals so they moved forward.” But with massive droughts in Russia, Australia and China one wonders if the process might move along pretty quickly, at least internationally.