The Hardy Wild Grass That Could Save Our Bread
Published:27 Mar.2022 Source:John Innes Centre
An obscure species of wild grass contains "blockbuster" disease resistance that can be cross bred into wheat to give immunity against one of the deadliest crop pathogens.
A collaborative international team of researchers identified the stem rust resistance gene from the wild goat grass species Aegilops sharonensis. The research team led by the John Innes Centre, The Sainsbury Laboratory, and the University of Minnesota used bioinformatic advances to develop the first accurate genome map of Aegilops sharonensis.