UI Researcher Makes Discovery That Could Help Boost Wheat Yields
Brad Carlson
University of Idaho wheat breeder Jianli Chen has discovered a genetic mutation associated with a 5-10% yield gain in wheat.
(University of Idaho/Contributed)
University of Idaho scientists have discovered a naturally occurring genetic mutation in wheat associated with increased yield. UI College of Agricultural and Life Sciences researchers, led by wheat breeder Jianli Chen, screened germplasm — collections of genetic material, including a panel of spring wheat varieties developed by Pacific Northwest breeders — for the mutation.
The researchers confirmed the mutation in several high-yielding lines, including the hard white spring variety UI Gold, which Chen's program released in 2022, and several new experimental lines. The mutation is associated with a 5-10% yield increase, according to a news release.
“Because we found this gene mutation and developed molecular markers, we can screen lines for it,” said Chen, based at the UI Aberdeen Research and Extension Center. “I think this marker will be implemented by a lot of breeding programs.”
The mutation is a nucleotide deletion, meaning a small piece of DNA is missing. Researchers found the deletion was associated with later flowering and more spikelets, the clusters of flowers that develop into grain along a wheat head. These traits can contribute to greater yield, according to the release.
Process and Findings:
Chen and her team isolated a locus associated with the beneficial deletion. A locus is a specific position on a chromosome where a gene or genetic marker is located.
A five-year, $15 million grant from USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture funded the research. Led by the University of California, Davis, the project brought together researchers from 22 institutions. Chen’s program received spending authority for $537,644 and built upon progress made during two earlier collaborative NIFA grants, according to UI.
Her program uses genomic selection, a breeding method that uses thousands to millions of DNA markers spread across a plant’s complete set of genetic material, to predict which wheat lines are most likely to have desirable traits. As part of the most recent grant, Chen and her team also validated a faster, less expensive method of screening wheat lines for yield potential.