Wild wheat genome to help improve modern varieties

Scientists have mapped the genome sequence for a wild relative of wheat, which could help in improving modern wheat varieties.

Researchers at the University of Nottingham in the UK assembled a chromosome-level haplotype-resolved genome sequence of Aegilops mutica. The research has been published in Scientific Data and contributes to a growing body of research aimed at safeguarding global wheat production in the face of climate change and emerging plant diseases.

“This high-resolution genome assembly represents a significant step forward in our ability to utilize wild relatives for wheat improvement,” said Surbhi Grewal, assistant professor, School of Biosciences, who led the study. “With traits such as wheat rust resistance, as demonstrated in our past studies, present in Aegilops mutica, this resource opens new possibilities for enhancing the resilience of modern wheat.”

The study was conducted as part of the Nottingham Wheat Research Centre’s (WRC) ongoing pre-breeding program.

The breeding program aims to introduce beneficial genetic diversity from wild species into cultivated wheat varieties. By using specialist sequencing techniques, Grewal, along with her colleagues at the University of Nottingham and collaborators at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and Earlham Institute, have produced a high-quality fully annotated genome assembly and valuable insights into the genetic architecture of Aegilops mutica, a species known for its adaptability to challenging environmental conditions.

For over a decade, the Nottingham Wheat Research Centre has been developing wheat-Aegilops mutica introgression lines, aiming to transfer beneficial traits from this wild species into cultivated wheat. These efforts have laid the foundation for identifying and integrating novel genetic diversity into wheat breeding programs.

Last year, the team also published the genome assembly of Triticum timopheevii, another wheat wild relative, further expanding the genomic resources available for wheat.

Source: World Grain