Searching for a drought resistant wheat
The research of WFSC member Prof. Bruno Studer is the focus of a segment on the Swiss SRF Einstein science program. A project searching for a more drought resistant wheat variety using traditional breeding plus genetic analysis is highlighted.
A recent episode of the Swiss SRF science program Einstein entitled Superplants: Gene Revolution in Agriculture (27 September 2018) included a segment focusing on efforts at ETH Zurich to create a more drought resistant wheat variety. In the segment (Ein Weizen, der Dürre verträgt), research from the Molecular Plant Breeding group at ETH Zurich, led by Prof, Bruno Studer, was featured.
The profiled project strives to find superior wheat varieties that are more resistant to drought. To do so, the research group has planted 330 different varieties on a single field at the ETH Plant Research Station in Eschikon, Switzerland. By collecting data during the growth of all the varieties, including the number of small openings on each leaf, the team looks for varieties that most efficienctly use water.
ETH Zurich student Luc Gujer explains how the group harvests leaves and determines the number of openings on each leaf. The plants with less openings, and thus are prone to less water loss due to respiration, are then genetically analyzed. Prof. Studer explains how finding varieties which most efficiently use water is key.
The research team has worked at several locations in Switzerland with different local climates. The goals are to find the genes responsible for the number of leaf openings and the effects of local climate conditions in order to breed a more drought resistant wheat variety. The DNA profile that results in a variety with fewer leaf openings could then be used as a diagnostic tool to produce drought resistant wheat.
Watch the whole segment “Ein Weizen, der Dürre verträgt” on SRF Einstein (in German) here
To out more about the research of the ETH Zurich Molecular Plant Breeding group, visit the group webpage