Discovery raises hopes of more temperature tolerant wheat

Gene-editing techniques have  uncovered a temperature tolerance trait that could protect wheat from the increasingly unpredictable challenges of climate change.

Researchers say UK growers could benefit from the discovery – made at the Norwich-based John Innes Centre during experiments examining wheat fertility in plants exposed to high and low temperatures.

Wheat fertility and yield is highly influenced by temperature – particularly during the initial stages of meiosis when chromosomes from parent cells cross over and pair to create seeds for the next generation.

Meiosis in wheat functions most efficiently at temperatures between 17-23°C. It is known that developing wheat does not cope well with hot temperatures and can also fail during low summer temperatures.

High priority

Professor Graham Moore, who led the team of scientists, said climate change was likely to have a negative effect on wheat fertility and yields. Screening germplasm to identify heat-tolerant genotypes was a high priority for the future of crop improvement, he added.

“Identifying genetic factors that help to stabilise wheat fertility outside optimal temperatures is critical if we are to breed climate resilient crops of the future.”

Researchers used gene-editing techniques to delete a gene called DMC1 from a Chinese spring wheat variety. They then carried out a series of controlled experiments to observe the effects of different temperatures on the gene-edited plants.

After approximately one week, experiments revealed that the gene-edited plants were significantly affected when grown at a temperature of 13°C, with plants grown at 30°C also affected by temperature.

Implications

Prof Moore said the results confirmed the hypothesis that the DMC1 gene has a significant effect on grain yield – with the results having important implications for wheat breeders in the face of climate change.

“Thanks to gene editing we have been able to isolate a key temperature tolerance gene in wheat. It provides cause for optimism in finding valuable new traits at a time when climate change is challenging the way we grow our major crops.”

The next stage of this research is to look for variations of DMC1 which offer greater protection to wheat – and to investigate how dosage and expression levels of this gene in wheat may influence protection against wider variations in temperature.

Trials on temperature tolerance are taking place in Spain, where regular temperatures of 30-40°C are posing a threat to wheat fertility and yield. But the study also showed that the same DMC1 gene controls temperature tolerance in UK wheat.

The study also cites previous research into a species of Japanese newt. It found that fertility is compromised in temperatures below 13°C and that the temperature effect is related to DMC1 activity.

New board member for NIAB crop science

Research and business development expert Trish Malarkey has been appointed to the board of Cambridge-based crop science organisation NIAB.

With a career spanning over 30 years in food and agritech innovation, Ms Malarkey has held senior research and development business roles in the UK, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the USA.

These include chief innovation officer at Royal DSM, head of global research and development at Syngenta and various non-executive director and scientific advisory roles in established global companies and start-ups.

NIAB board chairman David Buckeridge said: “Global agriculture is changing as we embrace advances in food productivity whilst reducing its impact to the climate and improving our biodiversity.”

NIAB had a central role in developing and translating this science into proven and practical applications for farmers and growers, said Dr Buckeridge. The board’s role was to support the organisation in its strategic development.

“Trish’s ability to bring together commercial business and R&D strategies, alongside her breadth of scientific technical expertise, and her knowledge of the global agribusiness industry, will provide NIAB with unique and valued insight.”

Ms Malarkey said: “I am looking forward to being involved in the next steps in NIAB’s vision to ensure high-yielding, profitable crop production go hand in hand with reducing agriculture’s environmental and climate impact.”