Mapping of genetic codes likely to lead to better varieties of wheat

Farmers across the globe could be able to grow much better varieties of wheat - the world's most important food crop - in as little as three to five years, according to a member of a team of Chinese and US scientists that has mapped out the genetic code of wheat.

Once scientists finish precisely mapping all the wheat genomes, higher-yielding varieties that are more resilient to disease and harsh weather conditions are expected to be developed.

The recent mapping efforts were a big step in that direction, according to Dr Zhang Aimin, a principal investigator of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology.

The sequencing and drafting of the A genome, one of the three basic genomes of wheat, was published on the website of the scientific journal Nature last week.

The research was jointly conducted by the academy institute, the Shenzhen-based Beijing Genomics Institute, and the University of California, Davis.

Additional research involving the D genome, jointly conducted by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the Beijing institute, was also published on the website.