Bayer CropScience and Texas A&M University System sign agreement to advance wheat breeding

20-02-2012 | Feed additives | News

Bayer CropScience and Texas AgriLife Research, a part of the Texas A&M University System, College Station, Texas, USA have signed a multi-year agreement to develop and commercialize improved wheat varieties, Bayer announced in a press release.

Utilizing Texas AgriLife Research’s extensive collection of wheat cultivars and germplasm and Bayer’s expertise in both classical and molecular plant breeding, the collaboration aims to bolster current development efforts and expedite the delivery of higher yielding wheat varieties to market.

In particular, researchers and breeders at both institutions will focus on developing wheat lines that offer improved yields, as well as regionally important characteristics such as drought resistance, disease resistance and improved quality.

Texas AgriLife Research is a leading provider of Hard Red Winter Wheat germplasm for the Southern Great Plains region of the U.S., and its collection will serve as a strong basis for developing these new lines.

Additionally, the collaboration will focus on the development of molecular breeding tools to facilitate the rapid genetic improvement of wheat.

“Wheat productivity has not kept pace with the advancement in other crops like corn, but Bayer is determined to see that trend reversed,” said Dr. Mathias Kremer, Head of the BioScience business unit at Bayer CropScience.

“By working together with the many wheat experts in the Texas A&M University System to harness the tools of modern plant breeding and biotechnology, we are convinced we can help make wheat farmers in Texas and beyond more productive and sustainable by delivering new high-yielding varieties that are more resilient against pests, disease and environmental stresses like drought.”

Dr. Craig Nessler, director of Texas AgriLife Research, said the collaboration with Bayer CropScience will give worldwide exposure to the wheat improvement programs of Texas AgriLife Research and the Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

“This endeavor will enhance the impact of these programs while building a strategic research and development relationship with a company that shares AgriLife’s dedication to crop improvement,” Nessler said.

Bayer currently collaborates in wheat with organizations including South Dakota State University (USA), University of Nebraska-Lincoln (USA), NARDI (Romania), RAGT (France), Evogene (Israel), and CSIRO (Australia).

Collaboration with Texas AgriLife Research and the Texas A&M University System will complement the strategic research network Bayer is in the process of building up.

TEXAS WHEAT FACTS:

Texas ranks 4th in production versus other U.S. states.
Over the past seven years, Texas has averaged planting 5,800,000 acres of winter wheat and harvested about 2,800,000 acres.
In 2011, about 3.9 million acres across five U.S. states were planted in varieties developed by Texas AgriLife Research.
Drought tolerance is a key trait of interest in Texas. The 2011 drought devastated the Texas wheat crop, with total production only reaching 49.4 million bushels, compared to 127.5 million bushels in 2010.
Due to the drought last year, more than 900,000 acres of wheat were abandoned due to extremely poor yield or total crop failure.