Nearly a billion litres of fungicide is how much farmers have saved this century by using disease-resistant wheat varieties. Modern wheat owes most of its resistance genes to its wild relatives – grassy cousins that are millions of years old and have been tested in the Earth’s climatic extremes.
Despite these remarkable achievements in wheat breeding, we have only just scratched the surface of the genetic potential of its wild relatives. With climate change intensifying and the rapid evolution and spread of pathogens – a new strain of fungus can circulate in the airstream – it is imperative to increase investment in research into this largely unexplored genetic diversity. Doing so could revolutionise wheat production, ensuring food security, while dramatically reducing the environmental footprint of agriculture.
Without initiatives like these, epidemics or pandemics could devastate crops, potentially leading to the massive application of toxic agrochemicals and increasing selective pressure for pests and diseases to develop resistance. The consequences would be far-reaching, affecting not only food security and the environment, but also geopolitical stability, potentially triggering human migration and conflict.
A vital cereal
Today, wheat is the most abundant crop on Earth, providing 20% of all human protein and calories and is the main staple food for 1.5 billion people in the Global South. However, with wheat’s future under threat, conventional farming methods can no longer keep pace with climate change. Studies show that changes in climate between 1980 and 2008 reduced wheat harvests by 5.5%, and global wheat production decreases by 6% for every degree Celsius increase in temperature.
Wheat provides 20% of all human protein and calories and is the main staple food for 1.5 billion people in the Global South.
Wheat science urgently requires greater investment to expand genetic studies of wild relatives, using tools such as genetic sequencing, big data analysis and remote sensing. Satellite imagery turns the planet into a laboratory, allowing scientists to monitor traits such as plant growth or disease resistance around the world. Artificial intelligence can power breeding simulations and rapidly identify promising genes that improve climate resilience.
The basic genetic resources are already in place: there are more than 770,000 unique seed samples stored in 155 seed banks in 78 countries. These samples represent the entire known genetic diversity of wheat, from modern varieties to ancient wild relatives and local varieties developed at the dawn of agriculture.
What is lacking is funding to accelerate the search for specific genes and combinations that will make wheat stronger against harsher conditions. This requires political will on the part of key decision-makers and public interest. Nothing is more important than food security and the environmental legacy we leave for our children.
The power of microorganisms
Genetic variation in seed banks is largely absent in modern wheat, which diverged genetically from other grass species 10,000 years ago and has only recently been subject to a science-based breeding program, restricting its diversity. Wheat needs the diversity of its cousins to thrive in a changing climate.
Beyond climate and disease resistance, wheat’s wild relatives offer another interesting avenue of environmental benefit: enhanced interactions with beneficial microorganisms. These ancient grasses have developed intricate relationships with soil microbes largely absent in modern wheat.
Some wild relatives of wheat can inhibit soil microbes that convert ammonium to nitrate. While both forms of nitrogen are useful to plants, nitrate is more likely to be lost through leaching or gaseous conversion. Slowing this conversion process, called nitrification, has profound implications for sustainable agriculture, as it can mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, improve nitrogen use efficiency and reduce the use of synthetic fertilizers.
Wild relatives often form more effective symbiotic relationships with beneficial soil fungi and bacteria, resulting in improved nutrient uptake, drought tolerance, and natural defenses against pests.
As a demonstration of the concept, the first and only cereal (so far) grown to promote interaction with the microbiome is wheat, which uses a gene from a wild relative (Leymus racemosus) to slow down nitrification.
In addition, wild relatives often form more effective symbiotic relationships with beneficial soil fungi and bacteria, leading to improved nutrient uptake, drought tolerance, and natural defenses against pests. Reintroducing these traits could reduce chemical inputs and improve soil health and biodiversity.
The benefits extend beyond the field. Wheat varieties that use water and nutrients more efficiently could reduce agricultural runoff and protect water bodies. Improved root systems could increase carbon retention in the soil, thereby helping to mitigate climate change.
By systematically exploring the microbial interaction traits of wild wheat, wheat varieties can be developed that not only withstand climatic challenges but also actively contribute to environmental restoration. This represents a paradigm shift from chemical crop protection to resilience through biological synergies. In fact, even a fraction of the $1.4 trillion spent annually on agrochemical crop protection could do wonders to fortify wheat against present and future challenges.
The way forward is clear: increasing investment in research into wheat’s wild relatives can produce a new generation of wheat varieties that are not only climate-resilient but also environmentally regenerative. It will be a crucial step towards sustainable food security in a changing world.
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