Wheat News and Research

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Ancient Plant Protein Unlocks New Strategy for Engineering Disease-Resistant Crops

Researchers led by Ken Shirasu at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS) in Japan have identified an ancient protein that has the potential to help defend plants against tens of thousands of different bacteria and other pathogens.

5 Sep 2025

First Complete Map of Plant Stress Response System Unveiled

Researchers have created the world's first complete map of a crucial cellular system that helps plants respond to stress.

4 Sep 2025

Plants Activate Immunity Instead of Growth During Drought Recovery

A plant's number one priority is to grow-a feat that demands sunlight, nutrients, and water. If just one of these three inputs is missing, like water in a drought, growth halts.

2 Sep 2025

New Water-Based Method Extracts High-Purity Lignin

The Nanoscience Center at the University of Jyväskylä discovered that lignin, a polyphenol vital for plant structure, has an antimicrobial effect against viruses and bacteria.

13 Aug 2025

Plant Genetics Research Reveals Dynamic and Diverse Centromere Behavior

Cell division is an essential process by which living organisms grow, replenish lost cells, and regenerate dead and damaged tissues.

8 Aug 2025

Iowa State Engineers Reinvent Gene Gun for Faster and Safer Crop Editing

Plant scientists have used a standard "gene gun" since 1988 to genetically modify crops for better yield, nutrition, pest resistance and other valuable traits.

5 Jul 2025

Mapping Thousands of Conserved Gene Groups Across Grasses

A new computational biology pipeline has mapped out over 13,000 groups of protein-coding genes conserved across grasses, offering a powerful tool for researchers investigating gene function in these economically and ecologically vital species.

2 Jul 2025

Myosin XI Helps Plants Absorb Boron Under Nutrient Stress

Boron, though required only in minimal amounts, is vital for plant development. It strengthens cell walls and supports the growth of roots and shoots.

9 Jun 2025

Drought-Fighting Soil Bacteria Helping Wheat Beat the Heat

Western Sydney University researchers have discovered that drought affected wheat plants are able to call on eco-friendly soil bacteria to survive, helping keep crops healthy, boost yields, and provide pathways to develop extreme weather resistant crops.

30 May 2025

Single Cell Sequencing Uncovers Hidden Drivers of Severe Celiac Disease

Scientists have identified mutated immune cell clones that could point to improved treatment for refractory celiac disease.

17 May 2025

Gene Deletion in Wheat Offers Better Bread Quality and Fewer Celiac Triggers

Wheat is a major source of calories, carbohydrates and protein worldwide, and its distinctive gluten proteins are what gives bread and pasta dough texture and elasticity.

6 May 2025

Gene Deletion in Wheat Reduces Allergenic Gluten

Wheat serves as a significant source of calories, carbohydrates, and protein globally, with its unique gluten proteins providing texture and elasticity to bread and pasta dough.

6 May 2025

Peptide Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Plant Flattery

Industrial farming practices often deplete the soil of important nutrients and minerals, leaving farmers to rely on artificial fertilizers to support plant growth. In fact, fertilizer use has more than quadrupled since the 1960s, but this comes with serious consequences.

16 Apr 2025

Wheat's Pathogen Defense Strengthened by Tandem Kinase Proteins

Wheat is grown over more land area than any other food crop. Among pathogen-driven threats to wheat, fungi top the list, causing billions of dollars of losses each year and posing a serious challenge to food security worldwide.

3 Apr 2025

Scientists Unlock Genetic Secrets of Wild Barley to Improve Crop Yields

An international team of scientists from Australia and China has unveiled the first chromosome-scale genome of a wild barley species, with their findings offering direct implications for more sustainable agriculture and significant yield improvements for Australian grain production.

17 Mar 2025

Can We Engineer Crops to Withstand Climate Change and Increasing Temperatures?

Investigating heat stress in crops, this review highlights genetic adaptations and CRISPR techniques to develop resilient varieties for sustainable agriculture.

12 Mar 2025

Gene Editing Breakthrough Creates CoQ10-Producing Rice Varieties

A team of Chinese scientists has used targeted gene editing to develop rice that produces coenzyme CoQ10 (CoQ10), a vital compound for human health.

17 Feb 2025

Genetic Discovery Offers Potential for Higher Crop Yields and Biofuel Production

A team of scientists with two Department of Energy Bioenergy Research Centers -; the Center for Bioenergy Innovation, or CBI, at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation, or CABBI, at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign -; identified a gene in a poplar tree that enhances photosynthesis and can boost tree height by about 30% in the field and by as much as 200% in the greenhouse.

6 Jan 2025

New Computational Model Enables Timely Response to Desert Locust Threats

Desert locusts typically lead solitary lives until something - like intense rainfall - triggers them to swarm in vast numbers, often with devastating consequences.

20 Dec 2024

Coffee Wilt Fungus Gains New Abilities Through Genetic Theft

Subsequent outbreaks of coffee wilt disease were caused by the fungus that causes the disease repeatedly absorbing DNA segments from a related fungal pathogen.

6 Dec 2024