Wheat News and Research

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Drinking straws made of glass or silicone are appropriate alternative to plastic straws

Drinking straws are single use plastic products which will be subjected to a Europe-wide sales ban from 2021 onwards.

2 Jun 2021

Keeping more nitrogen in soil can minimize environmental damage associated with intensive agriculture

Modern-day agriculture faces two major dilemmas: how to produce enough food to feed the growing human population and how to minimize environmental damage associated with intensive agriculture. Keeping more nitrogen in soil as ammonium may be one key way to address both challenges, according to a new paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

28 May 2021

Non-specific lipid transfer proteins help improve wheat tolerance

Fusarium Head Blight (FHB), often called scab, is a serious disease of small grain cereals like barley and wheat that affects farmers worldwide.

27 May 2021

Convergence science are needed to prevent plant disease outbreaks

Plant diseases don't stop at national borders and miles of oceans don't prevent their spread, either. That's why plant disease surveillance, improved detection systems, and global predictive disease modeling are necessary to mitigate future disease outbreaks and protect the global food supply, according to a team of researchers in a new commentary published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

24 May 2021

Location is intrinsically linked to nutritional quality of diets, shows research

The amount of nutrients people get from the crops that they eat is a type of 'postcode lottery', according to new research that has analyzed thousands of cereal grains and soils as part of a project to tackle hidden hunger in Malawi and Ethiopia.

20 May 2021

A unique vertical farm can produce 10 times more seed potatoes a year

The pandemic has interfered with production chains in many areas of agriculture, making the restoration of the Russian seed bank a priority of food safety.

14 May 2021

New open-source image library illustrates content on genome-editing and their use in plants

Are you looking for clear, accurate images to bring your content on genome-editing and genetic modification to life? The John Innes Center has launched an open-source image library for journalists, writers and picture editors seeking to illustrate content on these important technologies and their use in plants.

7 May 2021

JIC-CIMMYT collaboration aims to find solutions for the world's wheat farmers and consumers

The John Innes Centre (JIC, UK) and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) -- two world class wheat research institutes -- have announced a strategic collaboration for joint research, knowledge sharing, and communications to further the global effort to develop the future of wheat.

30 Apr 2021

Grasses steal genetic secrets from other species to speed up evolution

According to a new study, grass crops can bend the laws of evolution by borrowing genes from their neighboring species, thus gaining a competitive benefit.

26 Apr 2021

Study reveals key lipid-binding protein that contributes to cancer

Researchers have discovered how a portion of a protein communicates with a cell’s membrane to control crucial intercellular communications.

21 Apr 2021

Study of leaf size in grasses can help accurately model the effects of climate change

One-third of the Earth's surface is covered by more than 11,000 grass species -- including crops like wheat, corn, rice and sugar cane that account for the bulk of the world's agricultural food production and important biofuels. But grass is so common that few people realize how diverse and important it really is.

26 Mar 2021

Global atmospheric drying reduces productivity of both crops and non-crop plants

A global observation of an ongoing atmospheric drying -- known by scientists as a rise in vapor pressure deficit -- has been observed worldwide since the early 2000s.

9 Mar 2021

Specific proteins in plants can prevent zinc deficiency in humans

More than two billion individuals across the world are malnourished because of zinc deficiency.

5 Mar 2021

Detective work inside plant cells finds a key piece of the C4 photosynthesis puzzle

An impressive body of evidence published this week reveals the answer to a mystery that has puzzled plant scientists for more than 30 years.

3 Mar 2021

Chickpea genetics reduce need for chemicals

In recent years, hummus has become a pop culture food phenomenon, drawing praises from dieticians for the health benefits and chefs for the flavor.

3 Mar 2021

CRISPR-Cas9 can safeguard future crops under stress from variable climate conditions

Gene editing technology will play a vital role in climate-proofing future crops to protect global food supplies, according to scientists at The University of Queensland.

2 Mar 2021

Researchers combine maths and plant science to reveal how plant roots produce a hormone gradient

The research team that developed a biosensor that first recorded that a distinct gradient of the plant growth hormone gibberellin correlated with plant cell size has now revealed how this distribution pattern is created in roots.

17 Feb 2021

Unknown root trait allows some cereal plants to grow deeper roots

A previously unknown root trait allows some cereal plants to grow deeper roots capable of punching through dry, hard, compacted soils, according to Penn State researchers, who suggest that harnessing the inherited characteristic could lead to crops better able to deal with a changing climate.

2 Feb 2021

Trade restrictions by a few countries could create global food price spikes

Recent events such as the Covid-19 pandemic, locust infestations, drought and labour shortages have disrupted food supply chains, endangering food security in the process.

29 Jan 2021

Researchers develop a method to simultaneously measure 77 antibiotics in foods

Widespread use of antibiotics in human healthcare and livestock husbandry has led to trace amounts of the drugs ending up in food products.

28 Jan 2021