Engineering Change

As wheat becomes less productive due to the lack of new technology improvements compared to many other crops grown around the world, agricultural companies and wheat organizations are beginning to re-invest in wheat research.

tHE REcENt INFlUx oF INtERESt in wheat, according to many in the industry, is necessary in order to increase declining wheat acreage in North America and to create traits that are more tolerant to environmental conditions.

Earlier this year, nine wheat organizations in the United States, Australia and Canada released a joint statement stating that they will begin to work toward the goal of the synchronized commercialization of biotech traits into wheat crops in their respective countries.

Daren Coppock, Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of Wheat Growers, says the need for short and long-term investment in wheat technology is needed and he sees this spring’s agreement between the three countries as a step in the right direction towards new traits in wheat. The Association works with a team of state wheat grower organizations to benefit the wheat industry at state and national levels and is one of the nine organizations in the tri-lateral agreement working towards the commercialization of biotech traits in wheat.

“Many producers are choosing to grow biotech crops as they provide increased yields and improved tolerances to pests and diseases,” explains Coppock. “However, this is taking away from wheat acreage as producers are choosing crops with higher profit potential.”

Coppock added that this tri-lateral agreement will create technology sharing capabilities between the three countries. “We could see traits move from one part of the world to another, and there is an added benefit of all of us working together with customers for a common interest,” explains Coppock. “The first place to start in wheat research is drought tolerance, as many areas in both North America and Australia face drought conditions each year.”

Increasing Investment

Monsanto Company has also made a commitment to re-invest in technology aimed at enhancing the quality and productivity of wheat. Earlier this year, Monsanto acquired Montana-based wheat breeding company WestBred and according to Monsanto’s Global Wheat Lead, Sean Gardner, there has been a significant shift in grower and industry interest and support for new technology in wheat over the past few years.

Gardner says Monsanto has certainly heard the call from those throughout the wheat value chain, calling for greater investment in wheat and their interest in working with technology developers like Monsanto. “This renewed interest did not go unnoticed by Monsanto and with our recent acquisition of WestBred we are pleased to be able to explore the possibility of applying our technology to wheat in order to bring benefits

to farmers and others all along the food supply chain, including millers, bakers and consumers,” he says.

Gardner explains that Monsanto’s initial targets for biotech development will focus on traits for drought tolerance, nitrogen-use and higher yields, but it’s important to note that Monsanto’s technology investment is not limited to biotechnology alone.

“In fact, we expect to apply Monsanto’s expertise in conventional and marker-assisted breeding tools to develop