| Wheat is leading crop among all the cereal crops | | | | Consortium has been established by a group of |
| of the world.Globally it is grown on about 17 % of | | | | plant scientists, breeders, and growers dedicated |
| the total crop area, staple food of about 40 % of | | | | to sequencing the wheat genome to enhance our |
| the world population and makes up about 20% | | | | knowledge of the structure and function of the |
| calories, 55 % of carbohydrates and proteins in | | | | wheat genome. By gaining increased understanding |
| human nutrition. | | | | of the biology of agronomically important traits |
| Wheat production had a great increase in last four | | | | and deploying state-of-the-art molecular tools, |
| decades but now it is moving towards decline. To | | | | plant scientists and breeders will be able to |
| meet human demands by 2050, grain production | | | | accelerate wheat improvement to meet the |
| needs to increase at an annual rate of 2%. There | | | | challenges of the 21st century. The Consortium is |
| are two ways to reach this goal, either we have | | | | committed to ensuring that the sequence of the |
| to increase the area of production of this crop or | | | | wheat genome and the resulting DNA-based tools |
| to increase the yield potential of our wheat | | | | are available for all to use without restriction. |
| varieties.Former is difficult as growing population | | | | Genome sequencing is not a single techniques by |
| also need more space for housing and other | | | | which we can identify the genes.It is a step by |
| needs but later is possible through the use of | | | | step procedure which include a number of |
| advance scientific knowledge. | | | | cytogenomics molecular biology techniques. Wheat |
| Wheat improvement is going on since its | | | | genome sequence will provide perfect markers |
| domestication. Early farmers select plants for | | | | for difficult traits, harness genetic diversity, |
| large grains and other desirable characters.Then | | | | enhance quality, increase yield in drought. |
| they started to cross desirable plants.The origins | | | | By genome sequencing we can identify the genes |
| of formal wheat breeding lie in the nineteenth | | | | which shows resistance to different diseases e.g |
| century, when single line varieties were created | | | | Lr19, Lr22/Lr40 has the resistance for leaf rust (a |
| through selection of seed from a single plant | | | | harmful disease of wheat).We can incorporate |
| noted to have desired properties. Modern wheat | | | | these genes in the breeding program to establish |
| breeding developed in the first years of the | | | | the resistant lines. |
| twentieth century and was closely linked to the | | | | Many traits contribute to a wheat variety’s |
| development of Mendelian genetics. A great | | | | ability to cope with water limited conditions. As a |
| improvement was the development of dwarf | | | | result there is not just one single |
| wheat varieties which brought a revolution in | | | | ‘drought-tolerance’ gene that will solely |
| world crop production.This golden era was named | | | | improve wheat production during drought. Specific |
| as green revolution.With the growing knowledge | | | | DNA fragments that flag the location of useful |
| of science advances in breeding methods are | | | | genes associated with some drought adaptive |
| going on. | | | | traits in cereals have been identified. These |
| In recent years, biotechnology is emerging as one | | | | ‘anonymous’ DNA markers can help plant |
| of the latest tools of agricultural research. | | | | breeders quickly and easily determine if a new |
| Biotechnology involves the systematic application | | | | wheat breeding line has the desired gene in it and |
| of biological processes for the beneficial use of | | | | hence will exhibit the desired drought adaptive |
| mankind. One of the areas of plant biotechnology | | | | trait Only a small number of DNA markers are |
| involves the delivery, integration and expression | | | | being used for drought adaptive traits, however |
| of defined genes into plant cells, which can be | | | | many more are in the pipeline. They are being |
| grown in artificial culture media to regenerate | | | | evaluated in a broad range of plant material to |
| plants. Thus biotechnological approaches have the | | | | determine whether they can be used in a cost |
| potential to complement conventional methods of | | | | effective manner in our wheat breeding programs. |
| breeding by reducing the time taken to produce | | | | The use of sequencing information of the wheat |
| cultivars with improved characteristics. The new | | | | genome will result ultimately in healthier and more |
| tools of biotechnology not only have the | | | | nutritious food that could lead to vast |
| potential for increasing the effectiveness and | | | | improvements in human and animal health.The |
| efficiency of wheat breeding programs, but also | | | | required goal of increasing yield of wheat can only |
| provide insights into the genetic control of key | | | | be reached by incorporation of advance |
| traits to be used for genetic manipulation. | | | | technology in crop improvement program. |
| Presently International Wheat Genome Sequencing | | | | |