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Wheat Genetics Resource Center (WGRC)

Center Overview

The Wheat Genetics Resource Center (WGRC) is a public-private research consortium that mines and harnesses the valuable attributes of wheat's ancient ancestors to help breeders — and then farmers — produce better quality wheat and higher yielding crops.

Genetic diversity is needed to improve wheat. Without such diversity, breeders will be unable to make progress necessary to protect the yield of wheat farmers while providing opportunities to deliver value to the consumer. WGRC's mission is to mobilize genetic diversity to enhance wheat yields and meet food security and consumer needs.

WGRC's research systematically unlocks the genetic potential of wild wheats to deliver value to farmers, seed companies, milling and food manufacturers, and consumers. The portfolio is designed to efficiently discover traits within the wild wheat collection that protect wheat yields from drought, heat, pests, and disease. Meanwhile, researchers are searching within these wild wheats for unique flavors, nutrition, and functionality to develop healthy and delicious ingredients for the dinner table.

Universities

Kansas State University

View Center Website

Center Personnel

William Zorrilla
Managing Director

wzorrilla@earthsharvest.org

Haley Ahlers
Program Manager and Communications

hahlers@ksu.edu

Bernd Friebe
Associate Director

friebe@ksu.edu

Jesse Poland
Center Director
+1 785 532 6804
jpoland@ksu.edu

Research Focus

The research portfolio is designed to increase the speed at which new traits can be utilized and to systematically deliver these traits to the marketplace.

Direct assessment of novel glutenin alleles in Aegilops tauschii.
Field-based germplasm development from wild species.
Genetic analyses of rust resistance in Aegilops tauschii.
Genomic characterization of the WGRC collection: analysis of A-genome diploids and Aegilops species.
Identification of chemical drivers of liking in wheat.
Novel genetics stocks for chromosome-wide enhancement of genetic recombination.
Phenotypic characterization of wild wheat core sets.
Quality evaluation of wild emmer introgressions.
Screening and characterization of resistance for sawfly.

Awards

1822162

Phase II IUCRC at Kansas State University: Center for Wheat Genetic Resources (WGRC)

Wheat is immensely valued as a staple crop and commodity throughout the world, accounting for over 20% of all protein and calories worldwide while contributing an estimated $30 billion boost to the US economy. Wheat production faces the combined challenges of increasingly variable and unfavorable climates, including new disease and insect pest pressures. In this context, new climate resilient varieties with a broadened genetic base must be developed. As a raw ingredient to the success of new wheat varieties, novel genetic diversity from wild relatives is needed to improve performance and resilience to stress. The Wheat Genetics Resource Center (WGRC) Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) at Kansas State University has the primary focus of effectively and efficiently mining these genetic resources and accelerating delivery of improved diverse germplasm to industry partners with cross-cutting training of the next generation of wheat industry scientists. The delivery of novel genetic resources and high-caliber scientists to industry partners is the ground work for future advancements and success in the wheat industry. The resulting improvement of yield potential and nutritional quality in wheat contributes toward resilience of the agriculture sector and the accessibility of affordable and nutritious wheat-based foods to society.

The complex wheat genome, more than five times larger than the human genome, and the narrow genetic base of bread wheat, present formable challenges in breeding and to address problems facing the wheat industry. Managing wheat genetic diversity to improve crop performance and training of new scientists are major functions of the WGRC IUCRC-and are critical success factors for the wheat research enterprise. The center is advancing full genetic characterization and curation of thousands of accessions of wheat wild relatives across all genomes and ploidy levels while leveraging this information to develop improved germplasm for delivery to industry partners. With targeted understanding of the genetic diversity, accessing and delivering novel alleles in improved germplasm through allele mining can be greatly expedited. Technical innovations for efficiently accessing and transferring genes and chromosomes from wild relatives will allow rapid transfer of useful traits to elite germplasm through targeted chromosome engineering, increased recombination, marker assisted breeding and genomic prediction. Through collaborative industry testing networks, the center delivers improved germplasm including chromosome introgression stocks and diverse populations with 1) abiotic stress tolerance, 2) resistance to disease and insects, 3) yield potential and stability and 4) end-use nutrition and grain quality.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. Read More >

Member Organizations

IUCRC affiliated member organizations are displayed as submitted by the Center. Non-federal organizations are not selected, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the U.S. National Science Foundation.

Ardent Mills
BASF
Bay State Milling
Bayer
Colorado Wheat Administrative Committee
Corteva
Kansas Wheat Alliance
Kansas Wheat Commission
Syngenta

The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the Center author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. National Science Foundation.