PLANT BREEDING ▶▶▶


Hybrid wheat close to global market access


Hybridisation is a vital tool for plant breeders to enhance crop genetics in a range of species. Future Farming reports on how wheat growers are set to benefit from the process as new generation hybrid varieties hit the market in the next five years


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UK BY LOUISE IMPEY


ew-generation hybrid wheat varieties, which have been on the radar for some time, are set to become a commercial reality in key


wheat-growing countries. At least three companies are hoping to have


new hybrid wheat varieties for sale in strategic parts of the world by the early 2020s, following significant investment into better genetics and breeding methods. Bayer, Syngenta and Dow DuPont are all


working hard on their respective hybrid breeding programmes, with farmers in Europe, North America and Australia likely to be among the first to benefit when the varieties are launched. The new generation of hybrids will join


existing hybrid wheats already on the market, such as the Saaten Union varieties, which have had some commercial success in the UK and Europe since they were introduced. These have paved the way and shown there can be yield improvements, as well as greater consistency and stability, when they are grown in appropriate situations and in the right way.


What is hybrid wheat? Hybrid wheat is a cross between two carefully selected pure wheat lines, so each hybrid variety has genes from both parents. This enhanced genetic package means it expresses


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hybrid vigour, or heterosis, as it grows. Because conventional wheat is a self-


pollinating crop, it does not cross-pollinate with other wheat varieties. Its flowering biology is such that the anther, ovary and stigma all reside in the same flower compartment, so the pollen doesn’t have to travel. To produce hybrids, plant breeders have had


to sterilise the anther in order to get plants to cross-pollinate. In this situation, the pollen has to move, so great care has to be taken during the breeding and multiplication stages to ensure the female and male lines are placed correctly.


Sterility system Hybrid varieties already on the market are produced using a chemical hybridising agent, which is a growth regulator that interferes with pollen production. In contrast, most of the varieties in


development will be produced using a genetically controlled sterility system. This new system will be key to hybrid


wheat’s success and has an advantage when it comes to seed production, which has been the Achilles’ heel for all the chemical systems to date, claim the researchers working on genetic hybridisation. But even with today’s technology, bringing


hybrid varieties to market can take years. As already mentioned, breeders have to suppress pollen formation in one parent line by making


▶ FUTURE FARMING | 9 NOVEMBER 2017


New generation hybrid wheats are set to be sold in strategic parts of the world by the early 2020s, with the biggest benefits seen on more challenging or marginal sites


it sterile, to produce hybrids. That means the female line and the male


line have to be grown in close proximity to each other, in order to ensure that cross- pollination takes place. For this, breeders need to get as near to 100% fertility as possible – a difficult and onerous task.


The market To date, hybrid wheat is grown across an estimated 405,000ha (1m acres) in Europe. Most of it is in France, with a lesser amount in Germany and a very small area in the UK. The reasons for growing it are numerous,


believes Saaten Union. It points out hybrids have found a place where there are production


TIM SCRIVENER


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