Australia
2008
Source:
Molecular Plant
Breeding Cooperative Research Centre (MPBCRC)
CRCs Success Through Innovation Newsletter - Issue 11: Summer
2008
Molecular Plant
Breeding (MPB) CRC researchers and Australian farming
consortium, Green Blueprint International Ltd, hope to develop
frost tolerant wheat from the genes of an Antarctic plant, in
order to protect Australia’s wheat crop from losses of over
$100m per year.
If successful, the research will enable growers to sow crops
earlier in the season, to reduce the risk of frost damage and to
avoid the effects of drought on maturing grains.
Antarctic Hairgrass is one of the few plants to successfully
colonise the icy continent withstanding temperatures as low as
minus 30 degrees Celsius. It possesses an antifreeze-like
protein that binds to ice and inhibits the growth of ice
crystals.
Although genes of the so-called Ice Recrystallisation Inhibition
Proteins (IRIPs) are not unique to Hairgrass and are also found
in wheat and barley, researchers are hopeful that the novel
characteristics of the Antarctic genes will lead to better ice
crystal inhibition and improved frost protection.
Green Blueprint farmers include those from frost-prone areas of
the West Australian Wheatbelt who want to invest directly in new
technologies that make a significant difference to productivity.
GBI chose MPBCRC as a research and development partner to
conduct the project after the CRC recently planted Australia’s
first drought-tolerant GM wheat trial.
MPBCRC CEO Dr Glenn Tong said ‘the grain growers came to us with
a serious problem and we are going to try to solve it for them
using state-of-the-art biotechnology’.
MPBCRC is a Cooperative Research Centre established under the
Australian Government's Cooperative Research Centres Program. |
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