home news forum careers events suppliers solutions markets expos directories catalogs resources advertise contacts
 
News Page

The news
and
beyond the news
Index of news sources
All Africa Asia/Pacific Europe Latin America Middle East North America
  Topics
  Species
Archives
News archive 1997-2008
 

Gene for drought tolerance is worth money


Wageningen, The Netherlands
January 6, 2011

The Plant Sciences Group of Wageningen UR has entered into a licensing agreement with the French biotechnology firm Biogemma. The French are going to use a gene patented by PSG to increase drought tolerance in wheat.

Five years ago, Wageningen UR Plant Breeding identified genes that make the model plant Arabidopsis (rock cress) better able to withstand drought. The sequential order of genes was patented. 'We have already used these genes in rice varieties and in potatoes with positive results', says Ton den Nijs of the Plant Sciences Group. And now they are being applied in wheat.

There are two options for developing wheat varieties that need less water. The first option is to incorporate the sequence of genes found in Arabidopsis in wheat. 'However, we can also look for homologues - comparable sequences of genes in wheat', says Den Nijs. 'Then you screen various wheat varieties in gene banks to determine whether they have the sequence of genes for this trait.'

Biogemma is a French research institute founded partly by Limagrain, one of the biggest plant breeders in the world. The climate changes, population growth and increasing water shortages in large parts of the world have lead such companies to search for crops that require little water and still give good yields. Besides wheat varieties, Biogemma's research covers maize, sunflowers and rapeseed.



More news from:
    . Biogemma
    . Wageningen University & Research


Website: http://www.biogemma.com

Published: January 11, 2011

The news item on this page is copyright by the organization where it originated
Fair use notice

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

  Archive of the news section


Copyright @ 1992-2024 SeedQuest - All rights reserved