“Uncovering a ‘Hidden Gene’: Tripling Wheat Yields”

Researchers Discover a Gene in Wheat Called “Wus-D1” That Can Triple Crop Production by Activating a Dormant Mechanism in the Plant. This Discovery Opens the Door to Improving Crops Without Expanding Agricultural Land or Consuming Additional Water. This Discovery Represents New Hope in the Face of Global Food Security Challenges.

In a context of a highly significant scientific discovery, which has the potential to fundamentally transform modern agricultural practices, prominent researchers from the University of Maryland in the United States have announced their identification of a dormant “gene” in the wheat plant, which possesses the ability to triple crop production. This remarkable increase is achieved by reactivating an internal mechanism that was dormant within the plant itself.

This “gene”, named “wus-D1”, plays a pivotal role in regulating the process of forming floral organs, which are responsible for grain production. This discovery could open broad prospects for a real revolution in the field of agricultural crop improvement, without the urgent need to expand available agricultural land or consume additional quantities of precious water, according to a recent study published in the high-ranking scientific journal “PNAS”.

For decades, scientists have focused on understanding the mechanisms behind increasing the number of grains produced by a single wheat flower. Under normal conditions, each flower produces only one grain. However, the research team mentioned above found that a rare type of wheat is characterized by unusual activity of the “wus-D1” gene.

When this “gene” is activated early in the flower’s development, the plant begins to form several ovaries instead of one, which ultimately leads to the production of three or more grains in the same spikes. Thus, the total yield of the plant can increase up to three times compared to traditional varieties.

In this regard, “Vijay Tiwari”, Associate Professor of Plant Science at the University of Maryland and co-author of the study, stated: “Identifying the genetic basis of this trait provides breeders with a pathway to incorporate it into new wheat varieties, which could increase the number of grains per spike and the overall yield.”

“By using a suite of gene editing tools, we can now focus on improving this trait further to enhance wheat yield. This discovery provides an exciting pathway for developing cost-effective hybrid wheat,” added “Vijay Tiwari” in statements obtained by Al Jazeera Net.

It is worth noting that this discovery comes at a critical time, as the world is witnessing increasing challenges in the field of food security, as a result of the repercussions of climate change and declining fertility of agricultural land. Wheat, which is the staple food for more than a third of the world’s population, faces the risk of declining production in many arid and hot regions.

According to the study, taking advantage of the mentioned “gene” may represent a promising way to improve agricultural crops, by activating their latent capabilities, without resorting to complex or costly engineering operations. Through hybridization or precise genetic editing, this trait can be transferred to commercial wheat varieties used globally.

Despite the great enthusiasm surrounding this discovery, experts point out that its practical application is still in its early stages. Increasing the number of grains in a single flower may negatively affect seed quality or disease resistance. It must also be ensured that this increase does not consume the plant’s resources excessively.

In addition, any modified crops will need to pass stringent regulatory and ethical tests, which may vary from country to country, before being approved in the markets.