English: Wheat (Triticum aestivum) near Auvers-sur-Oise, France, June 2007 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Epigenetic factors identified as key to preventing loss of wheat caused by rain and high humidity (and should lead to better beer
The global wheat industry sometimes loses as much as $1 billion a year because prolonged rainfall and high humidity contribute to grains germinating before they are fully mature. The result is both a lower yield of wheat and grains of inferior quality. This phenomenon, known as pre-harvest sprouting or PHS, has such important economic repercussions for farmers around the world that scientists have been working on finding a solution to the problem for at least a couple of decades. Their focus has been on genetic factors, and on the interaction between genotypes and the environment as they have tried to breed wheat that is resistant to PHS, but with little success so far.
But now, findings by a McGill team suggest that the solution may lie not with genetics alone, but rather with a combination of genetic and epigenetic factors. The team, led by Prof. Jaswinder Singh of McGill’s Department of Plant Science, has identified a key gene that acts as a switch to determine how a particular plant will respond to high humidity and excess rainfall by either germinating early (PHS) or not. This switch is to be found in a key gene, ARGONAUTE4_9, in the “RNA dependent DNA Methylation” pathway (RdDM).
“The complex RdDM machinery is composed of several proteins that guide the genome in response to growth, developmental and stress signals. It’s a bit like the plant’s brain,” says Singh. “Although in the past scientists have identified it as the pathway that regulates the way a variety of genes are expressed, until now no one had made the link with PHS.”
The McGill team made the discovery by using a variety of genomic and molecular tools to identify specific ARGONAUTE4_9 genes, and then compare the way that these genes are expressed in PHS resistant versus PHS susceptible varieties of wheat.
“This discovery is important for other cereals like barley as well as for wheat,” said Surinder Singh, a Ph.D. student and one of the authors of this study, currently working in Professor Singh’s laboratory. “This means that not only should we be able to avoid the ugly bread and sticky crumbs produced by PHS wheat in future, we should also end up with better beer. “
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Pre-harvest sprouting
- An abode of natural farming and mindful living
More than 100 different species of natural and organic crops may be found at MharoKhet, a forty-acre experiential farm in Jodhpur that offers calming experiences in the midst of nature.
- Govt maintained onion buffer stock of 2.5 LMT in FY 2022-23
With the aim to stabilize onion prices, the government maintained a buffer stock of 2.5 Lakh Metric Ton (LMT) in financial year 2022-23, said Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Union Minister of State for ...
- California’s strawberry fields may not be forever. Could robots help?
Most California strawberry plants sprout constantly over the course of ... system also make it easier to recruit experienced harvest laborers who might otherwise pick blackberries or raspberries ...
- Grow your own chips, wedges & mash: sprout kūmara & chit potatoes now
Chitting (pre-sprouting) the seed potatoes gives them ... from your local garden centre or harvest your own free plants by sprouting a store-bought tuber. Simply suspend a tuber in water on ...
- FDA proposes another delay for pre-harvest agricultural water requirements
The supplemental rulemaking proposes to establish the following compliance dates for the pre-harvest agricultural water requirements for covered produce other than sprouts: 2 years and 9 months ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Pre-harvest sprouting
Go deeper with Bing News on:
PHS wheat
- PHS All Shares (PSAL)
Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all ...
- PHS All Shares (PSAL)
Market is currently closed. Voting is open during market hours.
- Pediatric Home Service Announces Launch of Infusion Nursing & Pharmacy in Houston, Texas
HOUSTON, July 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pediatric Home Service (PHS), an independent comprehensive home care provider, announced today the expansion of the infusion nursing & pharmacy service to ...
- Monkeypox, Syphilis and Burden of Euro-American Racist Medical Research.
In this digital age of instant communication, most individuals and organizations have armed themselves with the capacity to use any smart phone to reach as many persons across the world. You can ...
- PHS Mining And Oil Technical Analysis
A brief summary - strong buy, buy, strong sell, sell or neutral signals for the PHS Mining And Oil index. Access our detailed technical analysis through moving averages buy/sell signals (simple and ...
