These genes can help get more flour out of wheat

In 10 seconds? According to the UN, climate change “is threatening to reverse the progress in the fight against hunger" - by intensifying risks to food security. Additionally, the war in Ukraine has made grain exports difficult. However, researchers are finding ways to improve yields from current crops and provide more food.

How do they increase yields? An Australian team has identified a specific protein that can be used to get about 10 percent more flour out of wheat during the milling process. This is important because wheat is one of the main sources of food for billions of people. The protein in question is the Fasciclin-like arabinogalactan-8 (FLA-8). Properly ‘expressed’ in the whole grains of certain types of wheat, it can be used as a selective trait to get more flour out of the same volume of crops.