G20 Challenge funds wheat yield research »
Two projects involving researchers from ANU have received a slice of US $20 million from the G20 to strengthen global food security by making more energy efficient wheat. The funding is provided by the agriculture ministers of the G20 nations through the International Wheat Yield Partnership (IWYP) to co-ordinate worldwide wheat research efforts to raise the genetic yield potential of wheat. "Improving photosynthesis is the next frontier in wheat breeding," said one of the funding recipients, ANU Professor Robert Furbank from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis. Wheat is one of the most important staples in the world and its demand is expected to increase by 60 per cent in the next 20 years. Global crop yields must double by 2050 to meet future food security needs, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. The projects were two of eight successful projects to be funded by the IWYP grants. The first project will exploit the energy systems of wheat plants to dramatically improve their yield through a novel approach that combines cutting edge molecular techniques with traditional breeding. This three-year project involves researchers from the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology , the ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) in Mexico.
