A “dream team” of Canadian research scientists will explore the genes
that control cold hardiness in winter wheat.
Molecular geneticist André Laroche of Agriculture Canada’s research
centre in Lethbridge, Alta., hopes to identify genes, biological
mechanisms and responses, and learn their function and roles in
freezing tolerance over the next three years.
“I am interested in how genes regulate other genes, those first
involved in low temperatures, and how they induce expression of other
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genes to help the plant to survive the winter,” he said.
Laroche said the research is part of a broader genomic study
co-ordinated by Graham Scoles of the University of Saskatchewan. That
project includes scientists from other research facilities and focuses
on how crops like wheat and canola respond to stress.
“That’s a dream team, that’s a dream project,” Laroche said.
He hopes the research will not only enhance winter wheat breeding, but
benefit all wheat research.
“In freezing tolerance, there is a lot of similarities with drought
tolerance,” he said.
“All classes of wheat will profit from that piece of work.”
The first step is identifying the genes and how they function, followed
by assembling a database of information and then finding genes with
desired traits.
