Wheat genome sequencing far from complete

Farm and Ranch September 7, 2010 A recent Associated Press article reporting that a team of British scientists had sequenced the wheat genome was in error and there have been negative ramifications.

Kellye Eversole, the coordinator of the International Wheat Genome Sequence Consortium, an international group of wheat growers, public and private breeders and scientists, points out some of the errors in the report.

Eversole: “Well the wheat genome has not been sequenced that is the first thing. So it hasn‘t been decoded and there won‘t be results within five years.”

In fact, Eversole says the job of sequencing the complicated wheat genome is only about five percent complete.

The erroneous story was repeated in media around the world and Eversole says as a consequence three pending research projects were put on hold as questions were raised about the need to fund them.

Eversole: “Obviously I am concerned but funding in the United States because the U.S. needs to put in place funding for actually sequencing four chromosomes. They have already finished one physical map of one chromosome and they are doing three others. That funding is done but we need to get funding for the sequencing of those chromosomes.”

Once the wheat genome is fully sequenced it will be a boon to wheat breeding but that day has not yet come.

I’m Bob Hoff and that’s the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on Northwest Aginfo Net.