Wheat Applied Genomics

Wheat is one of the most important cereal crops worldwide, and for centuries breeders strived to adapt it to different climates, enhance yield and increase the resistance to environmental stresses, microbial pathogenes and insect pests.

In the United States wheat is unique among the major crop plants in that public sector researchers are the main providers of the new varieties farmers grow. Between 2001-2003, public varieties accounted for 78% of the wheat production in the US.

The goal of this project is to increase the competitiveness of public wheat breeding programs through the intensive use of modern selection technologies, mainly Marker Assisted Selection (MAS).

The links below present more information on MAS and our work, educational and outreach materials and detailed laboratory methods.