Researchers collaborate on $5 million project to develop DNA markers for superior wheat-based food products

 

A Colorado State University research team, Dr. Scott Haley, Dr. Pat Byrne, and Dr. Nora Lapitan, will identify DNA markers for traits associated with the quality of different wheat varieties for consumer products as part of a USDA $5 million grant.Colorado State will receive $162,000 over four years to identify molecular, or DNA, markers that make some wheat varieties superior for being milled into flour, baking bread and making high-quality Asian noodles. In addition, the research team will work to identify chromosome segments that help wheat varieties resist sprouting before the crop is harvested, resist diseases and insects and tolerate herbicides. The project will focus on identifying genetic markers, or the genetic maps, for these traits."We hope that this project will greatly benefit the U.S. agricultural industry and our wheat producers' ability to compete in global markets," said Haley."Wheat is one of the largest crops in Colorado, and the success of wheat producers across the state to raise a disease-resistant and high-quality wheat crop that can be marketed for specific consumer products across the globe plays a significant role in the state's economic health."

 

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