Explainer: How hybrid wheat could lead to more food without GMO fears

Bioceres Crop Solutions

21/12/2022 11:00

By Tom Polansek
       CHICAGO, Dec 21 (Reuters) - U.S. farmers are gaining
access to a new type of wheat developed by agrichemical giant
Syngenta without genetic engineering, as the world's biggest
seedmakers seek to boost yields amid dwindling supplies of
grain.
    Chinese-owned Syngenta is releasing hybrid wheat on 5,000 to
7,000 acres next year, a small fraction of total U.S. plantings,
while BASF SE  BASFn.DE  and Bayer AG  BAYGn.DE  are planning
their own launches of hybrid wheat by the end of the decade.
    HOW IS HYBRID WHEAT GROWN?
    Crop breeders develop hybrid wheat by taking away the
natural ability of plants to pollinate themselves. Instead,
female wheat plants in a field are pollinated by male plants of
a different line, with the goal of producing seeds that carry
stronger yield potential and adaptability to adverse
environments than either parent. The fertilized female plant
produces new, unique offspring called a hybrid.   
    The use of this hybrid technology allows breeders to choose
the best traits from two parent seeds to produce offspring that
contain the positive characteristics of both, with yields
increasing through a phenomenon known as hybrid vigor. 
    When seed companies produce hybrid wheat seeds, some female
plants ultimately fail to become fertilized because they rely on
unpredictable winds to carry pollen, producers said.
Fertilization of each plant is more certain during wheat's
natural process of self pollination, they said.
    HOW WIDESPREAD ARE HYBRID CROPS?
    Farmers have grown hybrid corn since the 1930s, and it has
improved yields by increasing the plant's resistance to pests
and diseases. Vegetables, including onions, spinach and
tomatoes, are also grown from hybrid seeds. 
    Seed companies said they used their experience launching
hybrid corn and barley to develop hybrid wheat. Average corn
yields climbed by 600% from 1930 to the mid-1990s, aided partly
by hybridization, while wheat saw a 2.5-fold increase, the U.S.
Department of Agriculture said. 
    Hybrid wheat has taken longer to come to market because the
development process is more expensive and complicated,
researchers said. It could be key to boosting wheat output while
avoiding the "GMO" label. 
    Genetically modified (GM) varieties of corn and soy, used
for animal feed, biofuels and ingredients like cooking oil, were
introduced in 1996 and soon came to dominate plantings in the
United States, as well as Brazil and Argentina, the world's top
suppliers. Genetically modified wheat has never been grown for
commercial purposes due to consumer fears that allergens or
toxicities could emerge in a staple used worldwide for bread,
pasta and pastries.
    "Because of the resistance to genetically modifying stuff,
hybrids would be considered better and safer," said Dave Hankey,
owner of Hankey Seed Company in Park River, North Dakota. "That
would certainly be the public perception."
    WHAT MAY BE THE BENEFITS OF HYBRID WHEAT?
    Argentine biotech company Bioceres  is developing
wheat genetically modified to better tolerate drought - betting
consumer resistance to GMOs will fade as climate change makes
growing conventional crops increasingly more difficult. Larger
companies are working to tailor hybrid wheat to certain
geographic areas.
    For example, in the U.S. Central Plains, where farmers grow
hard red winter wheat used to make bread, BASF said its hybrid
wheat will focus on resisting a yield-robbing disease called
Fusarium head blight. In northern Plains states like North
Dakota, the company is targeting hybrids of high-protein hard
red spring wheat, used to make pizza crusts and croissants, that
have qualities suited for milling and baking.
    "Developing hybrid wheat is very demanding from a technical
perspective," said Peter Eckes, president of research and
development for BASF Agricultural Solutions. "Recent
advancements in genetics and breeding technologies have enabled
mastering this challenge."
 (Reporting by Tom Polansek; Editing by Caroline Stauffer and
Claudia Parsons)
 ((Thomas.Polansek@thomsonreuters.com; https://twitter.com/tpolansek))