WA at the forefront of global wheat genome project

Murdoch University and Department of Agriculture WA scientists at the Molecular Plant Breeding CRC have been quick to recognise the massive export potential for Australia following diminishing wheat production in China, over recent years. With a market estimated at between 5-10 million tons per annum, researchers are focussing on the high end of the market to produce quality wheat for noodles and pan bread, which is much sought after by the Chinese market.

To this end they have embarked on an ambitious international diagnostic project to determine the entire DNA sequence in wheat - a mammoth task considering it contains six times more DNA than humans. The project, undertaken by an international consortium, will help unravel mechanisms behind crop qualities, by applying molecular biology to wheat breeding programs.

Professor Rudi Appels, who holds a joint appointment between Murdoch University and the Department of Agriculture WA, also co-chairs the international Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium, and is the responsible for coordinating the DNA sequencing efforts in Asia, India, Japan and China.

'The project is aimed at advancing agricultural research for wheat production and its utilisation by developing DNAbased tools and resources that result from the complete sequence of the common wheat genome,' he said.

'We will also ensure these tools and the sequence is available for all to use without restriction and without cost.'

The search for disease resistance genes, for example, begins at L'Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) in France, where Dr Catherine Feuillet is leading a team who are dividing the genetic information into small segments of just 200 kilobases known as BAC clones. These BAC clones provide workable sections of the chromosome that are being sequenced.

Murdoch University is working closely on the project with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, which was supplying the raw DNA sequencing data.

'It is a collaborative venture between two equal partners,' said Professor Appels.

'They are producing very high quality data which is sent, literally the same day, to the Centre of Bioinformatics and Biological Computing at Murdoch, for us to process.'

Professor Appels said DNA diagnostics would help to unravel the causes of pre-harvest sprouting and diseases of wheat - a common problem when rain fell at the wrong time of year, as well as grain quality defects.

'The benefit is to produce varieties which are more competitive, easier to grow and better to eat,' he said.

Professor Appels said work was well advanced to produce some major breakthroughs by the end of this year and with strong backing from US growers the complete genome of wheat would be physically mapped and partially sequenced within the next 10 years.