description
- NIAB ran a BBSRC-funded pre-breeding project, with three breeding companies, which made >5600 new wheat lines by crossing Synthetic Hexaploid Wheats (SHWs) with UK varieties. SHWs can contain useful variation from wild relatives lost during the domestication of wheat. Many of our SHW-derivatives have out-performed their adapted parent in yield trials. In other tests, lines have retained good yields even under reduced nitrogen inputs. However, more testing is required to identify any lines which may have genuine commercial potential. This project (WISH) will provide two further years of yield trials (including low input tests), together with quality, purity, pathology, genetic and agronomy screening. The most promising lines will enter National List trials in September 2014, and a novel royalty share scheme will reward all partners for any eventual commercial success. WISH is a new model for turning promising public sector research leads into actual varieties grown by UK farmers.