Antarctic genes incorporated into frost-resistant wheat

The Molecular Plant Breeding Cooperative Research Centre (MPBCRC) has announced its intention to develop genetically modified (GM) wheat with enhanced tolerance to frost, to help combat concerns over frost damage to crops.

The project is backed by a group of Australian farmers who have formed a company, Green Blueprint International Ltd (GBI), and lodged a prospectus to raise $2 million to fund the research.

The researchers will be using a gene from Antarctic Hairgrass, one of the few plants to successfully colonise the icy continent. The frost-tolerant gene creates a protein that inhibits ice crystal growth in the plant.

"Frost damage to Australia's national wheat crop costs farmers around $100 million a year," said WA farmer John Stone.

"We wanted to invest directly in new technologies that have the potential to make a significant difference to productivity in frost-prone areas of the Wheatbelt."

While genes for these ice recrystallisation inhibition proteins (IRIPs) are not unique to Antarctic Hairgrass and are also found in wheat and barley, researchers are hopeful that the Antarctic genes will lead to better ice crystal inhibition.

Studies have already shown that by inserting the IRIP gene into model Arabidopsis plants, ice crystal inhibition is possible.

"We are delighted to be working so closely with grain growers on this project," said Dr Glenn Tong, CEO of MPBCRC.

"They came to us with a serious problem and we are going to try to solve it for them using state-of-the-art biotechnology."

GBI's initial investment will finance research to show proof-of-concept that the technology has the potential to work effectively in wheat.

A similar level of investment will be required to develop and field test the most promising specimens.

Once the first marketable IRIP-coded wheat products are developed and tested, seed producer-distributors will be engaged to take the product to market.

"This has the potential to afford significant benefits to growers not just in Australia but also around the world," said Tong.