Australian Researchers Develop Salt Tolerant Wheat

Researchers from the University of Adelaide in Australia have developed salt tolerant wheat that allows farmers to grow the crop in saline soil.

In their study, published in Nature Biotechnology, the team created the new wheat by crossing a modern strain with an ancient species, resulting in a new plant that can withstand soil most commercial wheat can't survive. The team says they are the first to prove the development of a salt tolerant agricultural crop.

"This work is significant as salinity already affects over 20 percent of the world's agricultural soils, and salinity poses an increasing threat to food production due to climate change," said Dr. Rana Munns, one of the researchers in the project.

The researchers are now working to use the breeding process to develop a salt tolerant strain of bread wheat.

For more information on the study read the full article on the Genetic Literacy Project website.