Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 8462 / SEEDWORLD.COM JANUARY 2017 and availability of genomic tools,” Ibrahim says. Under a Monocot Improvement Initiative grant from AgriLife Research, as well as funding from the Texas Wheat Producers Board, Ibrahim is working with the University of Nebraska, Lincoln to test more than 600 lines of hybrid wheat in Nebraska and Texas. The performance of the varieties of wheat developed by AgriLife Research’s wheat breed- ing team has been improving across the state and into other states with diverse climates, pro- viding a solid base of germplasm. Changing the Face of Wheat Farming Researchers estimate hybrid wheat, when it does hit the market, will come with all the ben- efits seen in hybrid corn, a major one being increased yields. “Farmers have to see a yield increase with hybrid wheat,” Baenziger says. “No farmer’s going to buy hybrid wheat seed if it doesn’t offer that.” Ibrahim says that by using next-generation sequencing technology, they may be able to select for performance traits that can result in higher biomass and yield, drought tolerance, consist- ent performance, quality, disease resistance and agronomic adap- tation, vigorous root system and increased production in low-fertil- ity conditions. Wheat production yield poten- tial has been leveling off and “this is one way to break that barrier,” he notes. Along with increased yields comes the potential for less reli- ance on fungicides and herbicides, Baenziger notes. “Instead of having one variety that must have all your disease resistances in it, you can get some from one parent and some from another, and the hybrid will be more resistant. You might see lower fungicide costs as a result. On the herbi- cide front, you might see a hybrid crop display early vigor and crowd out the weeds, so fewer herbicides is possible.” Pawlik notes hybrid wheat plants aim to be hardier than their non- hybrid counterparts. “You’ll see more above-ground biomass, but what goes on above ground also goes on below. We see larger biomass of roots, which allows better accessibility of water and nutrients, and the plants will better sus- tain droughts and waterlogging,” Pawlik says. But, Baenziger adds, farmers may actually choose to invest more heavily in crop protectants when planting hybrid wheat. “Seeing as hybrid wheat will be a more valuable higher-yielding crop, you could see more fungicides and pesticide used to ensure you’re able to actually capture that higher yield.” That’s because farmers will see the value in hybrid wheat and, as seen with hybrid corn, they’ll want to do everything they can to protect that investment. That, of course, means opportunity for companies producing seed and crop protectants. Price Matters Naturally, hybrid wheat will be more expensive than varieties currently available, Baenziger says. Ibrahim notes hybrid seed must be bought each year due to inbreeding depression and dilution of vigor associ- ated with growing saved seed, so producers cannot save their seed and replant, as is commonly done now. “With hybrid wheat, you’ll see it go from 30 percent certified seed to virtually 100 percent,” Baenziger says. “That will drive a whole series of changes in the industry.” “Hybrid wheat will have to be more expensive, since there’s more labor and research cost involved, but seed companies could reduce the premium they expect to get to ensure it gets into the market. Then, once the growers see its true value, increase the price.” Baenziger says this might come with some initial pushback, but it won’t last long. “Growers often ask, ‘What’s the price?’ The real question should be, ‘How does it change my profitability?’ Once they see the value, they’ll be less concerned about cost,” Baenziger says. According to Ibrahim, his team will continue to try new combinations every year and then will need to test the hybrids for several more years before anything is released. “Within five years, I hope we can have the first commercially available hybrid seed available for producers,” Ibrahim says. He adds that in addition to the fieldwork, his team now has access to medium- to high-throughput genotyping, which will help them map the restoration genes and understand hybrid vigor at the molecular level. They are also screening the germplasm for the floral characteristics and for combining ability. SW “Within five years, I hope we can have the first commercially available hybrid seed available for producers.” — Amir Ibrahim 10 years is the time frame to seeing hybrid wheat on the market, according to Syngenta. 50 years ago, wheat breeders first began looking at hybridization of the crop. 600 lines of hybrid wheat are being tested by researchers in Nebraska and Texas.