Wheat breeding research helps to deal with the world food crisis

July 22-26, the first International Wheat Congress was held in Saskatoon, Canada. More than 900 scientists from world-renowned research institutions such as the Consultative Organization for International Agricultural Research and the International Corn and Wheat Improvement Center gathered to exchange information on the progress of wheat research in various fields, including variety improvement, new breeding techniques and genetic diversity.
, world agricultural cultivation now accounts for about 40 per cent of the world's land area and produces about a third of human greenhouse gas emissions, while 820 million of the world's 7.2 billion people still live on the brink of hunger. How to meet the new food demand without increasing the arable land area and causing a climate disaster?
in his keynote address to the General Assembly, Timothy D. Searchinger, a senior fellow at Princeton University and the World Resources Institute, noted that changing eating habits and reducing food waste must be accompanied by major changes in global agricultural production, rapid improvements in production technologies, the cultivation of new crop varieties and rapid adaptation to the challenges of climate change.
the world's most important food crop, wheat meets 20 per cent of human calorie and protein needs and is an important staple food for 2.5 billion people in 89 countries around the world. It can be seen that wheat plays an important role in the sustainable food supply system. However, wheat is also threatened by climate change, pests and diseases.
" wheat needs to be reduced in order to achieve sustainable farming while sustaining a deverage population. Global demand for wheat is expected to increase by 60 per cent over the next 30 years, and we must address the unpredictable impact of climate change on wheat production. Martin Kropff, director of the International Center for Corn and Wheat Improvement, said.
" scientists are working together to solve these problems through global collaboration, quality exchange and innovative approaches. For example, scientists are studying the temperature response mechanism of wheat, using a combination of remote sensing, genetic mapping, biological information and other technologies to make wheat more resistant to heat, drought and so on. Kropff said.
the International Wheat Congress, scientists around the world are addressing these challenges in a variety of ways. In addition to new varieties and new character studies directly related to practical applications, there are also research teams focused on wheat genome sequencing and chromosomal fine mapping to provide high-quality genomic information for the analysis of wheat genome evolution and domestication, accelerate genetic improvement of cultivated wheat and molecular design breeding.
, however, Searchinger believes that in addition to providing the right seeds through breeding improvements, the key to ensuring food security lies in both mechanization and proper regulation. Of these, proper regulation is particularly important. Gene-editing techniques, for example, have great potential for crop breeding, but "to achieve practical application, the government needs to choose the right regulatory path".
" food security involves breeding scientists, farmers, government policy makers, economists, professional media, etc., and is by no means an isolated issue. Searchinger said, "To achieve zero hunger, we need the whole society to work together." The
attended by more than 50
from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the Institute of Genetic Development and the Central Agricultural University of China. According to reports, China's current research on wheat mainly focuses on the genome, pest resistance, drought resistance, nutrition and other aspects, in addition to local independent innovation, international cooperation for the breakthrough of related research is also of great value.
that the International Wheat Congress was formed by the merger of two long-standing meetings of the International Wheat Genetics Congress and the International Wheat Conference, with the aim of further integrating resources and enhancing exchanges. The 2nd International Wheat Congress will be held in Beijing in 2021. （
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