SBIR Phase II: New dwarfing genes to improve yield and abiotic stress tolerance in wheat

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力将是通过部署新开发的区域特异性矮化基因来提高全球小麦产量。到2050年，世界人口预计将增长到96亿。小麦需求预计将增加，这也是由于预计地球仪财富增加导致消费从大米转向小麦。增加的小麦需求将不得不在土地面积减少和气候变化的情况下得到满足。提高水分利用效率和小麦产量将是满足这一需求的重要因素。所提出的技术有望在非生物胁迫条件下提高小麦产量。所有这些好处预计将对人类产生重大的积极影响。 小麦种子业务目前价值高达83亿美元。该技术将提供竞争优势，在小麦种子行业占据重要市场份额，同时为气候变化期间的粮食安全做出积极贡献。SBIR第二阶段项目建议进一步开发和测试替代矮化基因，以提高地球仪各地的小麦产量和非生物胁迫耐受性。在“绿色革命”中，获得更高的产量需要矮秆基因，但目前种植的90%以上的小麦品种中存在的两个矮秆基因具有严重的不良影响，包括非生物胁迫敏感性，降低根长和生物量，出苗和活力。在第一阶段的研究中，发现了四个新的矮化基因，并显示出明显优于目前使用的基因。第二阶段将集中于新基因与旧基因的比较，以显示它们的真正益处。这项研究还将产生开发“可释放”品种所需的宝贵数据。 通过将一个新的矮秆基因转入两个不同的背景中，然后进行田间和控制条件评价，研究遗传背景效应。通过对新矮秆基因的互补作用，保持未来的竞争优势。将开发紧密相连的DNA标记，以便将技术有效地转移到不同的背景中。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will be to improve wheat yield globally by deploying newly developed, region-specific dwarfing genes. World population is predicted to grow to 9.6 billion by 2050. Wheat demand is expected to increase also due to a shift from rice to wheat consumption due to an expected increase in wealth around the globe. The increased wheat demand will have to be met under less land area and changing climate. Water use efficiency and increase in wheat yields will be important factors in meeting this demand. The proposed technology is poised to increase wheat yield under abiotic stress conditions. All of these benefits are expected to have a major positive impact on humanity. The wheat seed business is currently valued at up to $8.3 billion. The proposed technology will provide a competitive advantage to capture a significant market share of the wheat seed industry while contributing positively towards food security during the changing climate.This SBIR phase II project proposes to further develop and test alternative dwarfing genes to improve wheat yield and abiotic stress tolerance around the globe. Responsible for the "green-revolution," dwarfing genes are required to obtain higher yields, but the two dwarfing genes present in more than 90% of the currently grown wheat varieties have serious ill-effects including abiotic stress sensitivity, reduced root length and biomass, seedling emergence, and vigor. During the Phase I research, four new dwarfing genes were identified and shown to be significantly better than the currently used genes. Phase II will focus on the comparison of the new genes with the old genes to show their true benefits. This research also will generate valuable data required for the development of "release-ready" varieties. Genetic background effects will be studied by transferring one of the new dwarfing genes into two different backgrounds followed by field and controlled condition evaluation. Future competitive advantage will be maintained by pyramiding the new dwarfing genes with complementary gene action. Closely linked DNA markers will be developed for an efficient transfer of the technology into diverse backgrounds.