Development of novel blast resistant wheat varieties for Bangladesh by genome editing

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Wheat blast is a devastating disease that appeared for the first time in Bangladesh in February 2016. In a very short period of time the disease has already destroyed 15,000 Hectares of wheat. Farmers have resorted to burning wheat fields to try to prevent wheat blast from spreading. This is a potentially catastrophic situation in one of the world's poorest countries. Unless wheat blast is controlled, the disease threatens wheat production, not only in Bangladesh, but right across Asia. An urgent response to wheat blast disease is required.As soon as news of the outbreak emerged, the co-applicants of this proposal formed a collaboration with Prof. Md. Tofazzal Islam of Bangabanhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU) in Bangladesh and obtained diseased material to identify the origin of the wheat blast disease. This demonstrated that wheat blast in Bangladesh is caused by a fungus that has spread from South America, probably by importation of infected wheat grain. This Global Challenges Research Fund project describes a novel strategy that we believe offers the most rapid means by which wheat blast could be controlled. We aim to use the very latest genome editing methods to modify wheat plants so that they are able to resist fungal infection. We have identified potential disease susceptibility factors which, if modified (or removed), may make wheat plants better able to defend themselves against wheat blast. This is a novel approach, which would result in non-GM wheat varieties, which can be provided to farmers very quickly. We aim to work with scientists and agricultural professionals in Bangladesh to make sure we can apply the advanced genome editing methods in this project within Bangladesh and train scientists there to use the procedures routinely. We will also work with local agricultural extension services to work out the best way to make wheat varieties generated in the project available to farmers as rapidly as possible, and at the scale necessary to halt this devastating disease.