Minnesota, USA
January 20, 2011

New federal funding for breeding wheat and barley focused on increasing yield for changing environments will build on work already under way at the University of Minnesota.

A $25 million grant announced last week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture ( NIFA ) will involve scientists from the university's renowned agronomy and plant pathology departments as well as the USDA Cereal Disease Laboratory, which is located on the St. Paul campus.

The grant will allow researchers to understand the impact of climate change on cereal crop yields and to identify the genetic markers that will increase the efficiency of developing wheat and barley varieties exhibiting high yields and tolerance to climate variability. The project is led by scientists at the University of California-Davis and involves researchers, plant breeders and educators from 21 states. The five-year project includes development of a plant-breeding education network to train both graduate students and undergraduates in the plant sciences.

"This grant is an unprecedented opportunity and brings together expertise from across the country to enhance the efficiency of wheat and barley breeding focused on developing varieties that will exhibit high yields and mitigate the impact of climate variability," said Gary Muehlbauer, a professor in the department of agronomy and plant genetics who is leading the U of M team. Both the agronomy and plant pathology departments are part of the university's College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences.

Website: http://www.umn.edu

Published: January 20, 2011