Norwich, United Kingdom - October 18, 2024

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠A major international study in the United Kingdom has revealed more about the history of wheat and uncovered ways to change the future potential of the staple crop for the global population -- both for people's health and a changing climate.

At the Norwich-based John Innes Research Center, an independent facility for research and training in plant and microbial science founded in 1910, wild grass grown in controlled conditions is helping an international group of scientists develop a different type of wheat.

The scientists extracted DNA from the grasses and were excited to discover their potential.

The researchers also found much larger starch content in wild grasses which could have health benefits.

Extensive studies by the group also revealed today's wheat is essentially a hybrid of three types of wild grasses. Originating in the Middle East, it's only existed for around 8,000 years. But in that time, it had become a huge part of people's diets.

It's thought around a fifth of the calories people consume globally come from wheat. But that modern crop has lost much of its diversity over the generations, which is why the international team wants to put that diversity back into a more nutritious and climate resistant crop.

The scientists leading the research say adapting wheat production to climate change is key to future food security.

Chinese scientists are also making a key contribution to the international collaborative research.

At the John Innes center, some 30,000 wheat samples from around the globe are carefully sorted and cooled at the giant gene bank.

The genetic diversity discovered in these seeds is expected to one day become part of the wheat which farmers grow and the bread people eat, creating a more sustainable crop.

Shotlist:
Norwich, UK - Oct 18, 2024:
1. Various of wild wheat grown at John Innes Center;
2. Reporter visiting wild wheat greenhouse; scientist introducing wheat to reporter;
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rose Mcnelley, scientist, John Innes Center (starting with shot 2/partially overlaid with shot 4/ending with shot 5):
"So here we've got lots of different varieties of this wild grass species. I'm really interested in the starch in these grains, trying to find novel diversity in this wild grass, which we don't see in modern wheat. We're interested in trying to transfer this into modern wheat to create starch, which is more nutritious or useful for different industries, such as bread making.";
[SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]
4. Various of ears of wheat;
[SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]
5. Various of ears of wheat;
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Rose Mcnelley, scientist, John Innes Center (starting with shot 5):
"So it might seem very different to wheat, but it's actually almost like a grandparent of wheat. So, it's really important in that evolution of modern wheat which we're growing and eating in our daily lives.";
7. Various of ears of wheat;
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Rose Mcnelley, scientist, John Innes Center (starting with shot 7/ending with shot 9):
"This could potentially be really helpful nutritionally for our gut, because it might digest slightly slower and release less glucose into the bloodstream. So, it could be really helpful for disease such as diabetes.";
9. Various of wheat plants;
FILE: Exact Location and Date Unknown
10. Various of wheat field;
Saudi Arabia - Oct 18, 2024
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Simon Krattinger, associate professor, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (starting with shot 10/ending with shot 12):
"The important aspect here is we need to grow more wheat in the future. The estimates are that by 2050, we need to produce up to 30 to 50 percent more wheat than what we produce today to meet global demands.";
FILE: Exact Location and Date Unknown
12. Aerial shots of wheat field, scientists working in field;
Beijing, China - Oct 18, 2024
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Long Mao, principal investigator, Institute of Crop Science (starting with shot 12/ending with shot 14):
"We have a better view of the genetics, and we also have a better understanding of what the people in other parts of the world are using to improve their varieties.";
Norwich, UK - Oct 18, 2024
14. Door of seed bank being opened; scientist entering seed bank;
15. Various of scientist searching for samples at seed bank;
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Noam Chayhut, scientist, John Innes Center (starting with shot 15/ending with shot 17):
"We enable this research because the essence of the study is understanding the genomic diversity. And we hold the diversity, so we, in order to unlock the diversity, you first need to define it, to conserve it.";
17. Various of wheat samples.

[Restriction - No access Chinese mainland]