Bread Prices Could Come Down After Scientific Breakthrough
Bread Prices Could Come Down After Scientific Breakthrough - Image via Wikipedia
Scientists at leading British universities have, at last, cracked the genetic code of wheat. This is good news because it could lead to increases in production, which could, in turn, drive down bread prices.
Wheat has resisted the efforts of scientists to unravel its genome which is highly complex and massive in size. It has 16 billion DNA letters – more than five times as many as the human genome. It’s DNA also descends from a number of different ancestors. The genomes of maize and rice were sequenced some time ago and that work has led to big improvements in breeding programmes.
Now it should be possible to breed varieties of wheat that produce much higher yields, which will bring down the price of bread in the shops. In the past few years, particularly 2008, world shortages have lead to big price fluctuations in wheat prices which reflects in the price of your daily loaf.
The research was funded with a £1.7 million grant from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. Chairman, David Kell said: “Price spikes in the wheat markets have shown how vulnerable our food system is to shocks and potential shortages. The best way to support our food security is by using research strategies to understand how we can deliver sustainable increases in crop yields, especially in the face of climate change.”
The breakthrough, which will be published today and made freely available on the Internet, will also make it possible for breeders to produce varieties of wheat that are resistant to diseases, funguses, drought and poor soil conditions. All of which will help to increase production of this important staple product.
World wheat production currently stands at 650 million tonnes. Forecasters predict that, in order to feed the growing world population, we will need to produce 851 million tonnes by 2030. So important advances such as this scientific breakthrough are essential if farmers are to produce the necessary quantities and, at the same time, enable bakers to keep bread prices at levels that people can readily afford.
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