On the rise at 50

The Plant Breeding Institute is working on making bread healthier and more nutritious, says Professor Richard Trethowan.

As one of Australia’s oldest agricultural institutes is poised to celebrate 50 years of grains research, its scientists are perfecting new wheat grains that could produce healthier and more nutritious bread.

The University of Sydney’s Plant Breeding Institute (PBI) in Narrabri has a track record for successfully breeding new types of wheat and grain, says the Institute’s director Professor Peter Sharp. Over the past five decades it has produced grains which have had a significant impact on Australia’s agricultural and food industries, and many more advanced lines are undergoing assessment for release to farmers around the world, states Sharp.

Professor Richard Trethowan , Director of the PBI’s IA Watson Grains Research Centre at Narrabri, has 25 years of experience as a wheat breeder and has managed the release of eight wheat cultivars. Trethowan says this is an exciting time for grain breeders and researchers.

"We have a study underway that is looking at the quality of the wheat grain used for bread manufacture. Its aim is to produce flour that is both healthier and more nutritious and the project is coming up with some exciting results," says Professor Trethowan.

"The results are indicating it should be possible to develop wheat cultivars with higher levels of essential nutrients like iron and zinc.

"These elevated levels of iron and zinc are coupled with improved bioavailability in the human gut through the manipulation of soluble fibre and phytate levels in the grain."

Bread, a simple but essential staple of our diet, has triggered a number of grain-related research projects over the years, including a current project studying triticale.

"Researchers are investigating the bread-making quality of triticale, an artificially-made hybrid crop developed from a cross between wheat and rye," says Professor Trethowan.

"Triticale is more tolerant than wheat to abiotic stresses, such as acid soils and drought, and work at the Plant Breeding Institute indicates that triticale bread-making quality can be improved genetically.

"Our scientists are investigating whether triticale could be a replacement for wheat in some marginal environments."

The northern NSW township of Narrabri hosts the main field testing site for crops under development by the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. An open day and forum showcasing the latest in its research, and commercial plant breeding programs on the site, including the new wheat cultivars, will be held on Wednesday 5 October.