MONHEIM, GERMANY: Bayer CropScience, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the Australian Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) have formed a partnership to increase yield in wheat. Through genetic modification, CSIRO has developed wheat that produces significantly more grain. Bayer CropScience and CSIRO aim to further develop this technology, cultivating ideas and answers to bring about new solutions to farmer’s needs.
The partnership builds on the discovery by CSIRO of a gene technology that enables up to 30 per cent increase of wheat yield in glasshouse trials. The GRDC and CSIRO provided initial research funding and Bayer CropScience will now join them to support the next stage of development.
“We are committed to pursuing innovation in wheat varieties that will lead to increased productivity and meet the need for sustainable solutions for wheat production on a global scale, for example by increasing yields, increasing nutrient use efficiency and making plants more tolerant to stressful growing conditions such as drought or heat,” said Mathias Kremer, Head of the BioScience business unit, Bayer CropScience.
“This is a complex scientific challenge and a long road for development, which we believe will benefit from partnerships with some of the best innovators in the world and make use of all the tools available to help wheat farmers access these significant gains sooner,” added Kremer.
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