San Diego, June 17 - Australian researchers developing a drought-tolerant wheat have had early success in field trials and hope to have the world's first transgenic wheat in farmers' hands in five to 10 years, a biosciences leader said on Tuesday.
Researchers analyzed 24 different genetically modified lines containing six different gene modifications and found that two of them outperformed control plots, generating yield increases of 20 percent, said German Spangenberg, Executive Director of the Victorian AgriBiosciences Centre, part of a state government research division.
"They are exciting results. There were very significant grain yield gains," Spangenberg said in an interview on the sidelines of an international biotechnology convention in San Diego.
The test plots were planted in northern Victoria, an area of Australia that suffered significant drought losses in its 2006/07 wheat crop, according to Spangenberg.
Researchers have asked for regulatory approval to conduct more field trials over the next two years.
"Those trial will allow us to validate these results," he said. "The availability of water for agriculture is an important constraint. To see genetic innovation in a major crop like wheat for drought is very exciting."
No commercial transgenic wheat currently exists in world markets due to strong opposition by consumer and environmental groups in many countries.
Several biotech crop developers, notably Monsanto Co and Syngenta have done extensive work in developing different types of biotech wheat, but Monsanto shelved its herbicide-resistant wheat project and Syngenta has slowed the pace of its work on a disease-resistant wheat because of the widespread opposition.
That obstacle could be shrinking, however, as food shortages and accompanying skyrocketing prices for grain have applied a recent shock to the world food system.
Syngenta has its genetically modified spring wheat nearly ready to submit for regulatory approval, but plans to wait for further market acceptance, said Syngenta's head of industry relations Jack Bernens, who was also attending the BIO International Convention.