United States: The hardy wild grass that could save our bread

A team of international researchers has discovered a gene in the wild goat grass species Aegilops sharonensis that provides robust resistance to stem rust, a fungus that significantly reduces wheat yield. This gene, named Sr62, was identified by scanning the grass's genome for mutations present in rust-resistant plants, using the Mutant Hunter tool and molecular tweezers to transfer the gene to a susceptible plant. The study, published in Nature Communications, highlights the potential of Aegilops sharonensis in contributing to wheat resistance, particularly with climate change exacerbating stem rust epidemics. The researchers plan to incorporate this gene into wheat varieties using genetic modification techniques, with hopes to identify more resistance genes from this wild grass and other related species.