Kansas Wheat Innovation Center (KWIC) is part of Kansas State
University’s Grain Science and Industry Complex. The goal of the $15
million, 48,000 sq.ft. (4,460 sq.m.) facility is to use advanced
techniques in wheat research to improve yield and quality of new
varieties while shortening the time needed to develop those varieties.
The challenge is how to get improved varieties into the hands of farmers
faster because that is what’s necessary to ensure an adequate food
supply for current and future generations.
Solution
The Innovation Center’s solution is to find desirable traits like
disease resistance or drought tolerance in wheat’s relatives and cross
them to create new, higher quality varieties. Using genetically pure
plant lines, or doubled haploids, scientists can then offer a quick
route to new gene combinations for higher yields. The process begins in
the 15,000 sq.ft. (1,393 sq.m.) of research laboratories, featuring 13
indoor climate-controlled growth rooms from Conviron.
After the winter wheat plants have matured in the growth rooms, they
get moved to the Argus controlled greenhouses. In total there are eight
greenhouses that span nearly 23,000 sq.ft. (2,137 sq.m.) that provide
ideal growing conditions for wheat, even in the hottest summer months.
Kansas Wheat CEO Justin Gilpin, far left, leads a tour of the Kansas Wheat Innovation Center.
Impact
The double haploid process offers a quick route to new gene
combinations for higher yield, improved quality, disease resistance, or
other crop improvements. It normally takes 12 years for a new variety of
wheat to get into the hands of farmers, however the double haploid is a
wheat breeding shortcut because it can cut four to six years off the
breeding process.
Eight greenhouses span nearly 23,000 sq.ft. (2,137 sq.m.) and provide ideal growing conditions for wheat.
Overall these labs and growth rooms are essential to the double haploid breeding process because they allow scientists to grow multiple generations of winter wheat and conduct experiments year round.
KWIC is also home to the the world-renowned Wheat Genetics Resource
Center (WGRC). The WGRC houses its collection of seeds from wheat’s
ancient relatives in a Conviron chamber and has three main missions to
assure future advances in wheat breeding:
Collect, conserve, and utilize germplasm in crop improvement for sustainable production by broadening the crop genetic base,
Create
and promote the free exchange of materials, technology, and new
knowledge in genetics and biotechnology among the world's public and
private organizations, and
Sponsor graduate and postgraduate
students and visiting scientists for academic training and advanced
research in the WGRC laboratories.
The WGRC maintains a gene bank, along with evaluation and passport
data on 2,500 wheat species accessions. In addition, the WGRC houses
2,200 cytogenetic stocks, the genetic treasures produced by a lifetime
of work by wheat scientists.
