Helping wheat defend itself against damaging viruses

Wheat diseases caused by a number of viruses which includes wheat streak mosaic, triticum mosaic, soil-borne mosaic and barley yellow dwarf. A patent-pending technology has built a disease resistant to certain viruses in wheat plants. These viruses can be an economic drain to wheat farmers by costing them 5 to 10 percent or more in yield reductions per crop. Although the technology involves genetic engineering, which is not an option for wheat in today’s market, the research has extended to building this resistance in non-genetically engineered wheat lines as well.