Every once in a while, there’s an innovation in plant breeding that sets down a true milestone. Barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) resistance in wheat will be remembered as one of those.
But what really makes it remarkable is that the first UK variety with this trait was launched in the very same year growers could no longer use the neonicotinoid chemistry on which they had relied for around two decades.
“BYDV resistance is the right trait at the right time,” states Agrii seed technical manager John Miles. “While neonic seed dressings were available, genetic resistance to an aphid-borne virus came way down the pecking order of what growers wanted in a wheat. Now, a non-chemical solution is exactly what’s needed, both for the environment and for the public perception of farming.”
For Richard Summers, [the new variety, called] Wolverine is “a first stab at BYDV resistance, but an impressive result in itself. To have both [orange wheat blossom midge, or] OWBM and BYDV resistance in a variety close to market is phenomenal. For the breeder, the treadmill continues, while growers can look forward to a mosaic of ways this genetic material can evolve.”
