Washington State University (WSU) researchers have discovered "the most
famous wheat gene" that can be used to transfer valuable genes from other
plants to wheat. The gene, which WSU Professor Kulvinder Gill called Ph1,
makes wheat fertile and controls the orderly pairing of wheat chromosomes
during reproduction. However, the gene also prevents wheat from breeding
with related ancestors.

Gill said "Now that we have the gene, we can actually use that gene sequence
to temporarily silence the gene and make rye and other chromosomes pair with
wheat." Their first effort involves transferring a gene from jointed
goatgrass, a wild relative of wheat, to confer resistance to stripe rust.


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