With modern wheat in short supply and lacking genetic diversity and resilience, Israeli seed detectives are amassing a treasure of ancient cultivars
A quarter of the world’s food comes from just one crop. It grows abundantly in Russia and Ukraine, but war has obstructed the supply chain.
One solution could be lying in a seed collection housed in the Israel Plant Gene Bank of the Volcani Center Agricultural Research Organization near Tel Aviv.
“We have built up a collection of over 900 wheat lines. This is a massive and rich collection compared to banks in other parts of the world,” says Volcani researcher Sivan Frenkin.
So where does the problem lie?
Despite its success in feeding the world, modern wheat lacks genetic diversity and is not resilient enough to withstand droughts, floods, and pests.
Roi Ben David, director of agricultural research at the Volcani Center, concurs: “Israel is geographically sitting on a genetic treasure. These are wheat lines that go back to the beginning of agriculture where cultivation of wheat started.”
Image - Edi Israel/Flash90