BEIJING, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese researchers have decoded the genetic puzzle behind the regional characteristics of wheat, explaining why northern Chinese varieties tend to be harder while southern ones are softer.
A study recently published in the journal Nature, led by Zhang Xueyong's team from the Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences with international collaborators, reveals key findings about wheat evolution and diversity after over 10,000 years of domestication.
By assembling chromosome-level genomes of 17 representative wheat varieties, researchers identified the peri-centromeric regions of chromosomes as critical zones for wheat differentiation.
The study shows Chinese wheat maintains higher genetic diversity than its foreign counterparts, possibly due to slower commercialization of breeding programs that inadvertently preserved resilient traits.
The team also solved the mystery surrounding winter and spring wheat divergence. While ancestral tetraploid wheats were predominantly spring-types with single VRN-A1 gene copies, later mutations in common wheat created winter varieties through altered gene copy numbers and enhanced cold tolerance.
An intriguing discovery links regional food preferences to wheat genetics. Grain hardness, controlled by Pina and Pinb genes, determines culinary uses.
Mutations in either gene produce harder grains ideal for baked goods, while intact genes yield softer wheat preferred for steamed buns. "This explains why northern China's wheaten food culture favors hard wheat, while southern regions lean toward softer varieties," Zhang explained.
Liu Xu, an Academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering, noted the research marks China's entry into big-data era wheat germplasm studies, accelerating the discovery of vital agricultural genes. ■
