On RFD-TV: Stephen Baenziger

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12/04/2020 Added

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Stephen Baenziger, professor and Wheat Growers Presidential Chair in UNL's Department of Agronomy and Horticuture, appears live on RFD-TV, Dec. 1, 2020, talking about new research toward hybrid wheat.

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[00:00:00.170]Well, the University of Nebraska- Lincoln
[00:00:02.110]is exploring the development of hybrid wheat varieties.
[00:00:05.330]That's as the world's population continues to grow
[00:00:07.370]and experts are estimating wheat productivity will need
[00:00:09.730]to improve to meet global demand.
[00:00:11.830]Professor and Wheat Growers Presidential Chair,
[00:00:14.140]Dr. Steven Baenziger joins us now.
[00:00:16.659]He's the, he's leading the process
[00:00:19.040]and has the latest insight on their efforts.
[00:00:22.060]And Dr. Baenziger thanks for your time for today.
[00:00:25.560]Bring us up to speed if you would
[00:00:27.010]on the research efforts that's taking place.
[00:00:29.591]Well, first of all,
[00:00:32.060]I'd like to acknowledge how important wheat
[00:00:34.010]is to the global economy.
[00:00:35.850]20% of all the calories humans consume and
[00:00:38.950]20% of all the protein that humans consume come from wheat.
[00:00:43.143]And the problem that we're,
[00:00:44.330]or the challenge we're facing is that
[00:00:46.870]we need to feed the growing world,
[00:00:49.030]which is becoming more prosperous
[00:00:50.630]and wheat is the first convenience food,
[00:00:52.828]needs to increase by 1.4 to 1.7%.
[00:00:57.021]And right now, depending on where you are,
[00:00:59.550]the rate of increase is only zero to 1%.
[00:01:03.190]So we have to try things that are different.
[00:01:05.280]We have to try things that are new,
[00:01:07.080]and one of those will be hybrid wheat.
[00:01:10.660]So how are you and other researchers working to develop
[00:01:13.950]those hybrid varieties?
[00:01:17.220]Well, there's actually a number of steps you have to do.
[00:01:19.500]The first one is you have to find heterosis.
[00:01:21.760]You have to find the hybrid vigor that gives you
[00:01:23.580]that increased yield.
[00:01:24.999]That actually, looks like to be the relatively easy part.
[00:01:28.880]The more difficult part is changing wheat
[00:01:32.870]from a self- pollinated crop to one
[00:01:35.410]that would be cross-pollinated like corn,
[00:01:37.350]where hybrids have been well-known as well
[00:01:39.523]as to develop commercial methods where
[00:01:42.410]you can produce the millions of bushels of seed
[00:01:45.698]that farmers can grow to reap that higher yield vantages.
[00:01:49.899]So we're working on both finding heterosis and mechanisms
[00:01:53.778]to allow commercial platforms to allow
[00:01:58.010]that heterosis to be used,
[00:01:59.930]and probably cytoplasmic male sterility,
[00:02:02.468]which is a forced female on the female wheat
[00:02:06.679]is one of our highest efforts.
[00:02:09.510]You mentioned making it like corn,
[00:02:11.310]as far as in the pollination process.
[00:02:12.850]We've had hybrid corn varieties for a number of years.
[00:02:15.186]Why is hybrid wheat, why is that just now in development?
[00:02:20.379]Well, it's actually had an earlier efforts
[00:02:23.630]in the 1980s and it failed
[00:02:26.440]and we're coming back to it now because
[00:02:28.390]we have much better tools.
[00:02:30.550]The need is always been there,
[00:02:32.540]but we didn't have the tools and we didn't have the support
[00:02:35.440]for this high, very, very high risk research.
[00:02:39.570]What are the potential benefits of this research
[00:02:42.400]for our nation's farmers?
[00:02:44.510]And is there a potential timeline as far
[00:02:46.523]as maybe even things being available?
[00:02:50.320]Well, the benefit would be of course the improved seed,
[00:02:54.260]the benefit would be the improved yield.
[00:02:56.260]That's what farmers will see.
[00:02:58.050]And then the timeline,
[00:02:59.720]the commercial companies are looking at probably 2023,
[00:03:03.133]2024, so that's when we expect it to occur.
[00:03:07.230]And would that availability be more for creating
[00:03:09.780]it as far as the seed stock
[00:03:11.060]or is that for actually putting it into use
[00:03:13.490]into the commercial system?
[00:03:16.338]We believe, and again,
[00:03:17.880]this would all be done by commercial companies.
[00:03:19.540]So it's somewhat proprietary information,
[00:03:21.540]but we believe that's when the commercial sales
[00:03:23.877]to farmers would begin.
[00:03:26.090]All right. Well, Dr. Baenziger,
[00:03:28.060]we appreciate your time this morning
[00:03:29.730]and good luck in your research efforts.
[00:03:31.860]Again, talking with Dr. Steven Baenziger.
[00:03:34.370]He's with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln,
[00:03:36.460]Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, of course,
[00:03:39.380]joining us on location there in the Husker state.

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On RFD-TV: Stephen Baenziger

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