Scientists create salt-tolerant wheat
Grain yields are boosted by up to 25 per cent when the crop is grown in salty soils. In normal conditions, it performed as well as ordinary wheat.
The durum wheat strain, containing a wild salt-tolerance gene, was produced by conventional breeding methods rather than genetic modification.
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Hide AdDurum wheat is used to make foods such as pasta and couscous and is especially vulnerable to salinity.
With global food demand expected to rise by up to 110 per cent by 2050, finding crops that grow in poor conditions is becoming increasingly important.