题记：自然的选择使小麦优化了自己的遗传基因，而这一优化一旦被人类发现，就将使它发挥更大的作用。相信通过科学家们的努力，不仅仅提高了小麦的产量和营养成分，也将改善人类的餐桌。生命能创造奇迹，干预生命更能创造奇迹。

 Higher Quality Wheat: Increased Yields and Up to 25% More Protein Content

更高质量的小麦：增加产量和高达 25% 的蛋白质含量

https://scitechdaily.com/images/New-Wheat-Line-Growing-in-Field.jpg?ezimgfmt=ng:webp/ngcb1/rs:device/rscb1-1

The new wheat line growing in the field. The wheat on the right has the extra flower-bearing spikelets artificially highlighted in pink to show their extent. Credit: University of Adelaide
在田间生长的新品种小麦。右边的小麦有额外的花穗，人为地用粉红色突出显示它们的范围。 图片来源：阿德莱德大学
An international team of scientists has discovered a way to produce higher quality wheat. The researchers from the University of Adelaide and the UK’s John Innes Centre have identified a genetic driver that improves yield traits in wheat, which unexpectedly can also lead to up to 25 percent increased protein content.
一个国际科学家团队发现了一种生产更高品质小麦的方法。阿德莱德大学和英国约翰英内斯中心的研究人员已识别了一种遗传驱动因素，可以改善小麦的产量，出乎意料的是，它也可以导致蛋白质含量增加25%。
“Little is known about the mechanism behind drivers of yields and protein content in wheat production,” said the University of Adelaide’s Dr. Scott Boden, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine who led the research.
阿德莱德大学的农业、食品和葡萄酒学院的斯科特•博德博士说：“我们对小麦产量和蛋白质含量驱动因素背后的机制知之甚少。”
“Discovering a gene that controls these two factors has the potential to help generate new wheat varieties that produce higher quality grain.
“发现控制这两个因素的基因有可能帮助培育出生产更高品质的新品种小麦。
“As wheat accounts for nearly 20 percent of protein consumed worldwide, the impact of this research can significantly benefit society by providing grains with a higher protein content, which could therefore help produce more nutritious food, such as bread and breakfast cereals.”
“由于小麦占全球蛋白质消耗量的近 20%，这项研究的影响可以通过提供更高蛋白质含量的谷物来显着造福社会，从而有助于生产更有营养的食物，例如面包和早餐麦片。”
The study is the first known work to use a forward-genetics screen of a mutant population to identify a gene that controls reproductive development in wheat. Insights from the research findings have the potential to help improve the nutritional and economic value of wheat.
已知这项研究是第一个利用突变群体的正向遗传学筛选来确定控制小麦生殖发育基因的工作。研究结果的见解有助于提高小麦的营养和经济价值。
“The genetic variation we identified provides a 15-25 percent increase in protein content for plants grown in the field. These varieties also produce extra spikelets, known as paired spikelets,” said Dr. Boden.
“我们发现的遗传变异使田间种植植物的蛋白质含量增加了 15-25%。这些品种还会产生额外的小穗，称为配对小穗，”博登博士说。
“We have not yet detected an increase in yield with the extra spikelets, but we hope a yield increase might come in elite varieties grown by farmers.
“我们还没有发现额外的小穗会使产量增加，但我们希望农民种植的优良品种能提高产量。”
“The increase in protein content occurs without the trade-off of a reduced yield so this discovery has even better potential to provide economic benefit to breeders and growers than just the increased nutritional value by itself.
“蛋白质含量的增加不会以降低产量为代价，因此这一发现更有潜力为育种者和种植者提供经济效益，而不仅仅是增加营养价值本身。
“Aside from the important outcome of this work for the future of wheat breeding, the research itself is of immense value to the scientific community as it provides an elegant example of new capabilities that are available to wheat research.”
“除了这项工作对小麦育种未来的重要成果外，这项研究本身对科学界也具有巨大价值，因为它为小麦研究树立了新能力的典范。”
The team expects that the new wheat varieties will be available to breeders in 2–3 years’ time, which could then translate to benefits for farmers in 7–10 years’ time.
该团队预计，新的小麦品种将在2-3年内提供给育种者，并将在7-10年内使农民受益。
The team’s findings will be published today (May 11, 2022) in the journal SCIENCE ADVANCES.
该研究小组的发现将于今天（2022年5月11日）发表在《科学进展》杂志上。