As geneticist Dr Simon Griffiths walks through vast swathes of golden wheat gently blowing in the breeze, one could be forgiven for thinking he was just taking a summer stroll.
But this is no ordinary wheat field. It is the culmination of hundreds of samples collected more than a century ago by a pioneering botanist who recognised the potential for Middle East crops, which are now at the forefront of protecting the world’s food security for generations to come.
At the John Innes Centre (JIC) in Norwich, in the East of England, Dr Griffiths and his team are using ancient samples of wheat from the Middle East to identify varieties that can be resistant to the impacts of climate change, from droughts to flooding, and modern pests and pathogens.
Researchers at the centre determined at least 60 per cent of the genetic diversity found in the historic collection of wheat is absent in modern wheat and can be used to improve it.
Dr Griffiths says it makes the collection a “gold mine of potential” to improve modern wheat.
“This missing 60 per cent is full of beneficial genes that we need to feed people sustainably. Over the last 10,000 years we’ve tended to select for traits which increase yield and improve disease resistance,” he said.
Inspecting his crops, Dr Griffiths showed The National how his team has reproduced historic varieties which no longer exist but are now holding the key to major breakthroughs to combatting new strains of diseases which are wiping out modern wheat.
With these early prototypes, the team have made major breakthroughs in finding crops in the collection that are resistant to diseases wiping out wheat.
“There is an important disease of wheat called yellow rust, it is a fungi that grows on the leaves and if it is not controlled with fungicide chemicals, which you cannot always do, it has devastating effects on the crop with reducing yield significantly,” he said.
“This fungus evolves very quickly to beat the genetics of the wheat. Wheat has resistance genes against it but the fungus changes and evolves and then all of a sudden the wheat that was fine then has the disease. Breeders are always trying to keep up with up with that by finding new resistance genes.”
Presently, farmers in Bangladesh are facing serious issues with a pathogen called Blast which made a species jump to wheat.
Earlier this year, a study by researchers from the Technical University of Munich modelling the impact of Blast found the fungal disease could reduce global wheat production by 13 per cent until 2050 and warned it would be “dramatic” for global food security.
Why wheat?
“Wheat feeds the world and is a huge global staple, so when wheat is threatened with diseases and climate change you are really threatening global food security,” he told The National.
“It is not just about the Watkins collection, it is the fact we have made precise genetic stocks which allow us to map the genes controlling new and important traits in the Watkins material – that alone took us 15 years here in the UK.
“Wheat originated in the Middle East over 10,000 years ago, when farmers just exchanged it between themselves before it later spread around the world.
“We look at landraces, these are types of wheat as it was grown before modern breeding. Now, wheat has been completely displaced in modern varieties and my research is about going back to those old landraces and seeing what is useful in them to help find the original variants which have qualities that show resistance to modern threats. This has only been made possible by the Arthur Watkins collection.”
Arthur Watkins' vision is helping protect modern wheat
It was more than a century ago that British botanist Arthur Ernest Watkins, working at the University of Cambridge, began an arduous mission to contact ex-pats, soldiers and embassy staff across the globe to help him collect samples of wheat.
Recognising how vital the cereal grain was to human survival, Mr Watkins used his wartime contacts to send telegrams across the world urging them to acquire wheat samples from remote regions and markets across the British Empire and send them to him.
Despite numerous challenges, including receiving incorrect samples, Mr Watkins managed to amass more than 1,000 landraces of bread wheat and many more of pasta wheat from 32 countries during the 1920s and 1930s – it now represents the most comprehensive collection of historic wheat anywhere in the world.
His efforts to maintain and regenerate the collection ensured its viability for future research, and over the past 100 years, this resource has been stored, preserved, and developed and is now stored at the John Innes Centre at -2C temperatures along with all the original letters sent to Mr Watkins.
“It is a great story,” Dr Griffiths said as he carefully handled some of the letters and postcards in the archive.
“Watkins sent letters out often via the London Board of Trade and was using the British imperial system, the embassies, consulates and British soldiers and they would go and collect the wheat, often from markets. He would get all the envelopes back and he assembled this collection.”
It was when Mr Watkins moved to the Plant Breeding Institute in Cambridge that the collection began to be protected and actually used to reproduce the crops.
“Because they were breeders they kept the material alive, which is difficult because you have to keep sowing the seed and harvesting the crop every few years,” Dr Griffiths said.
“Other very prestigious plant collectors at the time treated theirs more like a classical botanical collection, so they would describe it but not keep the wheat seed alive which was a real tragedy but Watkins was in a team of plant breeders who did.”
Studying the DNA and genetics in wheat has been a game-changer
The missing piece in the jigsaw was the DNA sequencing and the collection’s move to the JIC, a genetics centre, which has been a game-changer.
Over a 15 year period, scientists at the JIC have studied the genes of the collection and over the past five years have worked with Professor Cheng Shifeng at the Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen to map the DNA of the samples.
“We could not really use the Watkins collection properly because of genomics,” Dr Griffiths said.
“Wheat is a real headache because it is a huge genomic with 18giga bases of sequence. So it was not until recently that we could find collaborators who could sequence the whole of the Watkins collection because altogether we had to sequence 1,200 types of wheat. It has been a serious investment of time, labour and innovation.”
But their effort has paid off and could now open previously unlocked doors to help tackle threats to wheat.
Key traits already found in this untapped diversity include nitrogen use efficiency, slug resistance and resilience to pests and diseases.
“There are genes which will enable plant breeders to increase the efficiency of nitrogen use in wheat, if we can get these into modern varieties that farmers can grow, they will need to apply less fertiliser, saving money and reducing emissions,” he said.
Historic wheat is resistant to new diseases
“There was an event in western Europe where all of a sudden the fungus evolved much more quickly and that gave many more fungal variants which were rapidly overcoming the wheat’s resistance. So we looked at the landraces in the Watkins collections for things which were resistant to these strains.
“We found there were 33 and all of those came from Iran or geographical regions around Iran so those early breeders in Europe never used those Iranian landraces but they are now an incredibly important resource for delivering disease resistance to modern wheat.”
It was only in the Watkins collection that a gene was discovered that gives resistance too it.
Wheat is grown in outdoor labs
The seeds in the Watkins collection are reproduced to grow crops across the country in different environments in fields divided into small plots for each individual sample. Specially created mini combine harvesters then harvest it for the scientists to study.
“It is not a classic lab with us sat at a bench with a white coat on. We are in the field, all the important data is collected from the plants growing in the field,” he said.
“We have been astounded at how much the genetic variation which is useful has been found in the landraces and we want to make sure that future varieties take full advantage of these beneficial traits which are locked up in our collection.”
Their results and discoveries are then shared with commercial breeders and global institutions to help create the next generation of resistant wheat.
Holding one of the sheaves in his hand, Dr Griffiths said: “We could not have achieved this as one institution. It is not just about the Watkins collection, it is the fact we have made precise genetic stocks which allow us to map the genes controlling new and important traits in the Watkins material.
“The missing piece in the jigsaw was the DNA sequencing.
“If there is one message, it is that this material is here to use. It is fully available to anyone who requests it so they can use it in their own countries to develop better wheat varieties. This is a gold mine for the future.”
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20myZoi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Syed%20Ali%2C%20Christian%20Buchholz%2C%20Shanawaz%20Rouf%2C%20Arsalan%20Siddiqui%2C%20Nabid%20Hassan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2037%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Initial%20undisclosed%20funding%20from%20SC%20Ventures%3B%20second%20round%20of%20funding%20totalling%20%2414%20million%20from%20a%20consortium%20of%20SBI%2C%20a%20Japanese%20VC%20firm%2C%20and%20SC%20Venture%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
MOTHER%20OF%20STRANGERS
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
How Alia's experiment will help humans get to Mars
Alia’s winning experiment examined how genes might change under the stresses caused by being in space, such as cosmic radiation and microgravity.
Her samples were placed in a machine on board the International Space Station. called a miniPCR thermal cycler, which can copy DNA multiple times.
After the samples were examined on return to Earth, scientists were able to successfully detect changes caused by being in space in the way DNA transmits instructions through proteins and other molecules in living organisms.
Although Alia’s samples were taken from nematode worms, the results have much bigger long term applications, especially for human space flight and long term missions, such as to Mars.
It also means that the first DNA experiments using human genomes can now be carried out on the ISS.
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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MORE ON TURKEY'S SYRIA OFFENCE
The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Power: 480hp at 7,250rpm
Torque: 566Nm at 4,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: L/100km
Price: Dh306,495
On sale: now
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
Healthcare spending to double to $2.2 trillion rupees
Launched a 641billion-rupee federal health scheme
Allotted 200 billion rupees for the recapitalisation of state-run banks
Around 1.75 trillion rupees allotted for privatisation and stake sales in state-owned assets
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
EMILY%20IN%20PARIS%3A%20SEASON%203
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
The biog
Name: Capt Shadia Khasif
Position: Head of the Criminal Registration Department at Hatta police
Family: Five sons and three daughters
The first female investigator in Hatta.
Role Model: Father
She believes that there is a solution to every problem
Destroyer
Director: Karyn Kusama
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Toby Kebbell, Sebastian Stan
Rating: 3/5
UAE release: January 31
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
- Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
- Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
- Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
Scorline
Iraq 1-0 UAE
Iraq Hussein 28’
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE
1 Man City 26 20 3 3 63 17 63
2 Liverpool 25 17 6 2 64 20 57
3 Chelsea 25 14 8 3 49 18 50
4 Man Utd 26 13 7 6 44 34 46
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5 West Ham 26 12 6 8 45 34 42
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6 Arsenal 23 13 3 7 36 26 42
7 Wolves 24 12 4 8 23 18 40
8 Tottenham 23 12 4 8 31 31 39
Read more about the coronavirus
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 480hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 570Nm from 2,300-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 10.4L/100km
Price: from Dh547,600
On sale: now
World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
