Donation to breeding program will help WSU develop better wheat 

Syngenta has donated more than 600 samples from its spring wheat breeding program to WSU, boosting the university’s efforts to improve the crop for growers in Washington and the Pacific Northwest. 

The company gifted its entire line of spring wheat to WSU as it directs its focus away from that particular product. The donation is a boon to WSU and growers because it could allow for additional genetic diversity in new wheat varieties. 

“Their germplasm is complementary to our lines,” said Michael Pumphrey, WSU’s spring wheat breeder and professor in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences. “It’s a thoughtful donation because it shows Syngenta wants to help growers in the region. They could have thrown this all away or sold it, in total or in parts.” 

The company’s donation includes more than 20 years of research into breeding wheat lines that are suited to the Pacific Northwest. It will take Pumphrey and his team time to evaluate and incorporate the samples into WSU research. 

“We’ll work this into our program over time,” Pumphrey said. “While we can’t incorporate an additional 50% of material immediately, this donation will give us more resilience in breeding for quality, adapting to the climate, and increasing protein content and disease resistance.” 

The biggest benefit he sees is enhancing wheat that’s ideal for bread-making, an area in which Syngenta’s breeding portfolio had more diversity. 

“This helps with our goal of releasing the finest quality wheat in the world,” Pumphrey said. “We’re so excited and appreciative of Syngenta for donating this valuable material and data. Once we sort through the materials, we can add to the genetic diversity and help everyone, from growers to consumers.”