Bayer Crop Science has said it is making great progress in a high tech collaboration looking to pave the way for the introduction of desirable traits in wheat.

According to Bayer, it has reached a milestone with Israel-based Evogene Ltd. in a joint research collaboration. Using Evogene technology, more than 200,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms have been identified across the wheat genome. S.N.P.s "are single-nucleotide substitutions of one base in the genome and a powerful type of molecular marker for traits improvement," Bayer said.

Noting that the wheat genome is five times larger than the human genome, Bayer said this complexity creates a major hurdle for wheat breeders looking to improve wheat quality.

"The identification of a significant number of S.N.P. markers improves the overall understanding of the wheat genome, and therefore facilitates the utilization of this knowledge to deliver desirable improvements in wheat," Bayer said.

Bayer's collaboration with Evogene was established last December. Bayer said the five-year pact is "aimed at accelerating the development and introduction of improved wheat varieties. The collaboration is focusing on improving wheat yield, drought tolerance and fertilizer use efficiency."