A team of evolutionary biologists at the Institute of Evolution are developing new genomic technologies that offer potential solutions to the global food crisis. The Wild Cereal Gene Bank Project (CGB) has established unique wild cereal collections of wild wheat barley from Israel and other regions in the Fertile Crescent. Israel and the Fertile Crescent are at the center of origin and diversity of wild wheat and barley, which are the ancestors of cultivated wheat and barley.  The goals of the Project are to discover and isolate valuable genes that were “left behind” during 10,000 years of domestication. We will apply new genomic technologies in order to provide breeders with novel genes and tools for developing elite wheat cultivars that combine high resistance to diseases with high yield and improved grain quality. Increasing grain protein and mineral content of wheat could affect the lives of 2 billion people suffering from malnutrition and provide a solution to populations suffering from mineral deficiencies.

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