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What is wheat used for? How much is planted in Ireland? What are the issues with growing wheat in Ireland? GM wheat Global distribution of GM wheat What is wheat used for? Wheat grown in Ireland is primarily used for animal feed but can also be grown for seed or for milling to produce bread and biscuit flour. The vast majority of wheat used by large industrial bakers is imported from France and Canada, as dry climates are necessary to produce hard wheats which are desired by the baking industry. Wheat germ (i.e. the sprouting portion of a seed) may also be extracted and used as a food supplement. The wheat crop can also be harvested whole before it is fully ripe and used as animal forage. Wheat straw is used for animal bedding, mushroom compost and occasionally as animal feed. Ireland is only 58% self sufficient in wheat and therefore imports approximately 700,000 tonnes annually How much is planted in Ireland? Area cultivated under wheat in 2006 was 87,500 hectares (see graph). Wheat is an annual crop and is planted in Ireland as a winter-sown (usually October) or as a spring-sown crop (February - March). It is then harvested in late July (winter-sown) or from mid to late August (spring-sown), respectively. In Ireland, the bulk of the wheat grown is winter sown wheat, with the balance grown in the spring. Because of the longer growing period, winter wheat gives higher yields per hectare than spring-sown wheat, but some of the spring wheat varieties grown can have a higher protein (gluten) content and be more suitable for flour production. Wheat yields obtained in Ireland are some of the highest in world  What are the issues associated with growing wheat in Ireland? The main problems associated with growing wheat in Ireland include susceptibility to fungal diseases (septoria, mildew, rusts, fusarium, take-all, eyespot), weed control, high requirement for fertiliser and fungicide inputs and the neccessity of high standards of management (i.e. expertise) Other management issues that arise in Ireland include: - Fungicide resistance in pathogens of wheat e.g. Septoria (leaf blotch) and Tapesia (eyespot)
- Protein content is low for animal feed
- Prone to premature sprouting
- Prone to straw breakdown at harvest
- Susceptible to lodging in the field
- Failure of winter wheat to receive premium price as a milling wheat
- Spring wheat is less suitable for min-till than winter-sown wheat
- Lack of wheat varieties that are suitable for high grade milling use
GM wheat In 1993, the first transformation protocol for wheat was described (Zhou et al. 1993). To date, wheat has been modified to include such traits as herbicide tolerance, fungal resistance, increased grain protein content, increased nitrogen efficiency and decreased nitrogen loss into the environment Future aims of the genetic modification of wheat will incorporate: - Enhanced digestibility of wheat for use in animal feed
- Increased protein content of grain
- Resistance to fungal pathogens such as Septoria, Fusarium and Tapesia
The most beneficial modification to Irish wheat growers would involve increased resistance to fungal diseases, particularly Septoria disease and Fusarium head blight. Reduced fungal infection in wheat would lead to higher yields, better grain quality (less mould damage), decreased potential for the fungi to produce harmful mycotoxins (i.e. toxic compounds produced by fungi) and reduced production costs. Occasionally, mycotoxin-producing fungi (e.g. Fusarium) can be present on crops in the field. In 2006, regulations outlining maximum levels of mycotoxins produced by Fusarium species in cereals came into force across the EU. The Eurpean Commission has also recommended that Member States should increase their monitoring for the presence of Fusarium mycotoxins in cereal and cereal products intended for animal feeding and compound feeding; recommended guidance values for some of these mycotoxins have been published Crops with increased resistance to fungal diseases could potentially require less fungicide inputs, thus reducing the quantity of chemical residues on plants and in soils. Global distribution of GM wheat There is no commercial cultivation of GM wheat anywhere in the world at present. Source: - CSO (2007). Crops and livestock survey - June 2006
- Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Food (2007). Compendium of Irish agricultural statistics 2005. http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/index.jsp?file=publicat/compendium2005/home.xml. Accessed 15 Oct 2007
- Subbarao et al. (2007). Can biological nitrification inhibition (BNI) genes from perennial Leymus racemosus (Triticeae) combat nitrification in wheat farming? Plant Soil 299, 55-64
- www.gmo-compass.org
- Zhou, H., Stiff, C.M. and Konzak, C.F. (1993). Stably transformed callus of wheat by electroporation-induced direct gene transfer. Plant Cell Reports 12, 612-616
- O'Sullivan, E., Dunne, B., Kildea, S. and Mullins, E. (2007). Fungicide resistance - an increasing problem. National tillage conference 2007, 31 January 2007, Oak Park, Carlow
- European Commission (2005). Commission regulations (EC) No 856/2005 of 6 June 2005 amending regulation (EC) NO 466/2001 as regards Fusarium toxins. Official Journal of the European Commission L 143:3-8
European Commission (2006). Commission recommendation of 17 August 2006 on the presence of deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, ochratoxin A, T-2 and HT-2 and fumonisins in products intended for animal feeding (2006/576/EC). Official Journal of the European Commission L 229:7-9
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