Wheat Breeding: Rooted Locally, Feeding Globally

Even in the quiet of winter, the vibrance of Washington’s wheat industry is visible across every hillside and horizon of eastern Washington. That vibrance is rooted in a careful balance of tradition and innovation. From the rolling hills of the Palouse to the dry, open flatlands of Waterville, generations of farmers have paired time-tested growing practices with advances in wheat breeding. Together, this combination is the true “secret sauce” behind the resilience, productivity, and success of our fields.

Wheat breeding is the scientific process of developing new wheat varieties by selecting and crossing plants with desirable traits. For thousands of years, humans have worked to improve wheat so it grows better, produces more grain, and meets the nutritional and functional needs of people around the world. Modern wheat breeding builds on this long history, using knowledge of genetics, plant biology, and the environment to ensure wheat remains a reliable and nutritious food source.

At its core, wheat breeding relies on natural genetic diversity. Not all wheat is the same—different varieties vary in height, protein content, disease resistance, and how they perform in different climates. Breeders cross parent plants that each have valuable traits, such as high yield, drought tolerance, or strong gluten for bread-making. The offspring are then carefully evaluated over many years, and only the best-performing plants are selected for further development. This process is known as conventional breeding, and it does not involve adding genes from unrelated species.

We breed wheat because the challenges facing agriculture are constantly changing. Farmers must contend with plant diseases, pests, climate variability, and limited natural resources such as water and fertile soil. Taller wheat varieties, for example, have been bred for regions with low rainfall or poor soil where straw is also valuable, while shorter varieties are better suited for high-fertility or irrigated conditions. Wheat breeding also allows scientists to tailor varieties for specific end uses. Some wheat types are bred to have low protein and weak gluten for cakes and noodles, while others have strong gluten needed for bread and pasta. Without breeding, it would be impossible to meet the diverse needs of farmers, millers, bakers, and consumers.

Wheat breeding plays a crucial role in feeding the world. Today, wheat provides about 21 percent of the food calories consumed globally and supplies a major portion of daily protein for billions of people. In many developing countries, wheat is a dietary staple because it is affordable, stores well, and can be grown in a wide range of environments. By improving yield and disease resistance, wheat breeders help farmers produce more food on the same amount of land, which is essential as the global population continues to grow. Breeding also helps stabilize food supplies by developing varieties that can withstand droughts, heat stress, or emerging plant diseases, reducing the risk of crop failure.

A common topic in discussions about wheat breeding is genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. GMOs are organisms whose DNA has been altered using genetic engineering techniques, often by inserting genes to introduce new traits. While GMOs are used in some crops, such as corn and soybeans, there are currently no commercially available wheat varieties grown anywhere in the world that are genetically engineered. All wheat grown today for store shelves is the result of conventional breeding—crossing wheat plants with other wheat plants and selecting from the natural variation that already exists within the species.

Misunderstandings about wheat breeding have led some people to believe that modern wheat is fundamentally different or harmful. In reality, wheat has been part of the human diet for thousands of years, and its basic composition has not changed. Proteins like gluten and gliadin have always been present in wheat, including ancient varieties. What breeding has done is improve how these proteins function in food and how reliably wheat can be produced.

In eastern Washington, wheat breeding is not an abstract scientific concept—it is a living partnership between the land, the farmer, and research institutions that support our region. By building on the natural genetic diversity of wheat and pairing it with the knowledge passed down through generations, breeders help ensure that wheat continues to thrive across all of our unique microclimates. This work strengthens our rural communities, protects our ability to farm in challenging environments, and helps feed people far beyond our state’s borders. Through our breeding techniques and expertise, wheat remains a trusted and essential crop—one that reflects both the heritage of eastern Washington agriculture and its future.