Market research for non-transgenic drought-tolerant wheat in Argentina.

BENJAMIN, J; MONTEOLIVA MI,; GUZZO MC

Congreso; XXXIII Congreso de la Sociedad Argentina de Fisiologia Vegetal; 2021

SAFV

Wheat is a grain crop with thehighest commercial importance in the world (currently 28% of the world cerealproduction). In the context of climate change, droughts are more frequent andintense, reducing agricultural production. With the increase in food demand dueto the growth of the human population, the current increase in wheat productionis mostly due to the increase in the cultivated area. However, this is notsustainable in long term. Another possible strategy is to develop moredrought-tolerant crops, and due to the current controversy about theintroduction of new transgenic crops for human consumption, here we evaluatethe viability to develop, register, and commercialize a new non-transgenicdrought-tolerant wheat, from pre-existing genotypes generated by INTA. Wedescribe the limitation for wheat production in Argentina, the regulations torelease new cultivars, the companies able to commercialize, and the regulationto export to Brazil, the most important destination of Argentinian wheat. Thepotential new cultivar, as it is a non-transgenic genotype, will take a relativelyshort time to be approved and released and contribute to an increase the wheatproduction in Argentina.