Skip to content

BARD 40 Year Review

Case Study 3: Power Wheat: Genes for Improvement of Modern Wheat

Principal Investigators:  US: Jorge Dubcovsky (The University of California Davis); IS: Tzion Fahima (University of Haifa) 

Goal: To identify genes that increase grain protein content, micronutrients and stripe rust resistance in wild emmer wheat and to transfer them to commercial varieties. 

Activities: Successful cloning and breeding programs led to high protein wheat varieties without loss of yield and wheat varieties introgressed with two stripe rust resistant genes. 

Outcomes: Genetic maps, DNA markers and gene sequences were made publicly available and germplasm has been shared with wheat researchers all over the world. In the US and Canada, between 2013 – 2018, commercial introgressed cultivars were grown on ~ 110,000 hectares and a similar acreage was grown in India in 2018.  To date, all wheat in California is grown without fungicides thanks to the incorporation of these genes.

Economic Benefit: The Net Present Value of BARD’s investment is estimated at $118 million, thereof $20 million already attained. Internal Rate of Return is 32%. Benefit-Cost Ratio is 50, thereof 9 already attained.

Capacity Building: 20 postgraduates were involved in the research supported by the 5 BARD awards between 2001 and 2016. Currently, at least 10 of these are in academia in the US, Israel, China, Argentina and the UK, and 1 is in the biotechnology industry.

Read the full case study.

Case Study 4: Improved Feed Efficiency in Chickens

Principal Investigators: US: John. P. McMurtry (USDA-ARS); IS: Shmuel Hurwitz (Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center) 

Goal: To improve feed efficiency and carcass quality in broiler production and to develop a mathematical model to simulate and determine the optimal daily feed intake.

Activities: Feeding models that optimized broilers’ feed intake and monitored the Food Conversion Ratio (FCR) were developed and tested.

Outcomes: It was shown that birds subjected to feed restrictions early in life exhibited “compensatory growth” and surpassed the final weight of unrestricted birds whilst also decreasing their FCR. An algorithm named ChickOpt (Chicken Optimization), which simulates the broiler-growing curve and yields an economically optimal feeding regime, has been incorporated into a commercial software package and is implemented in more than 130 countries.

Economic Benefit: Net Present Value of BARD’s investment is $788 million, thereof $382 million already attained. The Internal Rate of Return is 28%. Benefit-Cost Ratio is 410, thereof 199 already attained.

Capacity Building: 2 postgraduates were involved in the research supported by the 2 BARD awards between 1984 and 1990. One is currently working in the broiler industry.

Read the full case study.

Bookmark