'His idea was so forward-thinking': In 1920, this scientist may have found the key to saving the world from famine

Nourrir la population mondiale malgré le réchauffement climatique : un scientifique des années 1920 a la solution Unsplash – Isak Engström – Illustration

Based on the idea of ​​a researcher from the 1920s, British and Chinese scientists have managed to sequence the DNA of more than 800 varieties of wheat, a technique that will help feed the planet.

A young Englishman and agricultural scientist named Arthur Ernest Watkins has collected more than a thousand different wheat seeds from 32 countries, according to the John Innes Centre.

The collection is a goldmine for scientists and for the future, according to a study published in the journal Nature.

"His idea was so avant-garde"

"His idea was so avant-garde. He understood that genetic diversity, in this case of wheat, was eroding and that we really needed to prevent that, explains Simon Griffiths, a geneticist at the John Innes Centre.

The team of British-Chinese scientists managed to sequence 827 species of wheat, among those that the researcher, Arthur Ernest Watkins, had preserved. Thanks to these ancient species of rare quality, it will be possible to create varieties of wheat that are more resistant and adapted to the environment, according to an article in Geo.

"A huge difference in our ability to feed the planet"

Currently, one in five calories consumed (i.e. 20%) by the population comes from wheat. This cereal is increasingly in demand as the world population increases, explains the media Usbek & Rica.

This work will "make a huge difference in our ability to feed the planet at a time when the climate is warming and agriculture is subject to increasing climatic pressures& ;quot;, tells Simon Griffiths to the English media The Guardian.