The multi-national biotech business has recently recommissioned its GM wheat research, but Dr Glick warns growers that it will be some time before the fruits of the research translate to a commercial GM wheat variety.

Much has been made in the Australian rural media of promising advances with ‘synthetic’ wheats, which could incorporate traits from wild relatives that could improve drought and frost tolerance, but Dr Glick says internationally GM research is lagging behind that for other commodities.

“Compared to corn and soybeans, there has not been the same investment in wheat research," he says.

“Wheat plants have a complex make-up and it is a slow process to make things happen.”

“We have restarted our research program, but things won’t happen overnight.”

Dr Glick said advances in wheat breeding needed to utilise both conventional and GM breeding techniques.

“We are seeing high yielding traits being developed conventionally, and over time we hope to take these traits and add useful biotechnology traits to boost the varieties.

“There is a lot of really good research being done at places like CSIRO and hopefully we can work together with them to develop commercial varieties for farmers," he says.

“Monsanto admit we don’t have all the expertise we need in the wheat field, and we are reaching out for partners to create the best solutions.”

He says the roll-out of drought tolerant corn and soybeans will take place first, but said Australian growers may eventually see some benefits from the traits developed for these species crossing over into wheat, Australia’s major grain crop.