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Brett F. Carver

Ph.D., Regents Professor and holder of the Wheat Genetics Chair in Agriculture, Dept. of Plant and Soil Sciences, Oklahoma State University, USA

Independent Expert

Expert Bio

Dr. Carver currently directs Oklahoma State University’s comprehensive wheat breeding and genetics research program. Under his leadership since 1998, the program has released 18 wheat varieties for commercial production in the Great Plains, including Endurance and Duster, one or the other of which has led all varieties in acres planted in Oklahoma since 2010. Prior to 1998, he spent 13 years conducting quantitative genetic research on wheat, and to explore and characterize agronomic, physiological and quality traits in wheat.

In addition to his research, Dr. Carver has written or edited 10 books or book chapters, as well as published more than 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals. He is editor of Wheat: Science and Trade (Wiley-Blackwell, Ames, IA), an authoritative and comprehensive reference book for graduate students, wheat researchers, processors, and practitioners. Dr. Carver is a Fellow of the Crop Science Society of America, and the American Society of Agronomy. Since 2011, Dr. Carver has chaired the National Wheat Improvement Committee composed of public and private U.S. wheat researchers and stakeholders, with its primary mission to educate and advocate on behalf of the scientific well-being of the U.S. wheat industry.

Studies, Articles and Answers

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Question

Q: Probably the first well-known GMO food that has circulated in our food supply for decades is genetically modified wheat, known as dwarf wheat or, affectionately, Frankenwheat. It has higher gluten and starch contents and has been linked to obesity and the

Answered By Brett F. Carver - Nov 05, 2013

A: Firstly, I want to clarify that there are no transgenic or GM wheat varieties in the marketplace. However, has wheat ever been genetically modified? Yes, but not commercially. The wheat varieties that you are referring to are genetically engineered wheat, which is created through traditional plant breeding and this question brings some important issues to the surface: the manner in which new wheat varieties are created and traits that serve as realistic targets. Singled out here is plant height and whether or not changes in plant height may impact other characteristics of wheat. Let’s ta [...]

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