Researchers at the University of Maryland have identified the gene responsible for a rare and potentially transformative trait: the ability of some wheat plants to produce three ovaries per flower instead of the usual one. Each ovary can mature into a seed, meaning WUS-D1 activation could potentially triple wheat yields. The study appeared on October 14, 2025, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The story begins decades ago with an odd mutant variety of bread wheat. Farmers and scientists occasionally noticed that some plants produced not one, but two or even three grains in each floret. The occurrence was so rare, it was largely written off as a curiosity. But this “multi-ovary” wheat, as researchers called it, hinted at something powerful hiding in the plant’s genetic code.
Fast forward to the 2020s, and improvements in DNA sequencing offered scientists the power to unravel such mysteries at an unprecedented level. The Maryland research team decided to explore this mutation in detail, creating an exhaustive genetic map of the multi-ovary strain and comparing it with that of standard wheat. Deep within the genome, the team found WUSCHEL-D1 — a gene well-known to botanists for its role in governing cell growth and organ formation in other plants — and in the mutant strain, it was switched on much earlier than usual.
In regular wheat, WUS-D1 is inactive during early flower development. But when the gene activates prematurely, the plant’s floral tissue enlarges, and new female flower parts — pistils and ovaries — begin to form. Each additional ovary has the potential to become another grain, meaning that a single floret can now produce up to three kernels instead of one.
Through precise genetic mapping and laboratory validation, the Maryland team confirmed that WUS-D1 was indeed the master trigger — the switch that controls multi-ovary development. Their findings, published in October 2025 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, offered not just an explanation of the phenomenon but a framework for how it could be purposefully replicated in breeding programs worldwide.
For wheat growers, the implications are enormous. Wheat already feeds over a third of the world’s population, but yield gains have stagnated in recent decades due to limited arable land and increasing climate pressures. By activating WUS-D1 at the right time in a plant’s reproductive cycle, breeders could develop wheat lines capable of producing significantly more grain without requiring more farmland or fertilizer.
The researchers emphasize that this breakthrough is not a genetic “insertion” but rather a reactivation of a naturally occurring gene pathway — meaning it can be achieved through traditional breeding or gene editing with tools like CRISPR. Current studies are focusing on fine-tuning WUS-D1 expression to balance higher grain output with consistent grain quality and plant vigor.
And the story doesn’t stop with wheat. Because the WUSCHEL gene family exists across a wide range of crops, similar strategies could be applied to barley, rice, or corn to push the limits of yield potential elsewhere. The full paper is available HERE.
