The transfer and history of "reduced height genes" (Rht) in wheat from Japan to Europe

Abstract

Wheat is the main crop and often a strategic crop in many European countries. From a historical perspective, we describe the transfer of "reduced height genes" (Rht genes) from Japanese wheat varieties to wheat varieties in Europe and their influence on the increase of the total wheat production in the last century. Historic pathways of Rht genes were influenced directly or indirectly by wheat breeders exchanging seed samples and by some governments importing large quantities of wheat during historically critical periods for their countries.