Norstar (Winter Wheat) had a higher cold-induced gene expression than
the Manitou (Spring Wheat).
Both cold-induced genes and all the cold
exposure times repeatedly showed that there was a significant difference
of gene expression between the two types.
This is very significant to Saskatchewan and to other prairie provinces because they rely heavily on agriculture. From this experiment and experiments like these, scientists will be able to create more types of Winter Wheat with higher levels of expression of the cold-induced genes than normally found.
This will allow farmers to sow their
seeds in the fall, and have an earlier yield the next year, which could
increase the yield and prevent environmental damage to the crops later
in the year.