Wilhelm Gruissem

Prof. Dr.
National Chung Hsing University
Wilhelm Gruissem is emeritus Professor at ETH Zurich (Switzerland) and Chair Professor and Yu-shan Fellow at National Chung Hsing University (NCHU; Taiwan). He is currently leading a research group at NCHU to improve the nutritional qualities and agronomic traits in cassava and rice. Major crops such as maize, wheat, rice, potato and cassava are rich in starch and together they provide more than 85% of the carbohydrate calories consumed worldwide. People for whom these crops are the primary staple food receive enough calories but they are often malnourished because the seeds, tubers and roots of these plants do not contain enough of the necessary vitamins and minerals such as iron for a healthy diet. For example, 1.6 billion people worldwide suffer reduced productive capacity due to iron-deficiency anemia. Utilizing the genetic potential of the diversity available in seed banks around the world for crop improvement is often not possible because high micronutrient target traits are not available in breeding germplasm. His groups use genetic engineering and new breeding technologies to increase the micronutrient and vitamin content of rice and cassava, which would not be possible by conventional breeding. They achieved more than 10-fold increases in iron and zinc content over levels typically present in polished rice grains, approaching the estimated average requirement (EAR) for human nutrition. Engineering key steps of vitamin B6 biosynthesis increases bioavailable vitamin B6 content in cassava storage roots and leaves to EAR levels. Combining genes for micronutrient improvement and other agronomic traits into novel single-locus traits will facilitate breeding in these two major staple crops. Agronomic and micronutrient trait improvement | Cassava | Rice
wgruissem@dragon.nchu.edu.tw