For 20 years, genetically modified wheat traits were set on the back burner, but now GMO wheat is back on the brain and the possibilities, as well as potential challenges, are abuzz. GMO wheat started making headlines once again after a drought-tolerant wheat trait [HB4] recently deregulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is making headlines after 20 years of minimal progress toward introducing genetically modified wheat traits.

It is the first GMO trait to be approved by both the Food and Drug Administration for human and animal consumption and by the USDA for cultivation in the United States. The U.S. is the fourth country to approve the use of this GMO trait after Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.

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The deregulation of HB4 is a milestone moment for the U.S. wheat industry, but it will be years before commercial varieties are released in the U.S. In the meantime, the trait faces significant barriers, such as integration into U.S. germplasm, consumer reception, and export challenges.

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