MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State University researchers and the state’s farmers are putting their collective support behind a project to reduce the allergenicity of gluten in wheat, while maintaining the grain’s ability for bread and other products.

Eduard Akhunov, a University Distinguished Professor in K-State’s Department of Plant Pathology, said his team is identifying proteins in the wheat genome that trigger allergic reactions in people with celiac disease. The autoimmune disorder causes the immune system to react abnormally to gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley.

Once they find the problematic proteins, the researchers will use a gene-editing technique known as CRISPR-Cas9 to target changes in the genome, which they hope will reduce or eliminate the allergic response in future varieties grown by U.S. wheat producers.

According to the Celiac Disease Foundation, the disorder affects 1 in 100 people worldwide, including about 2 million Americans. The Foundation notes that when people with the disease eat gluten, their immune system attacks the small intestine, damaging the small, fingerlike villi that help absorb nutrients.

“Our dilemma in doing this work,” Akhunov said, “is that in the past we have successfully reduced immunotoxicity in wheat by suppressing the expression of gluten-encoding genes. But, in most cases, this inevitably leads to the reduction of bread-making quality of that wheat.”

“We are working to develop wheat varieties that have a lower abundance of gluten proteins that cause allergic reactions, while at the same time maintaining bread-making quality.”

The three-year project began earlier this year and is funded by a $990,000 grant from the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research. Project partners include K-State, University of California-Davis, the California Wheat Commission, the Celiac Disease Foundation and Kansas Wheat.

“Globally, the world is now consuming more than 800 million metric tons of wheat, and the United States mills almost 1 billion bushels of wheat annually into flour that produces wheat products,” said Justin Gilpin, chief executive officer of Kansas Wheat, which is funded by Kansas farmers through a checkoff program.

“I think it’s pretty exciting to see this work being done, especially with so much focus right now on wheat and health and consumers wanting to know more about their food.”

Aaron Harries, Kansas Wheat’s vice president of research and operations, said the organization has been working for many years to identify proteins most reactive for those with celiac disease.

“I give tours of our Wheat Innovation Center (in Manhattan) to farmers who have kids with celiac disease,” Harries said. “So, they’re growing wheat for a living, but at the same time they can’t have it on their dinner table. I just feel like there’s an obligation to try to do something about this.”

In 2023, K-State reported a breakthrough in developing wheat-based foods that contain lower amounts of gluten, while maintaining the quality of flour for baking. The current study will build on that work, further investigating the precise proteins that trigger gluten allergies.

Akhunov said gluten likely will never be completely removed from wheat since it is important for bread-making. Gluten provides the texture, flavor and moisture in such products as bread, bagels, pastries, noodles and more.

“We all know the benefits that whole grains play in a balanced diet, and yet there is a segment of the population that is trying to avoid those due to risk of an allergic reaction,” Gilpin said. “This is research that addresses a specific consumer need.

“It’s particularly positive for the wheat industry and, more specifically, wheat farmers. It’s exciting to have Kansas State as a partner on this project.”

Sessions will be held in Missouri, Kansas and Iowa

The Center for Regenerative Agriculture at the University of Missouri recently launched the Women Landowners Leading Regeneration (WLLR) project. It offers trainings and outreach activities available in Missouri, Iowa and Kansas.

WLLR project is designed to address the unique needs women landowners—those who own farmland but do not farm it themselves—by providing a supportive, peer-based environment to help them implement conservation practices on their land, said project co-leader Kelly Wilson, associate director of Center for Regenerative Agriculture.

“Women own roughly 25% of U.S. farmland—an estimated 354 million acres—but are often overlooked in traditional conservation outreach,” Wilson said. “Many women landowners want to steward their land in ecologically responsible ways but lack access to the information, networks and support they need. This project fills that gap.”

Wilson says WLLR is rooted in the Women Caring for the Land model, which uses a peer-to-peer learning circle approach proven effective in increasing women’s knowledge, confidence and ability to advocate for conservation outcomes on rented farmland. “About 70% of women who attend a Women Caring for the Land meeting will take an action to improve conservation on their land.”

The effort is about building bridges between women landowners and the conservation tools available to them, she says. “We’re not only seeing increased adoption of practices like cover cropping and reduced tillage, but we’re also witnessing women forming lasting networks of support that strengthen rural communities.”

“Through both in-person and virtual learning circles, we’re connecting women landowners with one another and with resource professionals who respect and understand their goals,” said project co-leader Olivia Caillouet. Caillouet says participants will become familiar with the learning circle model and learn about lease agreements that encourage regenerative farming. They’ll also learn about government-funded cost-share and incentive programs and about practices such as cover crops and conservation tillage.

The project is a collaboration of the University of Missouri, the Kansas Soil Health Alliance, E Resources Group, and the Women, Food and Agriculture Network. Partners include consultants Jean Eells and Rebecca Christoffel, who will lead trainings, and Jennifer Simmelink, executive director for the Kansas Soil Health Alliance.

Wilson and Calliouet recommend the training for conservation professionals, including extension staff and natural resource partners who work with women landowners.

Fall trainings

• Missouri: Tuesday, Oct. 21, Lakeside Nature Center, 4701 E. Gregory Blvd., Kansas City.
• Kansas: Wednesday, Oct. 29, Prairiewood at Blue Sage Barn, 1484 Wildcat Creek Road, Manhattan.
• Iowa: Wednesday, Nov. 12, Madison County Historical Museum, 815 S. Second Ave., Winterset.

The WLLR project will continue into 2026 and 2027 with learning opportunities tailored directly to women landowners in Kansas, Missouri and Iowa, Wison said.

Learn more about WLLR, or contact Wilson at [email protected] or Caillouet at [email protected].