Dow AgroSciences, a division of Dow Chemical Co. said June 2 it was expanding its crop research work into wheat, a key global food crop.

The Dow unit will collaborate with wheat-breeding firm World Wide Wheat LLC of Phoenix, Ariz., to develop and commercialize advanced germplasm and genetic traits in wheat.

Dow AgroSciences CEO Jermone Peribere said the company hoped to launch a portfolio of new wheat seed products “in the near future.”

“This collaboration will build upon our current seed portfolio by expanding into wheat – a very important global crop which supplies a significant amount of the daily nutrition in human diets,” Peribere said.

Wheat growers in the United States, Canada and elsewhere have complained for years that seed technology has lagged for wheat, with leading seed technology companies focusing instead on developing advancements for corn, soybeans, cotton, canola and other crops.