Trial is first successful demonstration of genetic engineering being used to directly target photosynthesis process
Genetically modified soya beans designed to absorb light more efficiently produced a 25% greater yield in an advance that could significantly boost global food supplies.
The field trials are the first successful demonstration that genetic engineering can be used to directly target the photosynthesis process in food crops. The improvements seen are almost unprecedented for this kind of intervention and would take decades to achieve through selective breeding.found that nearly 10% of the world population was hungry last year, up from 8% in 2019, and with projections that the climate crisis will lead to harsher growing conditions for crops.
“This result is really relevant right now. One out of 10 people on the planet are starving. This is the biggest health crisis on the planet,” said the director of the research project, Prof Stephen Long, of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.Long started investigating how to improve photosynthesis – the process that converts sunlight into chemical energy – more than 25 years ago.
The latest work targets genes involved in a process that plants use to shield themselves from bright sunlight, which can bleach leaves if plants absorb more energy than they can use for growth. To avoid this, plants have a protective mechanism called non-photochemical quenching that gets rid of excess energy through heat.
In bright sunlight, quenching kicks in almost instantaneously, like a human eye contracting. But it takes up to half an hour for the process to switch off again meaning that if a cloud passes overhead, plants are needlessly diverting energy they could be using for growth.Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you through the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morningNewsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties.
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