International team first to successfully stack virus resistance plus iron and zinc biofortification in a non-cereal crop

An international team of scientists has successfully developed cassava with high-level resistance to cassava mosaic disease (CMD), cassava brown streak disease (CBSD), as well as higher levels of iron and zinc. This is the first time that disease resistance and multiple biofortification traits have been stacked in this manner in …

Overexpression of plasma membrane proton pump gene in rice promotes less fertilizer use

Japanese researchers from Nagoya University, in partnership with Nanjing Agricultural University, developed a method to increase simultaneously the nutrient uptake through the roots and stomatal opening of rice paddy to increase its yield with less use of fertilizer. The researchers created a new variety of field-grown rice paddy with an …

CSIRO “gene sandwich” to boost wheat resistance to rust

Researchers at Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) have led an international effort to develop wheat plants with a stronger and potentially more durable level of resistance against rust diseases by “stacking” five resistance genes together. This novel approach of building multiple layers of protection will make it …

Researchers develop pale purplish-pink petunia via CRISPR-Cas9

Hanyang University scientists developed a pale purplish-pink Petunia using CRISPR-Cas9. Their findings are published in Plant Cell Reports. The research team performed site-specific mutagenesis in Petunia to change the flower color. The commercial Petunia cultivar ‘Madness Midnight’ has been known to have two F3H coding genes and thus they designed …

New biofortification method transforms leaves into nutrient stores

A study conducted at the Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG) led by Manuel Rodriguez-Concepción proposes the controlled transformation of chloroplasts into chromoplasts. This patented technology opens new perspectives for the nutritional improvement of crops such as biofortification and for the sustainable production of carotenoids for the cosmetic, pharmaceutical, …

Photosynthetic Hacks Boost Yield and Conserve Water

Scientists from the University of Essex, through the research project Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) have resolved two major photosynthetic bottlenecks to boost plant productivity by 27 percent in real-world field conditions, according to a new study published in Nature Plants. The photosynthetic hack has also been shown to conserve …