Science is always looking for ways to improve food production. And this search begins in seed management. Geneticists have developed a new procedure. Thus, many benefits could be gained from manipulating RNA to improve crops. It is believed that this would dramatically increase plant production. And it would develop drought tolerance.
Strong roots, high yield
In the first tests, a gene was added to rice and potato plants. And it increased its performance in field tests by 50%. The plants have grown strongly. They had longer roots and were better able to cope with drought stress. Her rate of photosynthesis improved.
“The change is really dramatic,” said Professor Chuan He of the University of Chicago. He leads the research published in Nature Biotechnology. “It worked with almost every type of plant we tested it on.”
Researchers hope for the potential for this breakthrough. Especially in view of climate change and other stresses on plants.
Shaping the future
“We can design plants to potentially improve the ecosystem.” He said it in a statement to He, Professor of Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Molecular Biology. Scientists have been working to boost crop production for decades. The progress now would be significant. This teacher’s experience is key.
He is a co-founder of a biotech company. Develops new cancer drugs. This is based on the modification of the RNA. He was then assisted by another researcher for this task.
Guifang Jia is a former postdoctoral fellow from the University of Chicago. Today he is an associate professor at Peking University. Together with He, they began to wonder how this would affect plant biology.
His knowledge was used to manipulate RNA to improve crops. They inserted the gene into the rice plants and then watched in amazement as the plants took off. “We did something special,” he said.
The rice plants produced multiplied their production. So they tried potato plants. The results were the same. This opens up great possibilities for plant treatment. And for the future of mankind. Let’s hope
