Supercharged biotech rice yields 40% more grain

By giving a Chinese rice variety a second copy of one of its own genes, researchers have boosted its yield by up to 40%. The change helps the plant absorb more fertilizer, boosts photosynthesis, and accelerates flowering, all of which could contribute to larger harvests, the group reports today in Science . The yield gain from a single gene coordinating these multiple effects is “really impressive,” says Matthew Paul, a plant geneticist at Rothamsted Research who was not involved in the work. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like that before.” The approach could be tried in other crops, too, he adds; the new study reports preliminary findings in wheat. A crop’s yield is fiendishly complex because many genes interact to influence plant productivity. For years, biotechnologists have searched for single genes that augment yield, without much luck. In recent years they’ve shifted their interest to genes that control other genes, and therefore multiple aspects of physiology, such as taking up nutrients from the soil, setting the pace of photosynthesis, and directing resources from leaves to seeds. Modifying one such regulatory gene in maize gives a 10% higher yield —a major gain compared with the 1% increase per year achieved by traditional plant breeding. To find other candidate yield boosters, a team led by plant biologist Wenbin Zhou of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) combed through...
Source: ScienceNOW - Category: Science Source Type: news