Comment: Unlocking the potential of agricultural biotechnology in Africa
Plant Science Research WeeklyAgricultural Biotechnology has the potential to significantly increase production, alleviate hunger, and improve global food security. However, its adoption in Africa lags behind other regions, facing challenges rooted in strict and varying policies, inadequate infrastructure, and insufficient economic…
Engineering wheat to reduce the immunoreactivity of gluten
Plant Science Research WeeklySome people cannot eat wheat because they are sensitive to gluten, which is a proteinaceous network of glutenins and gliadins. Gliadins are divided into four classes, ω, γ, α, and β, with ω- and γ-gliadins being the most toxic to gluten sensitive individuals. Hence, there is interest in reducing…
Ferns unleashed: Novel insecticidal proteins IPD113 challenge Bt resistance
Plant Science Research WeeklyInsect pests pose a significant threat to global crop production, with lepidopteran species like corn earworm and armyworms causing substantial losses. The widespread use of insecticidal proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) in crops has been a key strategy to combat these pests. However, the emergence…
Review: Challenges to improving plant growth through introduced microbes
Plant Science Research WeeklyPlants are closely associated with large numbers of microbes that live in, on, and around them; these are collectively called the plant microbiota. Microbes can be pathogenic, neutral, or beneficial. Beneficial microbes might enhance nutrient uptake by the plant or suppress pathogenic microbes. There…
A transient approach reduces the time required for transgene-free gene editing
Plant Science Research WeeklyGene editing in plants is a time-consuming process. One of the challenges of gene editing is to produce transgene-free plants. The transgenes required to carry out selection and editing, such as antibiotic resistance markers and editing enzymes, must be removed, while the edited part of the genome is…
Plant Physiology Focus Issue: Fruit Crops
Plant Science Research WeeklyJuly brings delicious fruit harvests in the Northern Hemisphere, and a very special focus issue of Plant Physiology. I particularly like this issue because of the wide variety of species covered, starting with apple, banana, blueberry, cherry, citrus, and so on. It’s a nice departure from our usual…
SSR markers are useful tools in wheat varietal purity and genetic diversity assessment
Plant Science Research WeeklyDifferent breeding programs worldwide have developed various cultivars that can cope with changing and increasingly unpredictable environments while meeting market needs. These developments have brought a new challenge: creating tools to distinguish such varieties and trace their genetic purity. Using…
Review. Climate change impacts on seed production and quality
Plant Science Research WeeklyAs the effects of climate change become increasingly severe and evident, there is growing concern about the future of food production. However, unlike its impact on crop yields, there is little clarity on the effects of climate change on the foundation of most agricultural systems: seed production and…
Plants cultivated for ecosystem restoration can evolve towards a domestication syndrome
Plant Science Research WeeklyThe pressing need to restore degraded areas has led to an unprecedented demand for native seeds. However, seeds are not always available in sufficient quantity and quality in nature, so some restoration practitioners might opt to source their seeds from wild plants grown on farms, just like any crop.…