While were most enamored with CRISPRs ability to edit human genomes, the powerful tool is not selectiveit can edit other genomes as well. In one such study, researchers are using CRISPR to expand the size and weight of wheat kernels in the hope of increasing overall wheat yield.

Although humans consume more than 500 million tons of wheat per year, overall production is decreasing as farmers continue to move toward crops that are more profitable. Increasing yield is one way to ensure wheat becomes a desirable, profitable crop again. But, that takes some genetic manipulation.

Fundamentally, this can be achieved by improving wheats photosynthesis. For example, wheat uses less than 1 percent of sunlight to produce the parts we eat, compared to maizes 4 percent efficiency and sugarcanes 8 percent efficiency. Even increasing wheats photosynthetic efficiency from 1 percent to 1.5 percent would allow farmers to increase their yields on the same amount of land, using no more water, fertilizer or other inputs.

Through a new Department of Agriculture grant and working with the International Wheat Yield Partnership Program, South Dakota State Universitys Wanlong Li and Iowa States Bing Yang seek to apply CRISPR to wheats photosynthesis problem.

First, the researchers will identify the genes that control grain size and weight in bread wheat using a rice genome model. Then, they will use CRISPR to edit out each negatively regulating genewhich will serve the two-fold purpose of removing it from the genome, as well as having it available to study.

Li and Yang will create 30 constructs that target 20 negative genes. Partners from the University of California Davis Plant Transformation Facility will then produce 150 first-generation plants for the researchers to study. When all is said and done, the researchers should be able to identify which mutations yield larger seedsand thus, increased yields.

One of the benefits of this process is the end product will not be considered genetically modified organisms.

When we transfer one of the CRISPR genes to wheat, its transgenic. That then produces a mutation in a different genomic region. When the plants are then self-pollinated or backcrossed, the transgene and the mutation are separated, Li explained. This is null transgenic.

In fact, the USDA has approved this technique in other organisms, and Yang has already utilized it in unrelated research to develop bacterial blight-resistant rice.

Ultimately, these yield-increasing mutations, along with the markers to identify the traits, can be transferred to other varieties of wheat, such as durum, spring and winter wheat.

South Dakota State University is one of seven universities nationwide to receive funding to develop new wheat varieties as part of the National Institute of Food and Agricultures International Wheat Yield Partnership Program. Lis focus on CRISPR and photosynthesis efficiency is just one approach to the problem. Other research projects from the organization include: testing genes to boost spike development; optimizing canopy architecture to increase carbon capture and conserve nitrogen; and using selected genes from other species to increase biomass and yield, among others.

A distinguishing feature of the International Wheat Yield Partnership Program is its huba massive parcel of land in Mexico that is used for the evaluation of innovations, and subsequent development pipeline.

Visit link:

CRISPR's Next Target: Wheat Kernels - Laboratory Equipment - Laboratory Equipment

Comments are closed.