AgriTech News Number 20, 15 October 2020 | GRSV Consulting Services

Research Results

1. Improved heat-resistant wheat varieties identified

The grain yield of most wheat varieties currently available for farming is severely affected as heat stress increases. Searching for solutions that guarantee the sustainability of wheat under such conditions, an international team of researchers conducted a study at the University of Córdoba, Andalusia, Spain. In this study, researchers analysed 54 genotypes of wheat developed by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Mexico. The genotypes that responded best to high temperatures were able to produce 2.4 t/ha. That yield is both “a fairly reasonable amount in this kind of environment” and “could help maintain an acceptable rate of productivity under these conditions,” says Carlos Guzmán, the corresponding author.

In addition to heat tolerance, stability for bread-making and other quality traits were also examined in the study. Most of the lines in the 10 heat-tolerant genotypes from the superior-yielding group were also able to either maintain or improve on their quality characteristics under heat-stress. They could be used as parents in breeding for high-yielding and wheat varieties that also maintain their quality. Some of them could be released as varieties in regions and countries where heat stress is common. For more, see https://phys.org/news/2020-06-heat-resistant-wheat-varieties.html

Access the abstract at

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0733521020301545?via%3Dihub

2. The hidden costs of night-time warming on yields

Night-time warming or high night-time temperature alters the ability of leaves to sustain carbon supply to grains and results in reduced crop yields worldwide, threatening global food security. Walid Sadok of the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, University of Minnesota, and Krishna Jagadish (corresponding author) of the Department of Agronomy, Kansas State University, USA, carried out a study to examine the night warming effects on grain yield and quality.

That is a complex phenomenon, likely to involve interaction between two driving forces: night-time temperature and evaporative demand. The authors suggest that these two together limit carbon availability for yield and end-use quality traits, while they also decrease water-use efficiency, potentially enhancing vulnerability to droughts. They also suggest that this complexity translates into ‘hidden physiological costs’ that would be worth considering in future research. An ecophysiological framework is proposed as a guide in future research efforts to mitigate yield declines. Such efforts should integrate physiology with crop modelling, breeding, and management, so that they can identify sustainable pathways for mitigation as climate change intensifies.

For more, see https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1360138520300522

3. Epigenetic approach to enhance crop resilience during the times of climate change

Epigenetic modification of plants shows promise for enhancing food security, but we still have a lot to learn. A few studies have indicated that if breeders could enhance the ability of plants to flip the switch (i.e., switch the gene on or off, depending on local conditions) as environmental conditions change, that will help in avoiding drought during specific productivity periods (which depends on the crop), by making it possible to activate physiological changes that confer and enhance drought tolerance only when needed.

Sally Mackenzie, Professor of Biology and Plant Science, Penn State University, Pennsylvania, USA, thus ‘tricks’ a plant to respond as though it is under stress, so that it will turn on its survival mechanisms. The “trick” is to use RNA interference to silence a gene called MSH1, which is found in the plant cell’s plastid—a compartment that can sense stress. (Note: MSH1 is required for maintenance of the low mutation rates in plant mitochondrial and plastid genomes). Mackenzie sees value in this approach to boosting resilience, because of the speed at which it can take place. Standard breeding methods could take around 10 years, while the new method could reduce it one year.

There can be problems in switching off and on at will. For example, Nathan Springer, maize geneticist at the University of Minnesota, notes that it’s difficult to determine the extent to which these results can be attributed specifically to epigenetics. Nevertheless, Mackenzie maintains that the epigenetic changes she sees remain consistent over several generations of plants. As with all epigenetic phenomena, after a few generations, the plant will eventually return to its nonstressed state. “There are no simple, rapid, traditional plant breeding solutions. You really have to think outside the box”, she says.

For more, see https://ensia.com/articles/crop-plants-resilience-climate-change-food-security/

Also see our story, “Epigenetics could help breed crops for tolerating drought and climate change,” in GRSV AgriTech 19 (posted on 15 September 2020)

4. The best plant parents: Genetically as divergent as possible with similar preferences

A team of researchers led by the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Germany, has succeeded in providing answers to a long-unsolved question in the breeding of plant hybrids. For decades, plant breeders have relied on the heterosis phenomenon, which describes the higher level of vigour exhibited by offspring of genetically divergent parents than their parents on average. However, the question as to the optimum level of divergence, if any, remained unchecked and unanswered. The IPK-led study concludes that the more diverse in genetics the parents are, than better, but only in cases of similar preferences.

While some earlier studies suggested that the genetic distance of the parents should be maximized, others suggested that the increased performance of the offspring decreases again beyond a certain point of diversity. “Thanks to progress in quantitative genetics, we were able to show that there is no optimum for the genetic distance of the parents,” explains Prof. Dr Jochen Reif of IPK, the corresponding author of the study. Nevertheless, he notes, “heterosis increases steadily with the genetic distance between the parents. Parent populations can be as far apart as possible without their offspring losing performance.” Thus there is no need to fear that the optimal genetic distance has been missed.

For more, see https://phys.org/news/2020-06-parents-genetically-divergent-similar.html

Access the full paper at

https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/24/eaay4897

5. Unpacking the two layers of bacterial gene regulation during plant infection

Understanding the gene regulation of plant pathogens is crucial for pest control, which has a potential impact on global food security. Kenichi Tsuda and colleagues from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, Germany, and Huazhong Agricultural University in Wuhan, China, analysed the layers (Note: many bacteria have a crystalline surface layer overlying the cell envelope) of bacterial gene expression during pathogenic infection of a plant. They have provided new insights into bacterial gene regulation, as well as the strategies used by plants to target key bacterial processes. The researchers used the well-characterized bacterial pathogen, Pseudomonas syringae, and the model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, to analyse bacterial gene expression patterns during infection.

The results provide molecular insights into the multiple layers of gene regulation that contribute to bacterial growth in plants, and they elucidate the role of plant immunity in affecting pathogen responses. Tatsuya Nobori, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, California, USA (Co-first author along with Yiming Wang, College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agriculture University, China), emphasizes that their approach for analysing the flow of bacterial genetic information during plant infection can potentially be applied also to the interactions of crop species with pathogenic bacteria. “Identifying the tactics used by bacteria to establish infection, as well as plant counter-strategies, would suggest interventions for optimizing crop breeding” he adds.

For more, see https://phys.org/news/2020-06-layers-bacterial-gene-infection.html

Access the abstract at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41477-020-0690-7

6. New plant gene editing approach improves speed, scalability, and heritability

Breeding plants for specific characteristics goes back thousands of years. For most of that time, the process has been slow and tied to the agricultural cycle, which governs the efforts by farmers as well as breeders who employ the conventional approach. A study recently published in Nature Plants by Evan Ellison and colleagues at the University of Minnesota, USA, outlines a new approach that may significantly speed the development of new plant varieties by skipping tissue culture and boosting heritability.

Since plant biology has a problem with scalability—because one can make changes only to a few genes at a time—Ellison felt the need to do it differently. In the new gene-editing approach, Cas9 transgenic plants are infected with an RNA virus that expresses single guide RNAs (sgRNAs). The sgRNAs are augmented with sequences that promote cell-to-cell mobility. With the mobile motif for flowering, heritable editing frequency ranged from 65% to 100% of progeny, a considerable improvement on current rates of heritability in gene-edited plants created using other techniques.

This approach makes it easy to build these vectors and deliver them to plants, which means researchers now can iterate the process dozens of times very quickly. It is cheaper, easier, and less labour intensive. “The next step is to enable (the use of) this method in a wide variety of crop plants so we can fully capture the potential of plant gene editing for crop improvement”, says Elison.

For more, see https://phys.org/news/2020-06-gene-approach-scalability-heritability.html

Access the abstract at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41477-020-0670-y

Potential Crops/Technologies/Concepts

1. Intercropping can significantly increase yields in agriculture while reducing the use of fertilizers

Intercropping, or the simultaneous cultivation of multiple crops on a single plot of land, can significantly increase the yield, not only of low input agriculture, but also of intensive agriculture, and reduce the use of fertilizers. Several studies demonstrate the value of intercrops from all over the world.

Through an extensive meta-analysis of 226 previously conducted experiments, researchers at the Wageningen University, The Netherlands and their colleagues at China Agricultural University, Beijing, have discovered that intercropping can either maintain or significantly boost the yield levels of intensive agriculture (IA), while lowering the use of fertilizer.

Intercropping may give a 16-29% higher yield per unit area than monocultures in IA under the same circumstances, while using 19-36% less fertilizer when counted per unit product. Thus, it can lower the cost of production, contributing to higher income per unit area. The increase is most significant using a method of intercropping called ‘relay strip intercropping,’ which is frequently used in China.

The research shows the great potential of intercropping, including its potential for sustainably increasing the yield of both low-input and high-input agriculture.

For more, see https://phys.org/news/2020-06-intercropping-significantly-yields-agriculture-fertilisers.html

Access the abstract at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41477-020-0680-9

2. Soil biology research can help create a more sustainable future

Soils are home to more than 25% of the earth’s total biodiversity, supporting life on land and water, nutrient cycling and retention, food production, pollution remediation, and climate regulation. Increasing evidence is accumulating to show that focusing on soil biodiversity can effectively help to address several sustainable development goals (SDGs), including zero hunger, sustainable cities and communities, and life on land simultaneously. A research team said soil biodiversity should be incorporated into the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, which include zero hunger, sustainable cities and communities, and life on land. Elizabeth Bach, a former postdoctoral fellow at the Colorado State University (CSU) and lead author of a study that included current and former ecologists from CSU, said the study recognized that increasing awareness around the world about soil biodiversity is very urgently needed.

“This study shows how soil biodiversity can take us to the next level and be part of the solution as we work to achieve broad sustainability goals,” said Bach, who is now a soil ecologist with The Nature Conservancy’s Nachusa Grasslands in Illinois. Measures should include the creation of a new soil health grant programme and exploring new ways to reward farmers, including the use of future carbon markets or tax incentives for soil carbon sequestration. (Note: Although the recommendations of the study are for the USA, they may equally apply to other countries as well). The study reviews scenarios where soil biota can support global sustainability targets, global changes and pressures that threaten soil biodiversity, and actions to conserve soil biodiversity and advance sustainability goals. This synthesis shows how the latest empirical evidence from soil biological research can shape tangible actions around the world for a sustainable future

For more, see https://phys.org/news/2020-06-soil-biology-sustainable-future.html

Access the abstract and download full paper at

https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/7/2662

3. Crop residue decisions affect soil life between planting seasons

In many countries, after harvest in the fall, farmers take the harvested produce to market or store them in different kinds of storage facilities available to them. Most often, they leave behind plant parts such as the stalk, leaves, etc. This debris is called crop residue. Framers then either plant the next crop by using no-till (zero-tillage method) or burn the residue in the field (or find a different use for the biomass). Lisa Fultz and her team at Louisiana State University AgCenter wanted to help farmers determine the best way to manage these practices.

They found that there was no difference between prescribed fire and no‐till management on properties such as soil organic matter (SOM) and β‐glucosidase (which is important for the decomposition of the labile fraction of plant tissue, e.g., wheat stubble residue) activity, as well as absolute abundance of the microbial community. These similarities suggest that the removal of the residue using prescribed fire did not result in long‐term impacts in these humid, subtropical production systems. However, overall system management (i.e., crop rotation and fertilization) impacts were highly influential when compared with residue management. These results suggest that no‐till and prescribed fire management are viable residue management options that maintained soil organic matter and inorganic N concentrations; however, further investigation is needed to evaluate the long‐term (>2 yr) impacts on soil health. (Note: Besides, there is the need to take into account the potential of air pollution by crop residue burning, especially under Indian conditions, where there is no prescribed method of burning).

For more, see https://phys.org/news/2020-06-crop-residue-decisions-affect-soil.html

Access the full paper at

https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/agg2.20004

News:

1. CRISPR technology could democratise agriculture

Over the last few decades, scientists have been trying to improve upon traditional plant breeding through a range of techniques that can be used to alter genetic material to develop plant varieties with higher yield, drought tolerance, and resistance to pests and other traits. Despite dramatic increases in the planting of genetically modified (GM) crops in several counties, they still face many hurdles. GM crops have been extremely controversial over the last few decades, owing to pressure by environmental groups and harsh regulatory environments. Besides, because of the high investment needed to successfully develop a GM crop variety, only rich corporations can venture into it, thus limiting the entry of smaller players. However, all this could be set to change. In recent years, the rapid development of gene editing technologies has led to a surge of interest in how they could be applied in agriculture. Gene editing techniques, such as CRISPR-Cas9, are much cheaper and quicker to implement than transgenic technologies, says Dr Michael Dent, a Technology Analyst at IDTechEx, independent market research and business intelligence provider.

2. Asset managers accused of ‘blind spot’ over biodiversity risk and climate crisis

Despite the growing interest in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investing and high-profile investor demands for corporates to tackle escalating climate risks, most asset managers remain ‘blind’ to the threat that their portfolios posed to global biodiversity and health of climate, according to reports of two groups, ShareAction and Economic Forum. The report by the former indicates that less than 10% of asset managers indicated any engagement with the issues connected with overfishing, ocean health, and World Heritage Sites protection, and only three of the asset managers analysed mention instances of engagement in actions that deal with the impact of pollinators on businesses. Krystyna Springer, an analyst at ShareAction and author of the report, said asset managers urgently need to enhance their understanding of climate and biodiversity risks and significantly enhance engagement across their portfolios or risk fuelling a major environmental and economic crisis.

For more, see https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4016371/asset-managers-accused-blind-spot-biodiversity-risk-climate-crisis

3. Could Africa have a sustainable palm industry?

Palm plantations are associated with deforestation and ecological harm, but researchers are pointing to ways things can be done differently in Africa. Vincent Savolainen of Imperial College, London (corresponding author), and his co-authors consider that a roadmap towards a sustainable palm future can be developed and implemented. They say that such a plan of action should be a collaborative, multi-level, and inclusive programme that would create a real opportunity to improve both the reputation of palm farming in Africa (by explicit inclusion of biodiversity) and human benefits from its cropping cycle. The approach could contribute to economic and social gain and reduce environmental destruction, while permitting enhanced crop productivity in several dimensions.

For more, see https://phys.org/news/2020-06-africa-sustainable-palm-industry.html

Access the full paper at

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666049020300037?via%3Dihub

4. Tomato’s hidden mutations revealed in a study of 100 varieties

Tomato, which was once a South American berry roughly the size of a pea, now takes all sorts of shapes and sizes, from cherry-like to hefty heirloom fruit after centuries of breeding. Zachary Lippman, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, NY, USA, and colleagues have now identified long-concealed hidden mutations within the genomes of 100 types of tomato, including an orange-berried wild plant from the Galapagos Islands and varieties typically processed into ketchup and sauce. Transposons underlie many structural variants (SVs), and SV hotspots revealed large introgressions.

SVs associated with genes are predictive of population-scale changes in expression. New genome assemblies resolved complex breeding QTLs caused by SVs. Plant geneticists have suspected that these mutations contribute significantly to plant traits, says Michael Purugganan, who studies rice and date palms at New York University and was not involved in the new study.

For more, see https://phys.org/news/2020-06-tomato-hidden-mutations-revealed-varieties.html

Access the abstract at https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(20)30616-4?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0092867420306164%3Fshowall%3Dtrue

For more, see https://www.idtechex.com/en/research-article/crispr-technology-could-democratise-agriculture/20971

5. Scientists solve a thorny problem

Presence of thorns has always been a disadvantage for citrus cultivation and production. Thorns are also known, especially in grafted citrus, to be a drain on resources and thus impact overall yield. Breeding thornless citrus varities, especially of lemon, has always been an objective of several citrus breeders. A few mutations have been recorded, but understanding of why citrus has thorns might help breeders to speed up developing such cultivars. “Why do plants have thorns?” is an easy question. Thorns help protect plants against hungry animals that like to munch on them. “Where do thorns come from?” is a more complicated question, and Yale scientists have found an answer. The scientists, led by Vivian Irish, Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, USA, found that two regulators of stem cell production, TI1 and TI2, gradually shut down stem cell activity in the developing thorn, so that it tapers off until nothing is left but the sharp pointy end. This understanding can assist in breeding thornless lemon cultivars.

For more, see https://phys.org/news/2020-06-scientists-thorny-problem.html

Access the abstract at

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0960982220307557

6. Coffee, cocoa and vanilla: an opportunity for more trees with tropical agroforestry

The cultivation of coffee, cocoa, and vanilla secures the income of many smallholder farmers in the tropics. However, their monoculture can be a driver of land-use change (e.g., deforestation) in many tropical countries. Hence, the cultivation of these crops in agroforestry systems, combining them with other forest trees that provide shade, is deemed to have greater potential for ecologically sustainable cultivation. Researchers at the University of Göttingen, led by Dominic Andreas Martin, have shown that the land-use history of agroforestry systems plays a crucial role in assessing the sustainability of agroforestry.

On the one hand, an agroforest can be established directly in a forest when the undergrowth is removed and replaced by vanilla vines, coffee, or cocoa bushes. This study demonstrates that forest‐derived agroforestry supports higher biodiversity than open‐land‐derived agroforestry, but it still essentially represents a degradation of forest, whereas open‐land‐derived agroforestry rehabilitates formerly forested open land. “The conversion of the remaining species-rich tropical forests into coffee, cocoa, or vanilla plantations, however, should be avoided,” Martin adds.

For more, see https://phys.org/news/2020-06-coffee-cocoa-vanilla-opportunity-trees.html

Access the full paper at

https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/conl.12740

Events

1. ICABBBE 2020: 14^th International Conference on Agricultural, Biotechnology, Biological and Biosystems Engineering. 05-06 Oct 2020, Tokyo, Japan.

For more, see https://waset.org/agricultural-biotechnology-biological-and-biosystems-engineering-conference-in-october-2020-in-tokyo

2. ICABSA 2020: 14^th International Conference on Agricultural Biotechnology and Sustainable Agriculture. 08-09 Oct 2020, New York, United States.

For more, see https://waset.org/agricultural-biotechnology-and-sustainable-agriculture-conference-in-october-2020-in-new-york

3. Webinar on Agri, Food & Aqua Virtual Conference

26-27 Oct 2020, 11:00-18:00 EDT

For more, see https://foodtechnology.inovineconferences.com/

Other Topics of Interest

1. We are Earth, we are nature. Patenting biodiversity means stealing the nature of life

For more, see https://www.lifegate.com/biodiversity-vandana-shiva

2. Scientists unlock secrets of Ethiopia’s superfood in race to save it from warming climate

For more, see https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-06/icft-sus061820.php

3. Drone-delivered soap bubbles could help pollinate flowers

For more, see https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/06/drone-delivered-soap-bubbles-could-help-pollinate-flowers

4. Farmers unaware their activities trigger climate jolts