Research Results
1. How plants activate their immune system against pathogens in rain
While rain is essential for plants to grow, it also has bacteria and other pathogens which can harm the plants. A recent study by a team led by Yasuomi Tada and Mika Nomoto at the Nagoya University, Aichi, Japan, revealed that when plants (Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings) are exposed to rain, hair-like structures on the leaf surface, called trichomes, recognize this rain as a risk factor for causing disease and activate their immune system to prevent infections. Exposure of leaf surfaces to mechanical stimuli starts the concentric propagation of intercellular calcium waves away from trichomes to induce defence-related genes. These findings could contribute to the development of methods to protect plants from infectious diseases brought by rain.
“From these results, we confirmed that trichomes play a role in sensing rain as a risk factor and activating immune responses,” says Professor Tada. These findings also suggest, says Professor Tada, that one must be able to artificially improve plants’ defensive capabilities against diseases at any time and for any length of time. Using this technology, researchers could make it possible to activate crops’ immune responses when environmental conditions are harsh enough to possibly cause disease in plants, which could thus result in stable crop yields. Researchers also suggest that as the trichomes are widely found in many land plants, there may be a common intercellular network of cell-to-cell communication, which starts calcium waves for activating immune responses. Further research in elucidating such a network is needed.
For more, see https://phys.org/news/2022-04-immune-pathogens.html?utm_source=nwletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-nwletter
Access the full paper at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28813-8
2. Study offers clues to understanding the infection mechanisms of a lethal fungus affecting more than 100 crops
Fusarium oxysporum is one of the most dangerous plant pathogens in the world; it is highly lethal and its attack can cause wilting or rotting of plants in more than a hundred crops. A better understanding of the infection process of this pathogen will have a significant impact on limiting the spread of this deadly fungus. Fungal pathogens grow in the apoplastic space, in constant contact with the plant cell wall (CW) that hinders microbe progression while being a source of nutrients. A team of researchers led by Clara Sánchez-Rodríguez at Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Switzerland, managed to mutate a gene of the fungus to silence many cellulases, while ‘deactivating’ these proteins, which affect crops’ plant walls.
F. oxysporum pathogen can go unnoticed in soil for years, but when it detects the root of a plant, it grows directly into it and infects its entire vascular system. The findings of this study help a better understanding of the function of plant cell wall degradation on the outcome of host-microbe interactions, by revealing an unexpected role of cellulose degradation in a pathogen’s reproductive success. That paves the way for the development of new strategies to reduce the pathogen’s incidence. The possibility of better control of this protein can be a way to combat infection by the fungus.
Access the full paper at https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abl9734
3. Secrets of photosynthesis and effect of increased CO2 in the atmosphere
A team of researchers (with equal contribution from Friedrich Fauser of Princeton University and Josep Vilarrasa-Blasi of the Carnegie Institution for Science) have undertaken the largest ever functional genomic study of a photosynthetic organism. Their work could inform strategies for improving agricultural yields and mitigating climate change. Photosynthesis is the biochemical process by which plants, algae, and certain bacteria can convert the Sun’s energy into chemical energy in the form of carbohydrates. Chlamydomonas is a group of photosynthetic algae that are found around the globe in fresh and salt water, moist soils, and even at the surface of snow. Quantifying an individual mutant’s growth enabled scientists to see which genes contribute to success in each environment and to start linking many of these genes to adaptive traits.
Modifying photosynthesis has increasingly been a research target to improve crop yields to feed a growing global population in the face of climate change and other environmental factors. Increasing CO2 diffusion through mesophyll cells into the chloroplast will improve photosynthesis–boosting yields in crops, while also improving water-use efficiency. An Australian National University (ANU) study by Victoria Clarke has supplied a new understanding of the role of plant aquaporins (PIP aquaporin genes controlling channels) in transferring CO2 from the atmosphere to chloroplast. Aquaporins are membrane channels that can ease the movement of molecules such as water and gasses across membranes. Introducing more PIP aquaporin channels into the mesophyll cell membrane did not increase the conductance of CO2, with no effect on photosynthetic rates either.
For more, see https://phys.org/news/2022-05-algae-secrets-photosynthesis.html?utm_source=nwletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-nwletter and https://phys.org/news/2022-05-photosynthesis-unaffected-carbon-dioxide-channels.html?utm_source=nwletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campai%E2%80%A6%201/3
Access the full paper at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-022-01052-9 and https://academic.oup.com/jxb/advance-article/doi/10.1093/jxb/erac065/6532684?login=false
4. Effect of climate change on kidney beans, bean sprouts and green beans
A team of researchers from the Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain, led by Mario Ruiz-González, evaluated the effects of climatic conditions on local and commercial varieties of beans (which included nine Phaseolus vulgaris, one P. lunatus, and two Vigna unguiculata), traditionally sown under cold or hot conditions. By subjecting these varieties to different temperatures, the researchers studied the effects of climate change on vital parameters of these varieties, such as their morphology, reproduction, production, and phenology. The study helped the team to find the varieties that could be the most vulnerable to climate change, and should thus be given a high priority in collection and conservation efforts.
This study showed that some bean varieties perform better at higher temperatures, making them an excellent alternative to replace less productive types, owing to climate change. Green beans, whose origin is African, resisted relatively well to increases in temperature, as did locust beans. In short, the results obtained have an immediate application in the conservation of agrobiodiversity, by revealing which varieties are most sensitive to the effects of climate change and which should be conserved as a priority. Researchers calculated a climate resilience landrace index, which allowed them to classify the landraces by their plasticity to new environmental conditions, and they found heterogeneous landrace susceptibility to warmer conditions. Two P. vulgaris landraces were highlighted as critical targets for conservation.
For more, see https://phys.org/news/2022-05-effect-climate-kidney-beans-bean.html
Access the full paper at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-10277-x
5. Root system significantly affects soil water movement in the banana plantation
Xishuangbanna is one of the most suitable areas for banana cultivation in China. Heavy application of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation in banana plantations has degraded the soils considerably. However, the basic characteristics of soil properties and water transport in banana plantations are unknown, which hinders understanding of the soil hydrological process and restricts the analysis of soil and water loss. Researchers from the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, led by Xiaojin Jiang and Wenjie Liu, have quantified soil water flow behaviour and determined the effect of soil physical properties on water transport in two banana plantations with different planting years.
The researchers found that, in the banana plantation, the soil’s physical properties changed significantly with increasing soil depths. Lower bulk density, higher porosity, and higher field water ability appeared in the shallow soil layer than in deeper soil layers. “The banana root system is the most key factor affecting soil water flow behaviour. The soil structure decreases with increasing planting age. Therefore, it is essential to improve the monoculture planting duration in the banana plantations, to avoid soil structure degradation,” said Wenjie Liu of XTBG. The root systems of the four-year plot were more developed than that of the one-year plot and many pore channels had formed around the root systems, which promoted preferential water flow. The improvement in the root network of the banana plantation regime can result in better soil physical properties. The authors conclude that this knowledge will be vital for the sustainable cultivation and irrigation of banana crops.
Access the abstract at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ldr.4264
6. Infectious bacteria force host plants to feed them, study finds
Plant pathogens disturb their hosts to create an environment that helps their own proliferation, including the suppression of immunity and promotion of water and nutrient availability. Although necrotrophs (i.e., the parasite that kills and feeds on the dead cell) obtain water and nutrients by disrupting host-cell integrity, it is unknown whether hemibiotrophs (i.e., parasites in living tissue, which 
continue to live in dead tissue), such as the bacterial pathogen Pantoea stewartii, actively liberate water and nutrients during the early, biotrophic phase of infection. A study by led David Mackey, Professor of Horticulture and Crop Science at the Ohio State University, USA, reveals that these bacteria not only generate food for themselves in crops they inhabit but also coax life-sustaining water from the plants. These proteins are transported from the bacteria into infected plant cells to both suppress plant immunity and promote the availability of water and food (as discovered in the case of P. stewartii).
“No one has shown before that a dynamic flow of nutrients from the plant to bacteria supports proliferation of the bacteria during the first stages of infection. Our findings reveal a bacterial feeding frenzy,” said Mackey. According to him, there have been no targeted efforts to control nutrient availability to control Pantoea stewartii, or other plant pathogenic bacteria that rely on proteins like WtsE for their virulence. Hence, this finding supplies an opportunity to look at the mechanism of how WtsE manipulates plant cells. The researchers confirmed the massive size of the feast by removing the bacteria from the plants and determining the quantity of carbon and nitrogen they had taken up in a specific time, which was 6 and 30 times higher, respectively, than that present in the apoplast of an uninfected plant.
For more, see https://phys.org/news/2022-04-infectious-bacteria-host.html?utm_source=nwletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-nwletter
Access the abstract at https://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/fulltext/S1931-3128(22)00147-0?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS1931312822001470%3Fshowall%3Dtrue
7. Cutting down on one ‘super fat’ could help plants survive climate change
Climate change doesn’t just mean warmer weather. It includes unusually low cold spells and fluctuations between warm and chilly, which are becoming more extreme. Even a drop of a few degrees can have far-reaching effects on the growth of plants. Michigan State University’s David Kramer, along with his colleagues, studied plant resilience in the face of such low-temperature drops related to photosynthesis, because the process by which plants are powered by the sun is particularly sensitive to temperature swings. Using a population of recombinant inbred lines (RILs) of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), researchers evaluated for co-linkages between lipid contents and chilling responses of photosynthesis. Under low-temperature conditions (19°C/13°C, day/night), they observed co-linkages between quantitative trait loci intervals for photosynthetic light reactions.
“One of the biggest questions right now is what the best ways are to make plants more tolerant. It’s something we need to solve because change is happening so fast,” said Kramer. “We think nature has found a lot of solutions; we just need to figure out how they work.” Plants use many fatty acids to help regulate critical processes, notably photosynthesis. It turns out that plants with less fatty acid did better in lower temperatures than plants with more of it. The study found not only the specific fat that affects chilling sensitivity, but also the genes that modulate it. This finding helps take us one step closer to climate-resilient plants. Specific fatty acids, most strikingly the thylakoid-specific fatty acid 16:1Δ3trans, were found exclusively in phosphatidylglycerol (PG 16:1t). The results suggest that in cowpea, chilling sensitivity is modulated by specific lipid interactions, rather than by bulk properties. The authors hypothesize that the accumulation of PG 16:1t occurs because of upstream effects on photosynthesis that alter redox status and the production of reactive oxygen species.
For more, see https://phys.org/news/2022-04-super-fat-survive-climate.html?utm_source=nwletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-nwletter
Access the abstract at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pce.14313
Potential Crops/Technologies/Concepts
1. Can the potential of CRISPR be realized for making agriculture more productive?
In May, we came across three papers related to improvements to the existing gene-editing technology, doubts about its use and pros and cons, and conservation of the technology. Policymakers in several countries have passed—or are on the threshold of passing—guidelines that can pave way for gene-edited crops to be released for general cultivation and/or marketing.
Qi and his colleagues at the University of Maryland College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, USA, have developed CRISPR-Combo, a method to edit multiple genes in plants while simultaneously changing the expression of other genes. The team also showed how CRISPR could improve efficiency in plant breeding, using tissue cultures from poplar trees. This method does not require the addition of growth hormones, which stimulate growth-promoting genes.
The potential effects on broader ecosystems are unknown, and they could have significant environmental consequences. Patrick McNamara, Intertek’s Technical Specialist Manager, argues that gene-editing offers hope that the potential of modern technology could soon be exploited for global benefit. He argues that it is essential to share information, based on an independent safety assessment within a clear framework of governance, to allow an increasingly environmentally aware public to support gene-editing methods through informed choice, so that their potential can be fully exploited.
Lotte Westerhof, R&D Operational Manager, Hudson River Biotechnology, expresses concerns about the developments that still need to happen for realizing gene-editing technology as a full-fledged possibility for a plant breeder. She has three main concerns: (1) Transgenes are ineffective and cause regulation issues, requiring the avoidance of their use, which is the primary way of applying CRISPR; (2) Regeneration is difficult, as regenerating edited cells into a plant can be a challenge; after editing, individual protoplasts need to be regenerated into a whole plant; and (3) CRISPR protein can entail high licensing costs. There is a need for continuous innovation to make precise editing of any position in the genome and multiplexing, and for increased understanding of the regulatory controls to truly harvest the full potential of CRISPR.
For more, see https://seedworld.com/three-reasons-crispr-wont-work/ and
https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/2/212
https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2022/06/01/gene-editing-crops-pro-and-con/?utm_source=jeeng and https://www.newfoodmagazine.com/article/161750/new-genomic-techniques-saviour-or-nemesis/ and
For more, see https://phys.org/news/2022-05-crispr-combo-method-boosts-genome-power.html
Access the abstract at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41477-022-01151-9
2. Production in unheated greenhouses has minimal environmental impact
On a global scale, tomatoes are the most important vegetable crop, with about 180 million tonnes (or approx. 15%) of total vegetable production and their diverse uses in the human diet, amounting to a global per capita consumption of 20 kg per year. That explains the considerable research on tomatoes, both on-field and greenhouse-grown, along with an increased demand for urban farming. As consumption of tomatoes is on the increase, especially in urban areas, growing and transporting it assumes a high priority. Eight scenarios of fresh tomato supply to urban citizens were analysed, using a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) approach, by Fernando González-Andrés and colleagues at the Universidad de León, Spain, to compare the environmental impacts of tomato production and transportation to the final consumer.
They compared 2 cases of growing in unheated greenhouses and long-distance transportation to the consumer; four of zero-miles agriculture in a rural environment, including heated greenhouses, unheated greenhouses, and open-field production; two other scenarios corresponded to Urban Agriculture (UA). According to the researchers, zero-mile production in heated greenhouses had the highest environmental impact, to such an extent that production in unheated greenhouses far away was comparatively better. Other important environmental burdens were inefficient irrigation, chemical disinfection of the soil, and the technological appliances used for micro-agriculture. The researchers conclude that UA was not environmentally superior to zero-miles agriculture conducted in rural areas; conversely, rural horticulture helps to stabilize the population in regions suffering from urban migration problems. They also noted that organic fertilizers are the main environmental burden in organic farming.
Access the full paper at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304423822002473
3. QTLs identified for improving the yield and quality of finger millet
Finger millet (Eleusine coracana) has been farmed in eastern Africa for thousands of years. Researchers have mapped the DNA of finger millet to find the genes responsible for its beneficial traits. They assessed traits that greatly affect the yield of the crop, such as panicle number, disease resistance, and maturity time. Blast disease of finger millet, caused by Magnaporthe grisea, can lead to yield losses of up to 90% under environmental conditions that favour disease development. Breeding for resistance is at present the only approach that would allow for sustainable finger millet production, to fully exploit the potential of this often-so-called orphan crop. Because not much is known about the finger millet genome, comparing it with crops like rice and sorghum may help make educated guesses about what some of its genes may manage.
To aid in the understanding of finger millet genomic organization and genes underlying disease resistance and agronomically important traits, a team of Kenyan and US researchers, led by Katrien Devos at the University of Georgia, Athens, USA, generated an F2:3 population from a cross between E. coracana subsp. coracana and E. coracana subsp. africana. The researchers identified some conserved acrocentric homoeologous chromosomes (4A and 4B in finger millet) across all species. Significant quantitative trait loci (QTL) were discovered for the flowering date, plant height, panicle number, and blast incidence and severity. Seven LEUCINE-RICH REPEAT-CONTAINING PROTEIN genes, with homology to nucleotide-binding site leucine-rich repeat (NBS-LRR) disease resistance proteins, were identified. This high-marker-density genetic map supplies a valuable tool for plant breeding programs; it identifies genomic regions and genes of critical interest for agronomic traits and blast resistance. Further research is needed on the use of these QTLs for developing blast-resistant finger millet, so that the potential of this crop can be fully exploited for the benefit of millions of resource-poor farmers and malnourished children.
Access the full paper at https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/tpg2.20175
4. Higher quality wheat: increased yields and up to 25% more protein content
It has long been known that plant and inflorescence architecture decide the yield potential of crops. Breeders have used natural diversity for inflorescence architecture to improve yields and induced genetic variation that could supply further gains. Wheat is a vital source of protein and calories; however, little is known about the genes that regulate the development of its inflorescence. Researchers from the University of Adelaide, Australia, and the John Innes Centre (JIC), the UK, led by Scott A. Boden at JIC, have found a genetic driver that improves yield traits in wheat, which unexpectedly can also lead to increased protein content by up to 25%.
Little is known about the mechanism that governs yield and protein content in wheat. Nevertheless, wheat accounts for about 20% of the protein consumed worldwide. Any increase in its protein content will have major implications for society. This study is the first known work to use a forward-genetics screen of a mutant population to find a gene that controls reproductive development in wheat. Researchers report the identification of semi-dominant alleles for a class III homeodomain-leucine zipper transcription factor, HOMEOBOX DOMAIN-2 (HB-2), on wheat A and D subgenomes, which generate more flower-bearing spikelets and enhance grain protein content. They have shown that the increase in protein content occurs without any reduction in yield, so this discovery has even better potential to provide economic benefit to breeders and growers than just the increased nutritional value by itself. These findings enhance our understanding of genes that control wheat inflorescence development and introduce an approach to improve the nutritional quality of its grain.
For more, see https://scitechdaily.com/higher-quality-wheat-increased-yields-and-up-to-25-more-protein-content/
Access the full paper at https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abn5907
5. Developing an efficient production technique for a novel ‘green’ fertilizer
Farmers add fertilizers to their soils to provide crops with the nutrients they need to grow. Fertilizers and manures have been shown to contribute to environmental pollution through oxygen depletion, weed growth and algal blooms, ammonia toxicity, faecal organisms, odours, and gases. Now it appears that a purely mechanical method can produce a novel, more sustainable fertilizer in a less polluting way, report Ivana Brekalo and colleagues from the Ruđer Bošković Institute, Zagreb, Croatia.
The milling method is rapid, efficient, and clean as is the fertilizer product, which has the potential to reduce the nitrogen pollution that fouls water systems and contributes to climate change. The team used the in situ Raman spectroscopy and situ synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction to gain insight into parameters governing the milling process and to optimize reaction conditions for preparing the target fertilizer. Over 200 million tonnes of fertilizer are produced via the more than a century-old Haber-Bosch process, which traps atmospheric nitrogen into urea crystals. “Not only are we proposing a better functioning fertilizer,” says Jonas Baltrusaitis at the Lehigh University, Bethlehem, United States, one of the collaborators and authors, “We also are demonstrating a green method of synthesis.” The crystalline cocrystal obtained showed nearly 20 times lower solubility in aqueous media compared to that of urea. Furthermore, reactive nitrogen emissions in the air at 90% relative humidity, measured as ammonia, showed slow and nearly linear nitrogen loss for the cocrystal over 90 days, while the same level was achieved with urea after 1–2 weeks, showing the potential of this cocrystal material as a large-scale nitrogen-efficient fertilizer.
For more, see https://phys.org/news/2022-05-efficient-production-technique-green-fertilizer.html
Access the abstract at https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acssuschemeng.2c00914
6. Breeding transforms sorghum’s potential as the biofuel of the future for northern latitudes
Sorghum is a popular crop worldwide, used primarily as grain, livestock feed, and sweetener. Until now, the plant has done best in warmer regions with longer growing seasons. The biofuel of the future may well be sorghum-based, thanks to new inbred lines that are significantly more productive and cold-hardy than sorghum plants of the past. The new lines break through this challenge by producing “photoperiod-sensitive hybrids” that don’t flower or produce grain. Scientist Maria Salas-Fernandez at Iowa State University, USA, is helping to breed sorghum as a bioenergy crop suited for the north-central United States. The new lines have been registered by Salas-Fernandez and co-author Joshua Kemp, a research scientist in agronomy, who helped manage the sorghum breeding program.
Salas-Fernandez’s sorghum “hybrids carry the genetics needed to best fit our bioenergy experimental sites found in Michigan and Wisconsin. They perform well under our more northern growing conditions and produce excellent yields,” said Kurt Thelen, a professor at the Michigan State University. Her related research includes working with other scientists at Iowa State to increase sorghum’s biomass by altering plant architecture. Her colleagues are developing plants with an optimized distribution of leaf angle across the plant, which allows more sunlight to penetrate the canopy and thus increases overall photosynthetic ability. These studies have shown that sorghum has immense potential as an energy crop, and the hybrids produced three times more dry matter than corn stover, and they need less nitrogen to grow to do so.
For more, see https://www.cals.iastate.edu/news/releases/breeding-transforms-sorghum-s-potential-biofuel-future-northern-latitudes and https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/plr2.20199
7. Development of potential super wheat for salty soils
Globally, almost 8% of the world’s arable land can no longer be used for crop cultivation owing to increased salinity, and more than half the countries in the world are affected. Wheat is the second most grown cereal after corn, and it covers more growth areas on the earth than any other crop, feeding a considerable number of the global population. As the arable land decreases, along with increased salinity, the possibility of growing wheat on salt-affected soil is crucial to feed the population and avoid economic loss for the countries involved, especially with agriculture already facing severe stress from climate change.
Johanna Lethin, working at the University of Gothenburg for a doctoral degree, along with others at the University, has developed several new varieties of wheat that tolerate soils with higher salt concentrations, using moderately salt-resistant Bangladeshi wheat variety Gom-25. After having mutated this variety, seeds that weigh three times more and that germinate almost twice as often as the original variety have been produced among the 2000 lines developed. Using DNA analyses and studies of other research, the team was also able to find the genes that control salt tolerance (WRKY and MYB transcription factors) in the wheat plant; this can become the basis for developing more salt-resistant wheat varieties for different regions. Even in those parts of Asia where rice is currently the dominant crop, salt-tolerant wheat has the potential to become an important part of the future food supply, since wheat farming requires much less water than rice.
For more, see https://phys.org/news/2022-05-potential-super-wheat-salty-soils.html?utm_source=nwletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-nwletter
Access the abstract of a thesis at https://gupea.ub.gu.se/handle/2077/70864 and a related publication https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1476927119304578?via%3Dihub
Access the full related paper at https://bmcplantbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12870-019-2137-8
News:
1. The grand challenge of breeding by design
Crop breeding is based on genetic variations, and while this can be created artificially, naturally occurring variations continue to be key resources. Now, with targeted gene-editing approaches, many agronomically desirable variations can be generated quickly (Note: see an earlier item on CRISPR under “Potential Technologies/Crops/Concepts”). Genome-wide association studies have made designed breeding a realistic possibility. By stacking genes known to control grain quality and yield traits, scientists have developed high-yielding and superior-quality rice varieties. Knowledge of genes controlling self-incompatibility in potatoes allowed the generation of diploid self-compatible potato lines, making potato breeding more efficient. Research on plant stress tolerance has found many genes that confer resistance to environmental stresses, making them targets for gene editing. Annual crops require repetitively sowing seeds, planting and ploughing each season. Perennial agriculture is closer to natural ecological systems, minimizing the inputs of labour and fertilizers. Gene-editing-based approaches are particularly useful for orphan crops, especially when they are related to species that are major crops already extensively studied.
There are many challenges to feeding the world; however, progress in technologies and public knowledge gives cause for optimism. There are a few factors that limit the participation of commercial breeders, but with more genetic resources becoming available every month, the world is becoming a breeder’s oyster, says an editorial in Nature.
For more, see the Nature editorial at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41477-022-01166-2
2. Gene-edited tomatoes could be a new source of vitamin D
Poor vitamin D status is a global health problem; insufficiency underpins a higher risk of cancer, neurocognitive decline, and all-cause mortality. Hence, the biofortification of foods has been gaining momentum. As noted earlier under Potential Crops/Technologies/Concepts, tomato is ubiquitous and even the very pure consume it. Tomatoes have been gene-edited to produce vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, by Jie Li and colleagues at the John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK. This could help millions of people with vitamin D insufficiency. The edited leaves could be used for the manufacture of vegan-friendly vitamin D3 supplements, or food fortification. One tomato can have the same amount of vitamin D as two medium-sized eggs or 28g tuna; researchers have edited tomato plants to increase levels of 7-DHC (7-Hydroxymethylcellulose) in the flesh and leaves. This is a form of sunshine vitamin, which is produced in the body when exposed to UVB light.
Access the full paper https://www.nature.com/articles/s41477-022-01154-6
3. How hybrid plant varieties could address the challenges of food security and climate change
Hybrid agricultural and horticultural crops can play a key role in supporting global food security. They produce higher yields and are often more resistant than non-hybrid varieties to diseases and climate stress. But for many crops, no hybrid varieties are available. Why is that? Researchers led by Emily M. S. ter Steeg at Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands, investigated the major reasons that drive the development and release of hybrid varieties. The researchers note that the commercial application of hybrid breeding in crops seems to be hampered mostly by excessive costs of seed production.
They examined case studies about the hybrid transitions in maize, wheat, and potato. For example, “… wheat produces relatively few seeds per pollination and so far, the added value of hybrid varieties is limited. …….. That’s why developing hybrid wheat isn’t yet cost-effective for plant breeders,” says ter Steeg. Large markets or markets with high potential for value-added products are more profitable for plant breeders. Hence, there are many hybrid varieties of major global crops and important vegetables, but less so for small local crops. Nevertheless, high-yielding, robust crops are urgently needed to address the challenges of global food security and climate change, conclude the authors.
For more, see https://phys.org/news/2022-05-hybrid-varieties-food-climate.html
Access the abstract at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41477-022-01142-w
4. The secret to better coffee? The birds and the bees
A groundbreaking new study finds that coffee beans are bigger and more plentiful when birds and bees team up to protect and pollinate coffee plants. Without these winged helpers, coffee farmers would see a 25% drop in crop yields. For the experiment, researchers from Latin America and the USA, led by Alejandra Martínez-Salinas at the Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE), Cartago, Costa Rica, manipulated coffee plants across 30 farms, excluding birds and bees with a combination of large nets and small lace bags. They evaluated four key scenarios: bird activity alone, bee activity alone, no bird and bee activity at all, and finally, a natural environment, where bees and birds were free to pollinate and eat insects like the coffee berry borer, one of the most damaging pests affecting coffee production worldwide. Together, the birds and bees improved fruit set, fruit weight, and fruit uniformity—key factors in quality and price—greater than their individual effects. Surprisingly, researchers also found that many birds providing pest control to coffee plants in Costa Rica had migrated thousands of miles from Canada and the US.
For more, see https://phys.org/news/2022-04-secret-coffee-birds-bees.html?utm_source=nwletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-nwletter
Access the abstract at https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.2119959119
5. Study finds switch from conventional farming to organic would require 130% added land to maintain yields
Of late, there has been a major shift towards organic agriculture (or regenerative agriculture or natural farming, etc.) in many parts of the world, with mixed results. Some say that global demand could be met with such a transformation, while others say that it is not possible unless more land is brought under cultivation. It must be noted that most information on the relative yield of organic and conventional agriculture is from plot experiments of individual crops, grown with organic or inorganic fertilizers, respectively. So, David Connor of the University of Melbourne, Australia, examined the factors that contribute to the overall yield of legumes under two systems: organic agriculture (OA) and conventional agriculture (CA). The study shows smaller relative yields of OA than are commonly reported. Smaller yields per crop area in OA are further reduced at the farm (system) level compared to CA by the larger proportion of land required in legume-based crops and pastures. Ruminant animals supply some compensation for that land by converting human-inedible fodder to human food. Consequently, the transformation of CA farmland to OA would require additional land, up to 130% in productive southern and central regions of Australia, to support equal overall yield. More such comprehensive data are needed for the calculation of OA/CA yield ratios at the system level.
Access the abstract at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0308521X22000403?via%3Dihub
7. Discovery of wheat’s clustered chemical defences creates new avenues for research
Wheat is a globally important food crop that suffers major yield losses due to outbreaks of severe disease. A better mechanistic understanding of how wheat responds to pathogen attacks could find new strategies for enhancing disease resistance. Despite its agricultural importance, little is known about the chemicals that wheat produces in response to pest and pathogen attacks.
A research team led by Guy Polturak at the John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK, discovered six pathogen-induced biosynthetic pathways that share a common regulatory network and form part of an orchestrated defence response. In summary, a genomics-driven approach has enabled the research team to rapidly find and characterize compounds and biosynthetic pathways in bread wheat. The group are continuing their work on deciphering other molecules produced by the gene clusters and understanding how they contribute to the protection of wheat against pests and disease.
Access the full paper at https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2123299119
Events (December):
1. International Conference on Biodiversity and Conservation (ICBC)
02-03 December 2022, Amsterdam, Netherlands
For more, see https://waset.org/biodiversity-and-conservation-conference-in-december-2022-in-amsterdam
2. International Conference on Environment and Life Science (EUCELS)
06-07 December 2022, Lilongwe, Malawi
For more, see http://eurasiaweb.com/Conference/31623/EUCELS/
3. International Conference on Sustainable Agricultural Growth and Development (ICSAGD) 09-10 December 2022, New York, United States
For more, see https://waset.org/sustainable-agricultural-growth-and-development-conference-in-december-2022-in-new-york
4. International Conference on Ecological Agriculture and Biodiversity 
(ICEAB) 13-14 December 2022, Rome, Italy
For more, see https://waset.org/ecological-agriculture-and-biodiversity-conference-in-december-2022-in-rome
5. International Conference on Agricultural Sustainability, Farming and Natural Resources (ICASFNR)
16-17 December 2022, Bangkok, Thailand
For more, see https://waset.org/agricultural-sustainability-farming-and-natural-resources-conference-in-december-2022-in-bangkok
6. International Conference on Ecological Agriculture and Agricultural Biotechnology (ICEAAB)
20-21 December 2022, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
For more, see https://waset.org/ecological-agriculture-and-agricultural-biotechnology-conference-in-december-2022-in-dubai
Other Topics of Interest
1. A first: Scientists grow plants in soil from the moon
For more, see https://news.ufl.edu/2022/05/lunar-plants/
Access the full paper at https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-022-03334-8
2. Farming drives toward ‘precision agriculture’ technologies
3. The value of conserving large landscapes, not just isolated parks and p. reserves
For more, see https://phys.org/news/2022-04-large-landscapes-isolated.html?utm_source=nwletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-nwletter
4. New bacteria put quinoa on the road to expansion
For more, see https://seedworld.com/new-bacteria-puts-quinoa-on-the-road-to-expansion/
5. Sensor receives panic signals from the plant under attack
For more, see https://www.hortidaily.com/article/9427384/sensor-receives-panic-signals-from-plant-under-attack/
6. Fertilizer turning Europe’s farms into massive reservoirs of microplastics
Access the full paper at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749122004122
7. IFPRI’s latest reports highlight the grave risks of climate change on food systems
For more, see https://factly.in/review-ifpris-latest-reports-highlights-the-grave-risks-of-climate-change-on-food-systems/
Access the full paper at https://ebrary.ifpri.org/utils/getfile/collection/p15738coll2/id/135889/filename/136101.pdf
8. Energy and economic efficiency of climate‑smart agriculture practices in a rice-wheat cropping system of India
Access the full paper at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-12686-4
9. Texas A&M AgriLife researchers use CRISPR technology to modify starches in potatoes
Access the full paper at https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/9/4640 and
Access the abstract of the related paper at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11240-022-02310-8
10. Managing forests for competing goals
11. The biodiversity and ecosystem service contributions and trade-offs of forest restoration approaches
For more, see https://www.science.org/doi/epdf/10.1126/science.abl4649
12. Biodiversity and soil health: how protecting one, safeguards the other
For more, see https://www.iucn.org/news/water/202205/biodiversity-and-soil-health-how-protecting-one-safeguards-other
13. Tree plantations with diverse species grow better than monocultures
14. Farm vehicles are now heavier than most dinosaurs: Why that’s a problem
15. Two-step molecular process rewires nutrient transport in wild thale cress
16. Satellite monitoring of biodiversity moves within reach
For more, see https://phys.org/news/2022-05-satellite-biodiversity.html?utm_source=nwletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-nwletter
17. Increases in planting density tend to decrease water use efficiency in rubber trees
18. The genetic origins of the world’s first farmers clarified
For more, see https://phys.org/news/2022-05-genetic-world-farmers.html?utm_source=nwletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-nwletter and https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-01322-w?utm_source=Nature+Briefing&utm_campaign=cb23765cc3-briefing-dy-20220513&utm_me%E2%80%A6%201/4
19. Predicting disease and pest risk for fruit crops and diversifying the flower industry through digital innovation
20. New trait-based approach to global change ecology moves from description to prediction
For more, see https://phys.org/news/2022-05-trait-based-approach-global-ecology-description.html
21. How to optimize lentil yield and starch content
For more, see https://seedworld.com/how-to-optimize-lentil-yield-and-starch-content/
22. Ecological functions of streams and rivers are severely affected globally
23. Environmentally friendly insecticide selectively targets cotton pest
24. New protocol for studying and preserving biodiversity
For more, see https://phys.org/news/2022-04-protocol-biodiversity.html
Access the full paper at https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0265246
25. CGIAR’s agroecology initiative: transforming food, land, and water systems across the global south
26. From green to evergreen revolution: agriculture needs radical changes
For more, see https://www.outlookindia.com/national/from-green-to-evergreen-revolution-agriculture-needs-radical-changes-news-193690
27. How plant breeding innovations are helping feed a hungry world
For more, see https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2022/04/29/how-plant-breeding-innovations-are-helping-feed-a-hungry-world/?utm_source=jeeng AND
https://saifood.ca/plant-breeding-help-feed-world/
28. How large-scale single-cell genomics complements metagenomics studies
29. Is organic food better for the climate?
For more, see https://www.greenbiz.com/article/organic-food-better-climate
30. Farmers in India cut their carbon footprint with trees and solar power
For more, see https://www.sciencenews.org/article/carbon-footprint-farming-india-solar-power-agroforestry
31. Function follows form in plant immunity
For more, see https://phys.org/news/2022-05-function-immunity.html?utm_source=nwletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-nwletter
32. Understanding the climate effects of grazing agriculture
Access the full paper at https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/agg2.20227
33. Will climate change increase the risk of aflatoxin in US corn?
For more, see https://phys.org/news/2022-05-climate-aflatoxin-corn.html?utm_source=nwletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-nwletter
34. Beyond flora and fauna: Why it’s time to include fungi in global conservation goals
35. How crop gene editing increases nutrition and sustainability
For more, see https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2022/05/04/how-crop-gene-editing-increases-nutrition-and-sustainability/?utm_source=jeeng
Access the full paper at https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgeed.2022.863193/full#B6
36. Novel species of pathogenic bacteria of onion identified in Texas
Access the abstract at https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/ijsem/10.1099/ijsem.0.005311
37. Does planting trees help the climate? Here’s what we know
For more, see https://grist.org/science/does-planting-trees-actually-help-climate-change/?ref=refind