A gene-editing potato project aims to boost the rate of photosynthesis in potato crops to promote yield, water use efficiency and drought tolerance. The project is known as PhotoBoost; it focuses on a 20-25% increase in photosynthetic performance, which could lead to a 30% increase in plant biomass.
The EU-funded project draws on a range of genetic engineering disciplines and focuses on six key points to improve C3 photosynthetic performance in potatoes: Optimise light reaction efficiency, engineer a photorespiratory bypass, integrate algal carbon dioxide concentration mechanisms, optimise source-sink capacity, improve water-use efficiency and integrate an oxygen scavenging mechanism.
Dr Jonathan Menary, social scientist at the University of Oxford, stated that by combining two or more biotechnology strategies, scientists have seen rates of photosynthesis increase by at least 20-25%. Menary sets out the timeline for breeders to take commercial lines of potato forward as soon as 2025.
Source: fwi.co.uk