As climate change continues to pose significant challenges to global agriculture, scientists in the Chinese mainland are making groundbreaking strides in developing climate-smart crops. In a recent study, researchers have pioneered a novel approach that significantly enhances crop productivity even under high-temperature conditions.
With global temperatures projected to rise by two degrees Celsius, average crop losses could increase by 3 to 13 percent. This alarming trend underscores the urgent need for heat-resistant crop varieties to ensure future food security.
The team from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences has utilized an innovative gene-editing tool to insert a heat-shock element into a tomato gene known as LIN5. This genetic modification boosts the gene's expression when exposed to heat stress, effectively reducing sugar deficiency in tomatoes grown in high-temperature environments.
Field tests conducted across various seasons and locations, including both greenhouses and open fields, demonstrated impressive results. The modified tomatoes exhibited a yield increase of 14 to 47 percent under normal conditions and 26 to 33 percent under heat stress. Moreover, this genetic strategy successfully prevented 56 to 100 percent of yield losses caused by excessive heat, as detailed in the study published in the journal Cell.
Reference(s):
Chinese scientists pioneer climate-smart crops to fight global warming
cgtn.com
