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Crop biotechnology for boosting genetic diversity and climate resilience: Putting promise into action

Crop biotechnology for boosting genetic diversity and climate resilience: Putting promise into action

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In many agricultural contexts, boosting crop genetic variety is a key approach for climate resilience as climate change increasingly affects agricultural productivity. Future heat waves are expected to become more frequent and intense due to climate change, posing a serious risk to human health. But individuals aren't the only ones in danger. Many plants, particularly critical food crops, struggle to thrive as temperatures climb. A plant's immune system may shut down when temperatures rise, removing its protective mechanism. With major agricultural regions already seeing record highs, global food supply risk potentially disastrous implications.

A call to action: The time is now

Many companies and scientific disciplines are looking into cutting-edge technology to lessen the impact of climate change on agriculture. Gene editing is one technique that allows for precise and programmed alterations to an organism's DNA. The desired genes may be deleted, silenced, or inserted due to these alterations.

CRISPR can potentially reduce agricultural emissions by making crops more tolerant to a more changeable and harsh environment and employing crops and soil bacteria to store and fix carbon. Shortly, combating both hunger and climate change will need various methods for increasing genetic diversity, some of which may involve the appropriate application. People, activists, and legislators may rely on gene-editing technology since it has demonstrated that it not only helps generate high-yielding types sustainably but also has good effects on human health. Despite the effects of climate change on ecosystems and agriculture, we are still a long way from having a sustainable system that can supply future generations with food. Genome editing technology is a potent tool to enhance crops and generate plants better suited to future environmental circumstances, leading to more effective and sustainable agriculture in improving crop yield and resistance to plant infections.

  • Krishna Niyogi, a professor of plant and microbial biology at UC Berkeley, explains that plants' inefficient photosynthetic activities might be between 20 and 50% more effective with CRISPR editing. More carbon will be drawn from the air. As a result, supporting other initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as stopping the burning of fossil fuels. The annual sequestration of billions of carbon dioxide by agriculture is possible.
  • The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, which won $30 million from the Bezos Earth Fund in 2020, is engaged in a comparable project to modify plant DNA and create crops with stronger roots.
  • Synthetic Genomics - Genomic solutions are used in synthetic biology to address global sustainability issues. They use algae to make sustainable, low-carbon heavy-duty transportation fuel for cars, trucks, and airplanes.
  • Africa is ideally positioned to gain from developments in genome editing technologies. This technology can provide improved varieties of many crops and traits relevant to the needs of the diverse populations and geographies of the African continent. This continent was largely ignored by the Green Revolution that brought improved grain crop varieties to Asia and Central/South America.
  • To improve the yield and survival of crops in Africa and throughout the world, UM6P Ventures invests in the IndieBio Company Climate Crop. Climate Crop Ltd., which focuses on using gene editing technology to improve the ability of plants to capture more energy, store more carbon, and generates greater yields, has received an investment from UM6P Ventures, according to an announcement.

 

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