AsianScientist (May 2, 2019) – In a study published in Plant Signaling & Behavior, scientists in Singapore genetically modified crop plants to increase the yield of natural oil in seeds by up to 15 percent in laboratory conditions.
Biofuels such as plant oil are increasingly being used to power machines, automobiles, ships and airplanes, thus reducing the requirement for fossil fuel. However, the density of oil production per plant is low, which means that large swathes of land still need to be set aside for biofuel crops.
Scientists in Singapore led by Assistant Professor Ma Wei at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, with colleagues at the National University of Singapore, have thus proposed genetically modifying a key protein in plants to raise the amount of oil production per plant. The protein, called Wrinkled1 (WRI1), regulates a network of genes in plants and plays a role in oil accumulation in plant tissues.
After modification, the seeds have a wrinkled appearance, which is the basis for the scientific codename of the gene. The researchers found that the modified seeds were able to produce up to 15 percent more natural oils than their natural counterparts.
“Plant seed oil is an essential component in our daily diet and the agricultural industry is seeking ways to maximize plants’ yield while reducing environmental effects of crop cultivation, especially land use. Our research helps to increase the production of seed oil in a sustainable and cost-effective way, and it also opens up new doors in agriculture research,” said Ma.
The ability to increase oil yield in a sustainable manner is expected to result in higher economic gain. Past research has shown that a small 1.5 percent increase in oil yield (by dry weight) in soybean seeds equates to a jump of US$ 1.26 billion in the US market.
“Vegetable oil is an important renewable resource for biodiesel production and for dietary consumption by humans and livestock. The total production of vegetable oil worldwide reached about 185 million tons in 2017. WRI1 is a ubiquitous regulator controlling oil biosynthesis in maize, soybean, canola and palm. With increasing demand for vegetable oil, Ma’s research on WRI1 can have global importance,” said Dr. Shen Bo, a senior manager at DuPont Pioneer, a US-based international producer of hybrid seeds for agriculture, who was not involved in the study.
“A better understanding of how WRI1 regulates oil biosynthesis could inform how we breed plants that produce more oil,” he added.
The article can be found at: Kong & Ma (2018) WRINKLED1 as a novel 14-3-3 Client: Function of 14-3-3 Proteins in Plant Lipid Metabolism.
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Source: Nanyang Technological University.
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