Climate-ready crops in the US: potato yield boosted by 30% under heatwave conditions

A pioneering study from the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois has demonstrated how genetic engineering can make potatoes more resilient to the impacts of climate change. By introducing a photorespiratory bypass, researchers increased tuber mass by 30% during a record-breaking heatwave, paving the way for climate-ready crops to address global food security challenges. Photorespiration is a process that reduces crop yields by up to 40%, especially under high temperatures. It occurs when the enzyme Rubisco reacts with oxygen instead of carbon dioxide, producing a toxic byproduct that plants expend energy to metabolise. The team, led by Katherine Meacham-Hensold, aimed to bypass this inefficient pathway to maximise energy use for growth. “We need to produce crops that can withstand more frequent and intense heatwave events if we are to secure food supplies in regions at risk from global warming,” said Meacham-Hensold, scientific project manager ...