Plant breeding Archives

Cut of the crop: High-yields of non-browning eggplant via genome editing

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Ongoing research at the Khalifa Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, UAE investigates high-yielding yet non-browning eggplants using genetic modification.

Eggplant is cultivated globally – but its production is fraught with issues affecting the crop’s overall yield and post-harvest properties. The fruit can be less appealing when damaged or cut due to the enzymatic browning of tissues. Cultivating high-yielding yet non-browning eggplants is an area of ongoing research at the Khalifa Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, UAE. The researchers […]

Understanding tomato plant metabolism for sustainable production

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Drs Joaquin Medina and Laura Carrilo investigate the metabolic responses of tomato plants to nitrogen stress, aiming to understand specific gene expressions that could then be targeted for future plant breeding

Historically, crops have been domesticated without limiting their access to nutrients or water. Since these varieties did not need efficient nutrient absorption and distribution mechanisms, they are poorly adapted to a sustainable agricultural system which limits the need for excess fertiliser. Drs Laura Carrillo and Joaquin Medina of the Centre of Biotechnology and Genomics (CBGP) in Madrid, Spain, investigated the […]

Creating a paradigm shift in plant breeding and plant phenotyping

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Innovative plant breeding strategies accessing the beneficial relationships between soil microbes and plants could help develop varieties that are more resilient to climate change and soil conditions. Dr Omirou and Dr Fasoula at the Agricultural Research Institute, Cyprus, describe how moving away from conventional multi-plant, densely-grown field plots, and using innovative selection designs fitted to individual plants grown at ultra-wide […]

More and better crops: Beyond the science and access to technology

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With hunger still a global problem, solutions to achieve food security are more important than ever. Plant breeding for crop improvement remains one of the answers, but the sector faces many issues that don’t involve scientific innovations within breeding itself. Processes and mindsets need to be changed in order to maximise efficiency within the sector, and some organisations are doing […]