
Details:
feature
article in Agricultural Research magazine. Meeting Crop Research Challenges in the Next
Century By Jan Suszkiw December 23, 1999Across the country, Agricultural Research
Service scientists continue to explore new ways to make sure 21st century
crops will meet humankinds voracious food, fiber and fuel needs. At ARS scientist Don Orts Photosynthesis Research Lab, in
Urbana, Ill., the effort begins with tweaking the biochemical machinery by
which plants make their food. But not all plants carry out photosynthesis to
their full potential. Soybeans, for example, rely on the enzyme rubisco to capture carbon dioxide,
a basic carbohydrate building block. Along with CO2, soybeans rubisco
also captures oxygen. This happens about 20 percent of the time--but not if
Urbana researchers can intervene. With biotechnology, theyre genetically
replacing soybeans natural rubisco with an enzyme filched from green
algae. If successful, the switch could enable soybean plants to
capture CO2 more quickly, improving photosynthetic efficiency. Orts lab isnt the only one exploring new ways to fortify 21st
century crops. New Orleans-based researcher Peter Cotty, for example, is
perfecting a biopesticide to battle Aspergillus fungi. Certain
Aspergillus species can contaminate cotton and other seed with
aflatoxin, a potent carcinogen. Cotton growers and processors can suffer losses
when seed contamination levels exceed federal limits for human and animal
safety. In some spray tests, the biopesticide reduced aflatoxin contamination
by 90 percent, and awaits commercial registration. At the ARS Vegetable
Lab, led by Autar Mattoo in Beltsville, Md., researchers are improving the
nutritional offerings of vegetable crops. With biotechnology and conventional
breeding, theyve produced new tomato lines rich in beta carotene, and
lycopene, an antioxidant. At Fort Collins, Colo., ARS
National
Seed Storage Lab is home to a collection of 327,236 specimens of seed and
other plant materials. Practiced in the art of plant cryopreservation,
researchers there can extend a seeds life span for hundreds of years,
helping secure genetic diversity for tomorrows crops. A longer article about 21st century plant research appears in the December
issue of Agricultural Research magazine. Click
here to
view it on the web. ARS is the chief scientific agency in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Contact: To reach scientists mentioned in this story, contact Jan
Suszkiw, ARS Information Staff, Beltsville, Md., phone (301) 504-1630, fax
(301) 504-1641, [email protected]. Story contacts Photosynthesis Research Peter J Cotty Autar K Mattoo Jan R Suszkiw U.S. Department of Agriculture | |