Using the power of CRISPR to revolutionize how we feed the world.
The global production of food produces 34% of greenhouse gases worldwide. This figure is projected to grow to 50% by 2050 if left unchecked. At the IGF, we support work to mitigate the effects of climate change and to help increase the sustainability of crops grown around the world.
Reduction of greenhouse gases produced during rice cultivation through microbiome editing.
Rice cultivation is responsible for some 10-15% of global methane greenhouse gas, and the IGI is working to decrease this.
Microbiome editing: Methane is produced in rice paddies during cultivation, but it isn’t the plants themselves but the microbial community around the plant roots that is responsible. IGI investigators are doing genomic and chemical analysis of the soil microbiome of rice paddies to isolate the microbial sources of methane emissions, with the aim of developing targeted interventions to eliminate GHG emissions associated with rice cultivation without impacting yield.
Increasing carbon deposition into the soil through elongation of plant roots.
The IGI wants to help increase the deposition of carbon into the world’s depleted soils.
Root elongation: Work is being performed to increase the length of roots in the soil. In particular, these experiments are being carried out in rice and the cover crop sorghum.
Increasing the efficiency of photosynthesis: Experiments are being carried out to boost photosynthesis in plants to help remove carbon dioxide from the air and capture it in root exudate.
Increase the plant/microbe interface: the interactions between plants and microbes, microbes and microbes, and soil and microbes are being studies to increase stability of soil deposition of carbon rich exudates.
Improving crop sustainability and plant adaption in a changing world.
The IGI has several projects to address increasing agricultural sustainability:
Wheat: Protecting the food supply from wheat blast and future pandemics using resistance gene stacking.
Cacao: Shielding 50% of the global cacao supply grown in West Africa from swollen shoot virus.
Banana: Developing genome-editing protections to the global banana supply from Fusarium fungal infections.
Rice: increasing water use efficiency by lowering stomatal density while maintaining yield.