Liverpool, United Kingdom
June 19, 2008
Scientists at the
University of Liverpool are
investigating how a Madagascan plant could be used to help
produce crops in harsh environmental conditions.
The plant, Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi, is unique because, unlike
normal plants, it captures most of its carbon dioxide at night
when the air is cooler and more humid, making it 10 times more
water-efficient than major crops such as wheat. Scientists will
use the latest next-generation DNA sequencing to analyse the
plant’s genetic code and understand how these plants function at
night.
The project will generate a genome sequence database that will
be used as an Internet resource for plant biologists throughout
the world.
The research comes at a time when farmland across the globe
normally used for growing food such as rice and wheat is being
taken over by bio-fuel crops used for bioethanol production as a
petrol substitute. Scientists believe that the novel genes found
in Kalanchoe could provide a model of how bio-fuel plants could
be grown on un-utilised desert and semi-arid lands, rather than
on fertile farmland needed for producing food.
Biological scientist, Dr James Hartwell, said: “There is a lot
of concern over food shortage at the moment, with more farmland
being commandeered for bio-fuels. As a result of changes in our
climate the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has
predicted a large expansion of arid regions so there is an
increasing need for new crop varieties that can be productive in
deserts.
“Kalanchoe is a good example of how plants can flourish in harsh
environments. If we can understand how it is able to
photosynthesise using much less water than current crops, we may
be able to use its genetic code to develop a crop able to
withstand harsh environmental conditions. It is essential that
farmland be returned to food production.”
The genetic code of the plant will be deciphered using a DNA
sequencing machine that uses an enzyme found in fireflies as a
flash light to help read the DNA strand.
Liverpool is one of only two universities in the UK with the
technology, which can read up to half a billion DNA letters in a
few hours compared to more widely used technology that can only
process 50,000.
The project is funded by the
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
(BBSRC). |
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