19.06.25
Researchers at the University of Oxford are to improve potato and wheat yields through a new innovative initiative after being awarded £6.7 million.
A £6.7 million investment from the Advanced Research and Invention Agency will drive an ambitious new initiative tackling one of the world’s most urgent challenges - how to feed a growing population in the fact of climate change and environmental degradation.
Lead by Oxford University’s Department of Biology and biotech firm Wild Bioscience Ltd, the initiative known as, Oxford Plastid Transformation for an Improved Sustainable Economy, targets the chloroplast genome, a part of the plant’s DNA involved in photosynthesis and nutrient efficiency. It will focus on developing synthetic chloroplast genomes to boost crop productivity and tolerance.
Project lead, Professor Steve Kelly said: "This project will deliver plants that align with multiple international definitions on precision-breeding organisms. The ‘designer’ aspect of these crops harness the enormous genetic potential in the wider crop gene pool."
With its focus on innovation, this investment has been welcomed by the ABC as a step toward reshaping agriculture.
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