An international team of researchers has, for the first time, demonstrated that by fixing a common glitch in photosynthesis, a crop's yield could be improved by around 40 percent. The landmark study suggests optimizing a plant's photosynthetic efficiency could significantly increase worldwide food productivity.
Photosynthesis, the process by which a plant converts light energy into chemical energy, is not a wholly efficient process. A key stage in the photosynthesis process involves an enzyme called RuBisCO grabbing carbon dioxide molecules. However, around 25 percent of the time RuBisCO incorrectly collects oxygen molecules instead, creating a plant-toxic byproduct that disrupts the entire photosynthesis process. Photorespiration is the process plants use to remove these problematic byproducts.
"Photorespiration is anti-photosynthesis," explains Paul South, lead author on the new research. "It costs the plant precious energy and resources that it could have invested in photosynthesis to produce more growth and yield."
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4 comments:
AAAAHHHHHH! So now this solves CO2 emissions!
Life is good!
Of they keep screwing around with plants, sooner or later we will end up with a huge famine. Control the food supply, you control the population.
No more excess CO2, no more global warming and more oxygen for the planet, including the oceans. But wait, there's a down side, too.
Goody Goody! That'll mean so much more of the two-legged infestation the planet is suffering from!
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