b'ON THE EDGEDiscovery of Sorghum Gene that Controls BirdHarnessing Tomato Jumping Genes Could Help Feeding Could Help Protect Your Crop Speed-Breed Drought-Resistant CropsA single gene in sorghum controls bird feeding behaviourResearchers from the University of Cambridges Sainsbury by simultaneously regulating the production of bad-tastingLaboratory (SLCU) and Department of Plant Sciences have molecules and attractive volatiles, according to a studydiscovered that drought stress triggers the activity of a family of published Sept. 23, 2019, in the journal Molecular Plant. Thisjumping genes (Rider retrotransposons) previously known to gene, called Tannin1, controls the synthesis of bird-deterringcontribute to fruit shape and colour in tomatoes.astringent polyphenols called tannins. The authors suggest the findings could lead to novel control strategies to protect major cereal crops worldwide. Transposons, more commonly called Damage by birds causes great loss to agricultural production worldwide. With cereal crops, birds cause damage by peckingjumping genes, are mobile snippets of seeds and sucking the juice of immature seeds, preventing fullDNA code that can copy themselves development of many grains and frequently encouraging mildews and other plant diseases. Currently, there are few efficient controlinto new positions within the genome.measures to protect field crops from bird damage. Some cereal crops most vulnerable to bird damage include wheat, barley, rice, sorghum, and millet. Sorghum is a majorTransposons, more commonly called jumping genes, are global cereal crop that is a steady source of calories for moremobile snippets of DNA code that can copy themselves into new than 500 million people worldwide and is also an importantpositions within the genomethe genetic code of an organism. source of biofuels. Sorghum yield losses caused by birdsThey can change, disrupt or amplify genes, or have no effect at have been reported to reach as high as 52 per cent. Someall. Discovered in corn kernels by Nobel prize-winning scientist evidence suggests that bird taste preferences depend onBarbara McClintock in the 1940s, scientists are increasingly various properties of sorghum, but the underlying molecular orrealizing that transposons are not junk at all but actually play an chemical basis has not been clear. important role in the evolutionary process, and in altering gene By conducting a genome-wide association study, co-seniorexpression and the physical characteristics of plants.study authors Qi Xie and Yaorong Wu of the Chinese AcademyTheir characterization of Rider, published in PLOS Genetics, of Sciences discovered that Tannin1 regulates bird feedingrevealed that the Rider family is also present and potentially behaviour. The sorghum lines avoided by birds contain theactive in other plants, including economically important crops wild-type version of Tannin1, while the bird-preferred sorghumsuch as rapeseed, beetroot and quinoa. This highlights its lines have a mutated version of the gene.Source: Cell Press potential as a source of new trait variations that could help plants better cope with more extreme conditions driven by our changing climate. This wide abundance encourages further Soap from Straw: Scientists Develop Eco-Friendlyinvestigations into how it can be activated in a controlled Ingredient from Agricultural Waste way, or reactivated or re-introduced into plants that currently A scientist has discovered a way of using one of the worlds mosthave inactive Rider elements so that their trait diversification abundant natural resources as a replacement for man-madepotential can be regained. Such an approach has the potential chemicals in soaps and thousands of other household products. to significantly reduce breeding time compared to traditional An innovative research project, published this month andmethods. Source: University of Cambridge Sainsbury Laboratoryled by the University of Portsmouth, has demonstrated that bails of rice straw could create a biosurfactant, providing an alternative non-toxic ingredient in the production of a vastStudy Opens Door to Flood-Resistant Cropsvariety of products that normally include synthetic materials,Of all the major food crops, rice is the only crop that can survive which are often petroleum based. flooding. New research conducted by scientists at the University of The biotechnology project set out to solve one of the planetsCalifornia Riverside (UC Riverside) could soon change this as some most pressing environmental problems, looking for a way ofof the genes involved in adaptation in rice also exist in other plants. reducing the amount of man-made chemicals in everyday life.The scientists found that a wild-growing tomato, a tomato for It has been co-supervised by the University of Portsmouthsfarming, and a plant similar to alfalfa share at least 68 gene families Centre for Enzyme Innovation, working in conjunction withthat are activated as a response to flooding. The UC Riverside team Amity University in India and the Indian Institute of Technology. hopes to use the knowledge about rice in activating the genes in The study was looking for a natural replacement for chemicalother plants to help them survive waterlogging.surfactants, a main active ingredient in the production ofThe research team examined cells located at the roots tips, cleaning products, medicine, sun cream, make-up andas roots are the first responders to flood. Root tips and shoot insecticides. Source: University Of Portsmouth buds are also where the plants prime growing potential resides. These two regions contain cells that can help a plant become more resilient to flooding. Source: ISAAA120seed.ab.ca'