Improving Crops with Cutting-Edge Technology
Cassava is a vital crop for over half a billion people in more than 80 countries, but it is also plagued by cassava bacterial blight (CBB), a devastating disease that causes widespread crop losses. However, recent research from the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and collaborators at the University of California at Los Angeles and the University of Hawaii at Manoa offers hope for improving this crucial crop.
Targeting Methylation to Improve Disease Resistance
The research team has demonstrated that epigenome editing technology can reduce CBB symptoms in cassava plants while maintaining normal growth and development. This was achieved through the use of targeted methylation to introduce an agronomic trait that improves disease resistance to CBB. The resulting cassava plants showed smaller and less intense symptoms of the disease on their leaves.
Understanding Epigenetics and Methylation
Epigenetics is a natural process used by cells to control gene expression without changing the DNA sequence. Methylation is one type of DNA ‘decoration’ that helps regulate gene expression. This research demonstrates the potential for using epigenome editing to improve crops by targeting methylation to specific sites in the epigenome.
Translating Model Systems to Real-World Applications
The research was the result of a long-standing collaboration between Danforth Center scientists and Steve Jacobsen’s lab at UCLA. The team was able to successfully transfer knowledge from a model plant system, Arabidopsis, to the important food security crop, cassava. This highlights the potential for the methodology to be replicated successfully in many other plant systems in the future.
Continuing the Work for Improved Crop Yields
The Bart lab is continuing to investigate cassava bacterial blight and other factors that limit cassava yields, including viruses. The researchers are also growing plants in Hawaii to test the heritability of their new CBB-resistance trait across generations. With their work, the team hopes to develop novel control strategies for additional diseases and improve yields for farmers globally.
