This Odd Little Plant Could Help Turbocharge Crop Yields

By Boyce Thompson

An international team of researchers has uncovered a remarkable molecular trick used by a unique group of land plants, one that could eventually be engineered into crops like wheat and rice to dramatically boost how efficiently they convert sunlight into food. The study was published in Science.

The study, led by researchers at the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI), Cornell University, and the University of Edinburgh, focuses on a fundamental problem in agriculture: the enzyme responsible for capturing carbon dioxide from the air during photosynthesis—called Rubisco—is slow and inefficient.

"Rubisco is arguably the most important enzyme on the planet because it's the entry point for nearly all carbon in the food we eat," said BTI Associate Professor Fay-Wei Li, who co-led the research. "But it's slow and easily distracted by oxygen, which wastes energy and limits how efficiently plants can grow."