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CGIAR focus on gene editing crops for a food and income secure future
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CGIAR focus on gene editing crops for a food and income secure future

  1. NewsletterHappenings In-house version 16 October 2020, No.1876 Speaking during the second webinar of the One CGIAR Global Series on Gene Editing, lead plant molecular biologists from multiple CGIAR centers presented the use of gene editing to beat pests and diseases, overcoming heavy metal contamination, and improving nutritional and architectural traits. “The vision of CGIAR breeding is to have world-class breeding programs to have CGIAR-and National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) breeding networks that generate genetic gains above 1.5% per annum. And the average area-weighted age of varieties in farmers’ fields to be less than 10 years,” Dr Michael Quinn, Director, CGIAR Excellence in Breeding Platform (EiB), said outlining the intent for using new technologies like gene editing. Dr Quinn stated that EiB sets targets, standards and helps with breeding teams to achieve them. Stressing that the current rate of production gain in major cereal crops will not meet projected demand and increase in legumes, roots, tubers and banana production is essential to meet SDG goals in the face of climate change and increasing population. He went on to explain how traditional breeding pipelines are reconceptualized in their modern avatars as cyclic models, where new technologies significantly help in shortening the breeding cycle time. “The opportunities from gene editing are huge. It can make for genetic gains in ways and for traits that conventional breeding cannot. The collective impact is greater for breeding technologies and gene editing will likely be no different,” he said while emphasizing that we need to understand how to use gene editing synergistically with other technologies. Molecular biologists at multiple CGIAR centers shared information about gene editing work underway at the centers and at partnering organizations. Most of the gene editing work shared is being done using knock-out or knock-down approaches without introducing foreign genes. Maize Dr Kanwarpal Dhugga, who is leading the Agriculture Biotechnology program at CIMMYT, and CIMMYT Webinar CGIAR focus on gene editing crops for a food and income secure future molecular biologist Dr Zhengyu Wen, explained their work to develop maize resistant to Maize Lethal Necrosis (MLN). The first approach involves multiple edits in a fine- mapped QTL of about 100 kb to identify the causal allele for resistance. The edits were done in elite lines, Dr Dhugga stressed. The QTL for MLN resistance was identified after observing strong resistance to MLN, usually caused by a combined infection with Maize Chlorotic Mottle virus and other Potyviruses like Sugarcane Mosaic Virus, in an elite line in Thailand. Currently, the edited plants are being screened in a greenhouse. Dr Wen described the second approach that involves knocking out genes responsible for proteins involved in mRNA translation. These proteins, called Eukaryotic Translation Initiation Factors (eIF), are also the plant’s natural defense mechanism against viruses; mutations in eIF genes have helped plants develop durable resistance to viruses, Dr Wen explained. In the case of maize, four eIF genes are known in the genome. With a high degree of efficiency, the team knocked out each of these individually and in combination through gene editing in two elite lines to get plants to resist MLN. Rice Mentioning the use of gene editing to study function, including modifying a popular vector to develop a versatile plasmid DNA, Dr Inez Slamet-Loedin, Cluster Leader of Trait and Genome Engineering at IRRI, highlighted the gene function studies underway at IRRI and CIAT. These include understanding genes responsible for potential trait development of hybrid
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