A new variety of disease-resistant rice has been developed for use in Africa, where farmers have been dealing with ruined crops that threaten food security.
Many regions are seeing rice plants decimated by bacterial blight, a common but deadly disease in plants caused by the spread of bacteria. In the past five years, this has caused significant yield losses of rice, which is one of the most important global food staples.
An international team of researchers from the Healthy Crops consortium used genome-editing technology to create a rice crop that isn't impacted by bacterial blight in collaboration with Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO).
"Due to climate change, incidences of rice diseases including [bacterial blight] have been on the rise in Kenyan rice growing areas. This has increased the cost of production among rice farmers, thereby reducing their returns," said Dr. Emily Gichuhi from KALRO.
If the rice is approved for use by farmers, it's expected to shrink their losses, soften production prices, and increase productivity.
"The combination of two different sets of enzymes for editing enabled us to develop a robust resistance," said Bing Yang, a professor at the University of Missouri who developed the genomic editing approach.
Scientists do this kind of research to protect the plants we eat and ensure that the global food supply is secure. It also helps curb waste and pollution in the food industry.
We have a better chance at fighting world hunger with healthy, disease-resistant crops, which provide 80% of the food we eat and 98% of the oxygen we breathe, according to the United Nations.
Farmed plants often face threats from disease and adverse weather, and when harvests are impacted, the cost can rise for both the farmers and consumers. Inflation at the grocery store is still a major concern for customers, with product shortages and skyrocketing prices.
Efficient agriculture is so important that a startup from Google is using machine learning and data to create new varieties of crops that require less water and fewer resources with a smaller environmental impact.
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