Taipei: Taiwanese scientists have successfully engineered plants that can capture approximately 50% more carbon dioxide (CO2) and produce more than twice the number of seeds compared to unmodified plants. This breakthrough is seen as a potential solution to mitigate global warming and enhance the growth of staple crops such as rice.
According to Focus Taiwan, the innovative system introduced into plant cells could reduce CO2 emissions and raise crop yields without additional equipment or labor costs. Lu Kuan-jen, a researcher at Academia Sinica, emphasized the potential benefits of this development at a recent event, highlighting its significance in addressing the imbalance in the carbon cycle caused by rising CO2 emissions.
Academia Sinica President James Liao explained that human-made CO2 emissions since the Industrial Revolution have disrupted the natural carbon cycle, which moves carbon between the air, land, oceans, and living organisms. Liao's research focuses on enhancing photosynthesis, the process by which plants convert light, water, and CO2 into oxygen and sugars, to improve CO2 capture efficiency.
Liao's team began their research about 20 years ago, eventually introducing a synthetic biochemical system into thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana) through gene transformation. Tests revealed that the modified plants had a 50% increase in CO2 uptake compared to unmodified ones.
Lu, a lead author of the study published in the journal Science, referred to the gene-edited plants as "magic plants" due to their faster growth. The plants operate a second carbon-fixation system alongside the natural one, making them the first with two such systems. This innovation increases lipid production in the plants' leaves and seeds, doubling or tripling their biomass and boosting seed and oil production.
The research aims to address future food supply challenges for crops like rice and corn and provide a sustainable feedstock for aviation fuel and chemical industries. However, researchers caution that plant species vary in growth regulation, complicating estimates of additional CO2 capture if the system is applied to other crops.
Lu noted that even a modest 10% increase in carbon fixation across crops could surpass the amount of carbon emitted by human activity. The system could be applied to leafy vegetables and grains to enhance yields and bolster global food security.
Academia Sinica has assembled a team to advance this research, with the next phase focusing on testing the system in major crops such as rice and tomatoes. Agricultural Biotechnology Research Center Director Yeh Kuo-chen highlighted the importance of this ongoing research.
Despite the significant scientific advance, Liao warned that commercial applications remain distant due to the need for genetic stability and regulatory compliance for genetically modified crops.