Redesigning photosynthesis to sustainably meet global food and bioenergy demand

A - Papers appearing in refereed journals

Ort, D. R., Merchant, S. S., Alric, J., Barkan, A., Blankenship, R. E., Bock, R., Croce, R., Hanson, M. R., Hibberd, J. M., Long, S. P., Moore, T. A., Moroney, J., Niyogi, K. K., Parry, M. A. J., Peralta-Yahya, P. P., Prince, R. C., Redding, K. E., Spalding, M. H., Van Wijk, K. J., Vermaas, W. F. J., Von Caemmerer, S., Weber, A. P. M., Yates, T. O., Yuan, J. S. and Zhu, X-G. 2015. Redesigning photosynthesis to sustainably meet global food and bioenergy demand. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 112 (28), pp. 8529-8536. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1424031112

AuthorsOrt, D. R., Merchant, S. S., Alric, J., Barkan, A., Blankenship, R. E., Bock, R., Croce, R., Hanson, M. R., Hibberd, J. M., Long, S. P., Moore, T. A., Moroney, J., Niyogi, K. K., Parry, M. A. J., Peralta-Yahya, P. P., Prince, R. C., Redding, K. E., Spalding, M. H., Van Wijk, K. J., Vermaas, W. F. J., Von Caemmerer, S., Weber, A. P. M., Yates, T. O., Yuan, J. S. and Zhu, X-G.
Abstract

The world’s crop productivity is stagnating whereas population growth, rising affluence, and mandates for biofuels put increasing demands on agriculture. Meanwhile, demand for increasing cropland competes with equally crucial global sustainability and environmental protection needs. Addressing this looming agricultural crisis will be one of our greatest scientific challenges in the coming decades, and
success will require substantial improvements at many levels. We assert that increasing the efficiency and productivity of photosynthesis in crop plants will be essential if this grand challenge is to be met. Here, we explore an array of prospective redesigns of plant systems at various scales, all aimed at increasing crop yields through improved photosynthetic efficiency and performance. Prospects range from straightforward alterations, already supported by preliminary evidence of feasibility, to substantial redesigns that are currently only conceptual, but that may be enabled by new developments in synthetic biology. Although some proposed redesigns are certain to face obstacles that will require alternate routes, the efforts should lead to new discoveries and technical advances with important impacts on the global problem of crop productivity and bioenergy production.

KeywordsLight capture; Light conservation; Carbon capture; Carbon conservation; Smart canopy; Enabling plant biotechnology tools; Sustainable crop production
Year of Publication2015
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Journal citation112 (28), pp. 8529-8536
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1424031112
Open accessPublished as bronze (free) open access
Funder project or codeWheat
[20:20 Wheat] Maximising yield potential of wheat
Publisher's version
Publication dates
Online29 Jun 2015
Publication process dates
Accepted28 May 2015
PublisherNAS
National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Copyright licenseCC BY
ISSN0027-8424

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