BASF Partners with Cologne University to Develop Drought-Proof Crops
BASF Plant Science and the Botanical Institute of the University of Cologne announced that they will work together to increase the yield of crops such as soybean, rice and canola, and improve their tolerance to adverse environmental conditions like cold, drought and salinity. BASF and Cologne University will focus on developing crops that make optimum use of carbon dioxide during photosynthesis. Certain types of plants, like corn, are able to use more CO2 through an additional metabolic process. The objective of the current research project is to transfer this biochemical mechanism to other plants. Researchers at Cologne University have been successful in creating Arabidopsis plants that produce more biomass by inserting genes that encode for special enzymes. These enzymes ensure that the plant uses more carbon dioxide.
View the media release at http://www.basf.com/group/pressrelease/P-09-145
This article is part of the Crop Biotech Update, a weekly summary of world developments in agri-biotech for developing countries, produced by the Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology, International Service for the Aquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications SEAsiaCenter (ISAAA)
View Crop Biotech Update (
July 10, 2009
) Newsletter
Subscribe to Crop Biotech Update Newsletter
Crop Biotech Update Archive
Crop Biotech Update RSS
Biofuels Supplement RSS
