Researchers Produce Library of Onion Traits for Global Food Security
August 5, 2011| |
Dr. Andrew Taylor, a scientist at the University of Warwick's School of Life Sciences, has developed a unique set of information regarding the disease resistance of 96 onion varieties from Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Africa, India, the U.S., and Japan. The data can be used by breeders to produce onion varieties that can resist Fusarium oxysporum which causes basal rot in onions, and at the same time respond well with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, which is beneficial to onions. This improved interaction would aid in nutrient uptake of onions, thus decreasing the amount of fertilizer needed. The beneficial fungi also have the potential to increase disease resistance and drought tolerance.
This research funded by the United Kingdom's Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) will contribute significantly to global food security, especially in areas experiencing high temperature because basal rot fungi is more active in those areas.
A Defra spokesperson said that "this important research shows how farmers can farm smarter – producing crops that are naturally resistant to rot and disease can help them reduce the amount of fertilizer and pesticides they need in our changing climate."
Read the news release at http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases/research_helps_breeders.
| |
Biotech Updates is a weekly newsletter of ISAAA, a not-for-profit organization. It is distributed for free to over 22,000 subscribers worldwide to inform them about the key developments in biosciences, especially in biotechnology. Your support will help us in our mission to feed the world with knowledge. You can help by donating as little as $10.
-
See more articles:
-
News from Around the World
- Online Consultation on Food Security
- A Further Boost for Strategic Biosafety Research by Biosafety South Africa
- Nigeria to Use Biotech to Address Food Problem
- Brazil Registers Growth in GM Plantings
- Danforth Center Scientists Discover a Method to Reduce Cyanogens in Cassava
- Outstanding Stress Resistance Found in Swedish Soybeans
- Agriscience Awards Honor Innovators
- Some Plants Duplicate their Chromosomes to Overcome Distress
- Media Practitioners Enlightened About Biotechnology's Role in Changing Climate
- GM Tech a Must in Bangladesh for Food Security and Poverty Alleviation, says Ag Minister
- China Reports on Agricultural IP Creation
- Thailand Positive towards Biotech in Development Plan
- Pakistan and Turkmenistan to Collaborate on Agricultural Research
- Chemist and Biotechnologist, Among the Conferred Members of the Philippine S&T Academy
- Scientists Recognized During the Philippine Science and Technology Week
- Seminars on Biotech Potato Breeding in Indonesia
- GM Crops, a Must Have in Indonesia to Mitigate Climate Change
- Epigenetic "Memory" Key to Nature vs Nurture
- Researchers Produce Library of Onion Traits for Global Food Security
- EFSA Releases Scientific Opinion on Post Market Environmental Monitoring of GMPs
-
Research Highlights
- Effects of GM Wheat with Resistance to Powdery Mildew on Non-target Insect Herbivores
- Increase in Antioxidant Activity of Soybean using a New Transformation Protocol
- Biologists Study Genetic Mechanism Involved in Shade Responses of Grasses
-
Beyond Crop Biotech
- Newly Designed Molecule Blocks Chlamydia
-
Announcements
- AUSBiOTECH 2011 Conference in Adelaide
- International Chromosome and Genetics Conference
- The 3rd ASEAN Food Security Conference in Jakarta
-
Resources
- CAST Website Relaunched
-
Read the latest: - Biotech Updates (April 24, 2024)
- Gene Editing Supplement (April 24, 2024)
- Gene Drive Supplement (February 22, 2023)
-
Subscribe to BU: - Share
- Tweet