Supercomputer Unlocks the Secrets of Plant Cells for More Resilient Crops

Scientists from the University of Melbourne and Queensland and IBM Research have been able to model the structure and dynamics of cellulose at the molecular level. Dr. Monika Doblin from the University of Melbourne said cellulose is a vital part of plant structure, but its synthesis is yet to be fully understood. "It's difficult to work on cellulose synthesis in vitro because once plant cells are broken open, most of the enzyme activity is lost, so we needed to find other approaches to study how it is made," Dr. Doblin said.

Using IBM's Blue Gene/Q supercomputer known as Avoca, the scientists were able to perform the quadrillions of calculations required to model the motions of cellulose atoms. The results show that within the cellulose structure, there are between 18 and 24 chains present within an elementary microfibril, much less than the 36 chains that had previously been assumed.

These insights could pave the way for more disease resistant varieties of crops and increase the sustainability of the pulp, paper, and fiber industry. According to IBM researcher Dr. Daniel Oehme, they are exploring ways to manipulate the composition of the wall to make it more resistant to diseases.

For more details, read the news release at the University of Melbourne website.