Researchers Use Epigenetic Editing Technique to Fight Cassava Bacterial Blight
February 22, 2023| |
Pioneering research led by Rebecca Bart from Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and her collaborators at the University of California Los Angeles and the University of Hawaii at Manoa shows that epigenome editing can reduce cassava bacterial blight (CBB) symptoms in cassava plants while maintaining normal growth and development.
CBB is a devastating disease that causes crop losses worldwide. The new findings will not only increase cassava resistance to CBB, but it also has the potential to improve yields for farmers and lay the groundwork for using epigenome editing to improve other crops. The results of their work were recently published in the scientific journal Nature Communications.
The Bart lab continues to investigate CBB, including identifying the environmental factors that lead to outbreaks and the effects of global climate change on the disease. The research group is investigating the heritability of the new CBB-resistance trait, with plants currently growing in Hawaii to test inheritance across generations.
For more details, read the article in the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center.
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