Cornell and Yale Awarded US$ 5.5 Mil to Study Cereal Crops

The United States National Science Foundation (NSF) has granted Cornell and Yale Universities a four-year US$5.5 million grant to study the biology of major cereal crops like rice, wheat and maize. The scientists will specifically compare two groups of crops: the C3 plants, which includes wheat, rice and soybean, and C4s like sorghum, maize and switchgrass. The crops are grouped based on the efficiency of their carbon dioxide fixation. C4 plants are more efficient than C3s in their photosynthesis when exposed to higher temperatures and intense sunlight. They can also create more biomass during stress conditions.

The scientists are interested in finding out what is needed for a plant to go from a C3 organization to a C4 organization. Several C3 plants, like tobacco, have cells capable of fixing carbon dioxide via the C4 pathway. The study will provide basic understanding on the differences in gene regulation and protein accumulation between the groups. By establishing the difference among C4 and C3 plants, the researchers will contribute to the effort led by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to introduce C4 characteristics to C3 species like rice, therefore increasing biomass production and grain yield.

Read the press release at http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Jan08/NSFGrant.kr.html