Gene Editing Accelerates Early Maturing of Soybeans

A study published in the Plant Biotechnology Journal shows that the knockout of qFT13-3 speeds up the flowering and maturing time of soybeans under long-day conditions. This research did not have any adverse effect in terms of yield.

Soybeans are considered to be short-day crops. Soybeans hardly mature or bloom when planted in long-day conditions or more than 12 hours of light per day. This is mainly due to their high degree of photoperiod sensitivity toward flowering. Some flowering repressing genetic combinations also cause delays in flowering.

The researchers used CRISPR-Cas9 technique to create mutants exhibiting early flowering of soybeans without yield penalty under long-day conditions. The findings of the study offer substantial insights toward developing cultivars that are both early maturing and high-yielding in high-latitude regions.

For more information, read the article from Plant Biotechnology Journal.