New GM soya beans give 25% greater yield in global food security boost

A 25% greater yield was achieved by genetically modified soya beans that were designed to absorb light more efficiently.

Genetic engineering can be used to target the photosynthesis process in food crops. It would take decades to achieve the improvements seen through this type of intervention.

According to the most recent UN food security report, nearly 10% of the world's population was hungry last year, up from 8% in 2019.

Right now, this result is important. There are one out of 10 people who are not getting enough to eat. The director of the research project said that this is the biggest health crisis on the planet.

More than 25 years ago, Long began investigating how to improve photosynthesis.

Plants use genes to shield themselves from bright sunlight, which can bleach leaves if they absorb more energy than they can use for growth. Plants have a mechanism to get rid of excess energy through heat.

quenching kicks in instantly in bright sunlight. It takes up to half an hour for the process to switch off again, which means that if a cloud passes overhead, plants are wasting energy.

A soya bean breeder would spend an entire career trying to get that kind of increase in yield.

The soya bean plant became more responsive to lower light conditions, thanks to the modified genes. The modified soya beans had an increase in yield of 25% in five large trials. Compared to soya beans, which is one of the most intensively grown crops on the planet, there has been a 1% improvement in yield.

It is gratifying to see such a great result for the team after years of hard work.

The results were described as "very impressive" by Prof Jonathan Jones. Jones, who was not involved in the research, said he was amazed at how well it worked. It would take an entire career to get that kind of increase in yield.

Critics questioned if the increase in leaf growth seen in tobacco would translate to an improved yield of seeds or beans in a food crop. The team hopes the work published in the journal Science will clear up doubts. The soya bean is a breakthrough.

It suggests that the approach could be used for more than just rice, wheat and cassava.

The technology will be made freely available to farmers in developing nations with the help of a grant from the UK Foreign Office. Current laws prevent GM crops from being grown commercially in the UK and EU.

Major agricultural companies would be interested in licensing the technology. Why don't you? He said that it was a good thing. It would be great if Gates could charge a hefty royalty that would go towards food security research.