Rice and maize yields boosted up to 10 per cent by CRISPR gene editing

By Chen Ly.

A new study shows that turning off a particular gene in maize and rice could increase yields by 10% and 8%. Global crop production could be boosted by exploring similar genes in other cereals.

Maize and rice are staple foods around the world, and each has a distinct history of being cultivated for large-scale consumption. It is thought that maize and rice came from Mexico and China, respectively. Despite the independent evolution of these species, plant biologists have noted that they possess some very similar characteristics. convergent evolution is what this is.

The genomes of maize and rice were mapped to see if they were related.

490 pairs of genes seemed to serve the same functions in both grains.