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SUMMARY:Increasing Crop Productivity Sustainably by Bioengineering Improve
 d Photosynthetic Efficiency - Stephen Long\, University of Illinois
DTSTART:20171130T130000Z
DTEND:20171130T140000Z
UID:TALK82481@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:david baulcombe
DESCRIPTION:* Carl R. Woese Institute of Genomic Biology\, University of I
 llinois\, Urbana\, IL 61822\, USA.  \n\n* Lancaster Environment Centre\, U
 niversity of Lancaster\, Lancaster\, LA1 4YQ\, UK\, \n\nDemand for our maj
 or crops may rise 60% by 2050.  This is at a time when the increases in yi
 eld seen over the past 60 years are stagnating and global change poses a f
 urther threat to production.  In reality we have little more than one crop
  breeding cycle in which to insure against this projected global short-fal
 l.  The approaches of the Green Revolution are now approaching their biolo
 gical limits.  However\, photosynthesis\, which is among the best known of
  plant processes\, falls far below its theoretical efficiency in current c
 rop genotypes.  Theoretical analysis and in silico engineering have sugges
 ted a number of points at different levels of organization from metabolism
  to crop canopy structure where efficiency of light\, nitrogen and water u
 se could be improved[1].  Bioengineering\, both as a means and as a test o
 f concept\, has begun to validate some of these suggested improvements wit
 h substantially greater crop productivity.  This will be illustrated with 
 specific examples from our work where increased productivity in both C3 an
 d C4 crops has been achieved.  \n\n[1] Long S. et al. (2015) Cell 161: 56-
 66.\n
LOCATION:Department of Plant Sciences\, Large Lecture Theatre
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