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1 year ago
Study a step toward disease-resistant crops, sustainability
Wednesday, 12 November 2008
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http://www.nerve.in/news:253500180873
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First using the corn genome, the method will add to the collection of useful alleles, or pairs of genes, that create certain traits. This will improve crop gene diversity, a quality that dwindles as crops are bred. Since natural selection has preserved such alleles, they likely confer a selective advantage that increases the ability of plants to survive, Johal said.
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By
Purdue University
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - A five-year study that could help increase disease resistance, stress tolerance and plant yields is under way at Purdue University.
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The $4 million project uses a new technique called mutant-assisted gene identification and characterization, or MAGIC, to identify potentially useful gene combinations in crop species.
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If we can understand these genes better, we could engineer plants to be immune to most diseases, said principal investigator Guri Johal, an associate professor of botany and plant pathology.
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First using the corn genome, the method will add to the collection of useful alleles, or pairs of genes, that create certain traits. This will improve crop gene diversity, a quality that dwindles as crops are bred. Since natural selection has preserved such alleles, they likely confer a selective advantage that increases the ability of plants to survive, Johal said.
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The MAGIC technique is described in a review article published this month in the journal
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