Award details

Application of the plastidic E3 ligase SP1 in crop improvement, using tomato and rice as models

Reference	BB/R005591/1
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor Paul Jarvis
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	University of Oxford
Department	Plant Sciences
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	152,584
Status	Completed
Type	Research Grant
Start date	07/03/2018
End date	06/03/2019
Duration	12 months

Abstract

unavailable

Summary

The human population is growing rapidly and set to reach 9bn by 2050, and there are ever-increasing pressures on natural resources. Thus, the drivers for increased crop yields and productivity, and for resilience to climate change and sub-optimal growing conditions, are stronger than ever. To meet these demands it will be essential to develop new, improved crop varieties. Through research on the model plant Arabidopsis, we recently made a significant breakthrough that may have important implications for crop yields and food security. We discovered a gene called SP1 that controls many important aspects of plant development. More specifically, SP1 regulates the development of structures inside plant cells called chloroplasts, which are responsible for photosynthesis. By altering SP1 activity in crops, we believe that we will be able to exert control over diverse aspects of crop development, including fruit ripening, grain development, stress tolerance, leaf aging, and crop yield.

Committee	Not funded via Committee
Research Topics	Crop Science, Plant Science
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	Follow-On Fund (FOF) [2004-2015]
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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