Chinese scientists hoping wild ancestor of corn can help improve food security
- Researchers have identified a gene that helps boost the protein content in corn, a development that could reduce the need for soybean imports
- Scientists say as well as the implications for food security, their findings may also cut the amount of fertiliser needed
Chinese researchers have discovered a key gene in the wild ancestor of corn that could help increase its protein content and reduce the use of fertiliser.
The researchers inserted the gene into China’s most widely planted corn variety and found that its protein content increased by 4 per cent.
Each 1 per cent increase in corn protein content means China can reduce annual soybean imports by 8 million tonnes, according to the official China Science Daily newspaper.
China is the world’s largest consumer of soybeans and it imports about 100 million tonnes a year.
Their findings, published in Nature last week, have significant implications for food security and the development of sustainable agriculture, reviewers of the study told the newspaper.
The wild ancestor of corn, teosinte, has three times the seed protein content of modern varieties. However, during the domestication process, the protein content fell from 20-30 per cent in teosinte to 5-10 per cent in modern corn hybrids.