The most abundant protein on the planet is an enzyme called ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, better known as RuBisCO. Its critical role in photosynthesis makes life as we know it on earth possible. What it does is convert carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into the organic matter contained in plants.
Getting plants to take up more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is a key strategy for mitigating climate change. Planting lots of trees is one way to do it. Another is to get individual plants to capture more carbon dioxide.
Scientists at the University of Illinois have focused on getting plants to produce more RuBisCO which allows them to grow faster, consuming more carbon dioxide in the process.
Some plants are better than others at taking advantage of the earth’s rising carbon dioxide levels. Among these are food crops like corn, sugarcane, and sorghum. Such plants’ growth is not primarily limited by how much carbon dioxide is in the atmosphere but rather by how much RuBisCO is in their leaves. The Illinois scientists tweaked genes in corn and sorghum to produce plants containing more RuBisCO. Laboratory experiments on corn demonstrated faster corn growth. Recent outdoor field experiments on sorghum demonstrated a 16% boost in its growth rate.
Improving photosynthesis in this way is not only a potential strategy for increasing plants’ ability to combat climate change. It is also a way to cope with the world’s increasing demand for food by producing crops that can grow larger and more quickly.
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Scientists Engineer Crops to Consume More Carbon Dioxide
Photo, posted April 12, 2016, courtesy of K-State Research and Extension via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio
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