An international team of researchers has identified a novel mechanism in barley plants that could help growers achieve high yields as temperatures rise.

With grain production highly sensitive to changing environmental conditions, rising temperatures are known to reduce the number of seeds that can be produced by each plant. One solution is to increase the number of flowers or branches on each spike.

In a study published in Nature Plants, research led by Professor Dabing Zhang from the University of Adelaide’s Waite Research Institute and Shanghai Jiao Tong University explored the possibility of increasing seed production through the reproductive mechanisms in plants that respond to high temperatures.

“By having a better understanding of the genes underpinning desirable plant traits in response to temperature, scientists can offer insights into breeding climate-smart plants to sustain productivity,” says co-author Associate Professor Matthew Tucker, deputy director of the Waite Research Institute.

In the study, Professor Zhang’s team found a novel mechanism by which a barley protein – known as HvMADS1 – regulates the number of flowers generated on each spike in response to high temperatures. The researchers were able to demonstrate that HvMADS1 is critical in maintaining an unbranched barley spike under high ambient temperatures.

Using gene editing, the researchers were able to generate new plants that lack HvMADS1 function, effectively converting an unbranched barley spike into a branched structure, bearing more flowers at high ambient temperatures.

“This could ultimately result in the production of more grain per plant,” says lead author Dr Gang Li, from the Waite Research Institute.

Omega-3 canola wins approval for aquatic feed

Friend of the Sea, the pre-eminent certification standard for products and services that respect and protect the marine environment, has announced it has certified Aquaterra, a Nuseed product, for sustainable aquatic feed production. The fish feed, derived from GM canola, is the world’s first non-marine source of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids and it is also Friend of the Sea’s first biotechnology certification.

“The Friend of the Sea certification confirms Nuseed’s commitment to responsible agriculture and solving environmental challenges through the power of plants. Aquaterra has the potential to double the world’s supply of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid, a type of omega-3 fat) without pressuring ocean resources,” says Benita Boettner, Nuseed’s nutritional general manager.

Nuseed collaborated with CSIRO and GRDC to develop canola seed with a unique profile that includes long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. The resulting oil is a reliable land-based source of long-chain omega-3s that will help address the limitations of fish oil.

Following proof-of-concept and initial R&D work in Australia, Nuseed tapped into its global network to fast-track trials and regulatory approvals for full-scale production farming.

Field trials and extensive regulatory studies have confirmed the GM canola’s safety for human and animal consumption, as well as its value as an effective and reliable new source of omega-3s, an essential nutrient for human and fish health.

NSW Government ban on GM crops officially lifted

The NSW Government has announced the lapse of the 18-year moratorium on the use of genetically modified (GM) crops.

“By lifting the ban, we hope to unlock the potential of GM crops for our state’s growers, delivering better yields with less inputs such as pesticides and growing more nutritious produce,” Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall said on 1 July.

“Adoption of GM technology is forecast to deliver up to $4.8 billion in total gross benefits across NSW primary industries over the next 10 years.”

The removal of the moratorium was welcomed by industry.

“With all mainland Australian state moratoria removed, we will see stronger research and innovation, which will facilitate access to current and future biotechnology crops approved for Australian farming,” says Matthew Cossey, CropLife Australia’s chief executive officer.

There have been exemptions under the NSW moratorium for cotton since the enactment of the legislation, and for canola since about 2007.  Additionally, all GM crops will have to be approved by the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator prior to being allowed to be grown.

Spotlight on genetic control of fall armyworm

Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda, FAW) is a highly migratory, invasive caterpillar pest native to tropical and subtropical regions in the Americas. Since 2016, FAW has spread quickly through Africa, the Indian subcontinent, China and South-East Asia.

It was first reported in Australia in February 2020 and quickly established across parts of northern Australia’s tropical and subtropical regions, including northern Queensland, the Northern Territory and northern parts of Western Australia. It has also been reported in the grain growing areas of Geraldton and Northam in WA and also in Victoria and Tasmania, but it is not established in these southern zones.

FAW is reported  to feed on more than 350 plant species, including crops such as maize, cotton, rice, sorghum, sugarcane, wheat and many other vegetable and fruit crops. In Australia, FAW populations have been detected on crops including maize, sorghum, chickpeas, soybeans, melons, green beans and some pastures.

In Brazil, research is underway in collaboration with UK-based Oxitec Ltd to develop a GM population of FAW that carries a self-limiting gene, which enables production of male-only insects.

After release into the field, these GM males will find and mate with wild females. The self-limiting gene is passed to their offspring. Trials of this technology are already underway.

In Australia, CSIRO is leading a research project to better understand the pest’s genetic make-up and insecticide sensitivities to help develop effective pest management plans.

In the USA, pest-resistant GM corn grown since the 1990s has had an impact in controlling the pest, even though it was not designed to specifically target FAW.

Australia plays role in research to genetically control mice

The explosion of the mice population throughout much of Australia’s grain growing region has drawn attention to rodent controls beyond baiting and trapping.

The Centre for Invasive Species Solutions recently announced a three-year program of genetic biocontrol research, which will identify fast-acting, targeted gene drives designed to spread an inherited characteristic through a population at higher-than-normal rates.

Scientists aim to interrupt the breeding cycle of mice and potentially other feral animals, which could keep populations at manageable levels.

The $1.8 million research program, led by Professor Paul Thomas from the University of Adelaide in collaboration with CSIRO, will test two strategies for population control and recommend at least one for future suppression of mice. The ‘X-shredder’ approach eliminates sperm carrying the X chromosome, producing more male than female offspring. The ‘female infertility’ approach spreads a genetic modification that would eventually make females infertile.

Australia is also a significant partner in a global consortium, the Genetic Biocontrol of Invasive Rodents (GBIRd) program, with the University of Adelaide, CSIRO and the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions all involved in advancing gene drive research. GBIRd is a partnership of geneticists, biologists, social scientists, ethicists and conservationists from research universities, government agencies and other not-for-profit organisations.

More information: Agricultural Biotechnology Council of Australia.

The Agricultural Biotechnology Council of Australia is an industry initiative established to increase public awareness of, and encourage informed debate and decision-making about, gene technology