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Two studies report the use of paternal haploids to enable one-step transfer of cytoplasmic male sterility in maize and broccoli, which resolves a key technical bottleneck in hybrid crop breeding.
The promoter PSCBV-YZ2060 cloned from the sugarcane bacilliform virus is shown to be induced by drought in sugarcane and Arabidopsis plants and is a potential alternative promoter for genetic engineering of drought-resistant transgenic crops.
An efficient method of cyto-swapping by haploid induction using a CENH3 mutation is reported in maize, to convert commercial germplasm to cytoplasmic male sterility for hybrid seed production.
Han et al. develop BoCENH3 mutants which trigger paternal haploid induction in Brassica oleracea. On the basis of this haploid inducer line, a workable system is proposed for transferring cytoplasmic male sterility to broccoli inbred lines.
Two studies report the use of paternal haploids to enable one-step transfer of cytoplasmic male sterility in maize and broccoli, which resolves a key technical bottleneck in hybrid crop breeding.
Climate change is exacerbating challenges both for global food production and from its environmental impacts. Sustainable and socially responsible solutions for future world-wide food security are urgently needed.
Previous genetic engineering of plant secondary cell walls targeted its core polymers to facilitate their extractability. The ectopic introduction of the polymer callose into poplar wood secondary cell walls modifies the ultrastructure of cellulose microfibril aggregates and suggests new avenues when considering biomass genetic engineering.