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Developing ‘Less Thirsty’ Crops:
How biotech can help us get
more crop per drop
C. S. Prakash
Tuskegee University, Alabama, USA
[email protected]
www.agbioworld.org
Drought
• Extended period of deficiency in water supply
• A normal, recurring feature in most parts of the world
• Linked to many early Hunter-gatherer migrations
• Linked to ‘Out of Africa’Exodus
• Caused the collapse of Mayan civilization?
• 1967 Israel-Palestine conflict?
• Spurred Green Revolution in India?
•
Drought and Farming
• Most important environmental stress on farming
• Average 50% crop loss
•Agriculture - 75% of freshwater withdrawal
•Need more “crop per drop”
Recurring droughts
Horn of Africa and Southern
Africa:
• - ecological catastrophes
• - massive food shortages
Recently, parts of Amazon
basin and Australia
experienced the worst
drought in 100 years
Drought in Southern Africa Impact on vegetation
(Source: NASA)
Consequences of Drought
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Diminished crop and livestock production
Dust bowls
Famine due to lack of water for irrigation;
Habitat damage
Malnutrition, dehydration and related
diseases
Mass migration, internal displacement and
international refugees
Reduced electricity production
Shortages of water for industrial users
Social unrest
War over natural resources, including water
and food
(Source: Wikipedia)
Palmer Drought Severity Index
from 1948 to 2002
Source:www.odec.ca/projects/2005/pete5o0/public_html/Pages/Background.html
Water Footprint
Average national water footprint per capita (m3/cap/yr). 1997-2001.
Source: www.waterfootprint.org
Virtual Water
• Embedded water or hidden water
• Water used in the production of a good or
service In the context of trade
Source: http://technology.newscientist.com/
Drought and African Agriculture
• The WFP spent $0.565B of food
emergency to respond to drought
in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) in
2003
• Over 95% of cropland in SSA is
rain-fed and will remain so in the
near future
• The risk of drought prevents
investment in improved
agricultural products
 Yield stability is key to unlock the
value of basic inputs
Recorded droughts between 1971 and
2000, and the number of people affected
(Slide source: Dave Songstad, Monsato)
Potential for Drought Tolerant Crops
• Drought tolerance technology could help farmers
get the most from their inputs and management
practices and protect their investments in times of
water shortages
• Drought-tolerant biotech maize may be available to
American farmers after the turn of the decade
Developing drought tolerant
crops - strategies
Classical breeding - slow
but significant progress
• Reducing stature
• Earlier maturity
• Longer stomatal closure
• Limited
evapotranspiration
Developing drought tolerant
crops…
Marker-assisted selection
- Quantitative trait loci
- Polygenic nature of drought
tolerance
- May help in cloning useful genes
(e.g. ERECTA gene for transpiration efficiency)
Effect of Drought on Plants
• Series of morphological,
physiological, biochemical and
molecular changes adversely
affecting growth and productivity
Cellular response
• Stress protiens ( ROS scavenger,
chaperone etc.)
• Antioxidants
• Osmolytes
• Metabolites such as ABA
Physiological Traits related to
drought
• Stomatal conductance
• Photosynthetic capacity
& Pathway
• Stay green
• Rooting depth
• Osmotic adjustment
• Membrance compositon
• Stress-related proteins
Drought Tolerance
Drought Tolerance Product Concept
• Yield improvement through water use
efficiency
• Yield improvement from water deficit
tolerance
Benefits
• Yield Benefits and Stability
• Flexibility in Water Management
• Reduced Water Consumption, Cost
Savings
• Reduced Pressure on Fresh Water
Resources
• Reduced Soil Erosion
• (Photo courtesy: Monsanto Co.)
• Arabidopsis
•
• Rice
•
Candidate Genes for Drought
Regulatory Genes
• Transcription factors (AP2-ERF;
leucine-zipper, zinc-finger )
• Signaling factors (Protein kinases;
calcium sensors, ABA sensor
Functional Genes
• Osmolytes (Fructan, trehalose,
glycine betaine, mannitol,
polyamines, proline)
• Protective proteins (Chaperone)
• Heat shock proteins (LEA)
• Cold shock proteins (CSPa, CSPb)
• ROS-Scavenger
• ABA biosynthesis
Functionl Genomics
• NF - YB Transcription
factor (AtNF-YB1)
• Discovered by
Monsanto and Mendel
Biotech Scientists in
Arabidopsis
• Similar gene later
identified in Corn
(Nelson et al. 2007; PNAS)
Drought Tolerant Corn
Photo: Monsanto Co.
Genes from “resurrection plant”
 drought tolerant crops
(from Prof. Jennifer Thomson,
Univ of Cape Town)
Hydrated
Dehydrated
Rootworm-resistant corn
Control
Source: Monsanto Co
Transgenic
With insecticide
Rootworm-resistant corn under
drought conditions
Source: Monsanto co
Water Efficient Maize For
Africa (WEMA)
Joint effort of
• AATF
• CIMMYT
• Gates Foundation
• Monsanto
• NARS
To Successfully Deliver WEMA
PROJECT COMBINES 4 PARTNERS AND 3 PLANT TECHNOLOGY DISCIPLINES
THE PARTNERS
• AATF is leading the project
• CIMMYT and Monsanto will bring best in global maize
germplasm, testing and breeding methods, and biotech.
• NARS participation is a crucial part of testing products and
bringing WEMA to Sub-Saharan African farmers.
Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique & S. Africa
THE TECHNOLOGY
• Best global germplasm to combine new sources of drought
tolerance and African adaptation
• More rapid gains in conventional drought tolerance
through molecular breeding
• Additional drought tolerance obtained through
state-of-the-art biotechnology
WEMA Aims to Increase Yield
in Drought-Stressed Conditions
CONSISTENT YIELD AND BUFFERING AGAINST DROUGHT
 Best hybrid today under moderate drought conditions will yield 3.0t/ha (48 bu/ac)
 Marker Aided Breeding will contribute 1.5% yield increase per year under moderate
drought
 Additional 8-10% yield improvement through biotechnology
NEBRASKA FIELD TRIALS – 2007
CONTROL HYBRID
(76 BU/AC)
Discovery
Goal:
• In 10 years increase hybrid yield
in moderate drought by 25%
(~3.8t/ha)
• Yield stability enables increased
adoption of hybrid seed and
fertilizer and crop diversification
WITH GENE
(94 BU/AC)
Phase 1
Phase 2
Proof of Concept
Early Development
Phase 3
Ad dev
(Slide source: Dave Songstad, Monsato)
Phase 4
Pre-Launch
Launch
Biotech in the African Maize Project
Germplasm
 Drought tolerance germplasm from global breeding programs.
 Introduce novel sources of drought tolerance to African germplasm
as well as increase germplasm diversity.
Markers
 Marker aided breeding platform to develop new African hybrids
that are higher yielding under moderate drought conditions.
 DNA markers identified for drought tolerance and disease
resistance available for global public use.
Biotech.
 Up to four commercial track drought tolerance events from
Monsanto
(Slide source: Dave Songstad, Monsato)
Water Efficient Maize for Africa
Technical Timeline
FIRST 5 YEARS ARE RESEARCH, THE NEXT 5 ARE PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT
BREEDING
DEVELOPMENT
PERIOD
TRAIT INTEGRATION AND
EXTENSIVE FIELD TESTING
BIOTECHNOLOGY TRAIT
DEVELOPMENT
PERIOD
WEMA
DELIVERED
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
YEAR 1
YEAR 2
YEAR 3
YEAR 4
YEAR 5
YEAR 6
YEAR 7
YEAR 8
YEAR 9
YEAR
10
EXPECTED TO BE AN EIGHT- TO TEN-YEAR DEVELOPMENT TIMEFRAME
(Slide source: Dave Songstad, Monsato)
Water Efficient Maize for Africa
• 10-15 drought tolerant white maize lines for
use in Sub-Saharan Africa;
• Adapted for agronomic traits
• Lines licensed to seed companies
• No royalty charged
Future research on drought
tolerance
• Functional
genomics
• Transcriptome analysis
• Proteomics
• Metabolomics
• Mini-chromosome transfer
Keeping Biotech Crops Out of
Poor Countries
• Regulatory environment
(Precautionary Principle)
• Trade barriers (European pressure)
• Orchestrated public perception
• Imported environmental activism
• Negative media portrayal
• Food industry and retailers
• Organic food industry
How Can Biotech Help
Third World Agriculture?
•Improve Food and Nutritional Security
•Increase Crop Productivity
•Enhance Production Efficiency
•Reduce Crop Damage& Food Loss
•Promote Sustainable Agriculture
•Reduce Environmental Impact
•Empower the Rural Sector
•Reduce Economic Inequity
www.agbioworld.org
Thank you!