Feeding a growing population is one of the major challenges of the 21st Century. Due to predicted population increases and a general trend towards urbanization, land that provided enough rice to feed 27 people in 2010 will need to support 43 by 2050.
One potential solution is genetic engineering of crops. Introduction of ‘C4’ metabolic traits into rice is predicted to increase photosynthetic efficiency by 50%, improve nitrogen use efficiency and double water use efficiency. This “C4 rice project” therefore represents one of the most plausible approaches to enhancing crop yield and increasing resilience in the face of reduced land area, decreased use of fertilizers and less predictable supplies of water. This talk by Prof. Jane Langdale (University of Oxford), one of the leaders of the C4 project, will discuss the progress in this direction so far.