Our invention of the new technology for manipulation senescence in crops and many other plants has profound impacts:
1. This technology will allow us to generate new agronomic crop germplasm that display a significantly delayed leaf senescence phenotype and remarkably increased yield and biomass (bioenergy) production.
2. This technology will allow us to generate new horticultural crops that will have much improved postharvest performance in terms of well conserved nutrients, prolonged longevity of storage, transportation and shelf life.
3. A startup biotech company is at its incubation stage. Some CV firms have expressed their strong interest in investing on this technology.
Some big biotech companies have also been in the process of licensing this technology. A startup company is been planned in upstate New York, which will increase local employment and promote economic development.
impact statement issue
Plant senescence is an extremely important issue for the following reasons:
(1) Leaf senescence limits crop yield and biomass accumulation. Photosynthesis occurs in leaves. At the onset of senescence, the leaves lose their photosynthetic capability sharply.
(2) During senescence nutrients such as proteins and vitamins are degraded.
(3) Senescence limits the longevity of fruits, vegetables and ornamentals during storage, transportation and on shelf.
(4) Senescing produce become more vulnerable to pathogen attack, and some of the pathogens (especially fungal pathogens) produce toxins, rendering our food unsafe.
impact statement response
If senescence can be described as a drama, what we have done is to try to figure out what the individual players are, what roles they have and how the drama is organized. Obviously, the best way to know the answers to these questions is to find the director of the drama.
By using various molecular, genetic and genomic approaches, we have indeed found the director, a master regulator of senescence. It is a transcription factor. This master regulator was identified in a model plant called Arabidopsis, but we soon found it in essentially all crops and other plants. Based on the findings, we have developed a new technology for manipulating senescence (a patent is pending approval). For example, using this technology, we have developed a new soybean germplasm that has a 40% increase in seed yield in our greenhouse test. Cornell has filed a patent application on this technology, which has indeed attracted strong interests from biotech and venture capital firms.
impact statement summary
Our research has revealed a universal mechanism by which crops and other plants regulate the senescence processes. Briefly, we have identified a master regulator of senescence, and based on this discovery, we have developed a technology for manipulating senescence in plants for significantly enhanced crop yield and improved postharvest performance of horticultural crops.
For example, using this technology, we have developed a new soybean germplasm that has a 40% increase in seed yield in our greenhouse test. Cornell has filed a patent application on this technology. And it has indeed attracted strong interests from biotech and venture capital firms. This technology may lead to the setup of a new startup biotech company in the upstate New York.
Other federal funding
Department of Agriculture
National Science Foundation
Other private funding
Department of Energy Basic Bioenergy Program\nNortheast Soybean Board\nBARD
