Author
SCHROEDER, JULIAN - University Of California | |
DELHAIZE, EMMANUEL - Commonwealth Scientific And Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) | |
FROMMER, WOLF - Carnegie Institute - Stanford | |
GUERINOT, MARY LOU - Dartmouth College | |
HARRISON, MARIA - Boyce Thompson Institute | |
HERRERA-ESTRELLA, LUIS - Center For Research In Food And Development (CIAD) | |
HORIE, TOMOAKI - Shinshu University | |
Kochian, Leon | |
MUNNS, RANA - University Of Western Australia | |
NISHIZAWA, NAOKO - Ishikawa Prefectural University | |
TSAY, YI-FANG - Academia Sinica | |
SANDERS, DALE - John Innes Center |
Submitted to: Nature
Publication Type: Review Article Publication Acceptance Date: 2/5/2013 Publication Date: 5/1/2013 Citation: Schroeder, J.I., Delhaize, E., Frommer, W.B., Guerinot, M., Harrison, M.J., Herrera-Estrella, L., Horie, T., Kochian, L.V., Munns, R., Nishizawa, N.K., Tsay, Y., Sanders, D. 2013. Using membrane transporters to improve crops for sustainable food production. Nature. 497:60-66. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: With the global population predicted to grow by at least 25% by 2050, the need for sustainable production of nutritious foods is critical for human and environmental well-being. Recent advances show that specialized plant membrane transporters can be utilized to enhance yields of staple crops, increase nutrient content, and increase resistance to key stresses including salinity, pathogens, and aluminum toxicity, which in turn could expand available arable land. In this article we report on findings demonstrating that understanding the biology of plant membrane transporters can be a key contributor to the goal of global food security. We discuss examples where fundamental research is already being translated into practical applications such as enhancing the micronutrient content of grain and improving plant tolerance of saline and acidic soils. We further discuss potential applications linked to breakthroughs in basic research that are yet to be applied to crop plants. This perspective reviews the extent to which the rapid advances in plant transport research address global aspects of food security and how we can potentially reduce the time between trait identification in the laboratory and exploitation in the field. |