Location: Crop Improvement and Genetics Research
2021 Annual Report
Accomplishments
1. A versatile and robust gene stacking system for improved rice biotechnology. The genetic improvement of important crops like rice is one of the most effective ways to increase agricultural productivity. It has typically been difficult to genetically engineer improvements in complex traits like yield or disease resistance that require the action of multiple genes. ARS researchers in Albany, California, demonstrated that a novel technology called Gene Assembly in Agrobacterium by Nucleic acid Transfer using Recombinase technologY (GAANTRY), allows for the efficient assembly and introduction of multiple genes into rice. The system was shown to efficiently generate high-quality genetically engineered rice plants that carried all of the eleven introduced sequences and exhibited the desired traits. This technological breakthrough will enable the use of crop biotechnology to effectively improve complex traits in rice and related crop plants.
2. Development of novel ‘Lilac Limes’. Several unique promoters from citrus were identified and the expression patterns they confer in citrus and other plant species documented. ARS researchers in Albany, California, demonstrated that two of the promoters successfully expressed a citrus gene specifically within the fruit of Mexican lime trees which activated the accumulation of compounds turning the ripe fruit purple. These ‘Lilac Lime’ trees also rapidly flowered due to the introduction of a second trait that shortened the juvenile growth phase, making the trees yield fruit over a year earlier than normal. These Lilac Limes not only have a novel fruit color, but also contain higher levels of desirable anthocyanin compounds which are nutritious antioxidants. Field studies are underway to further document this novel fruit trait and to perform research for their potential future regulatory release.
Review Publications
Hathwaik, L.T., Thomson, J.G., Thilmony, R.L. 2021. Gene assembly in agrobacterium via nucleic acid transfer using recombinase technology (GAANTRY). In: Bandyopadhyay, A., Thilmony, R.L, editors. Rice Genome Engineering and Gene Editing. Methods in Molecular Biology. New York, NY: Humana. p. 3-17.
Hopper, J.V., Pratt, P.D., Reddy, A.M., McCue, K.F., Rivas, S.O., Grosholz, E.D. 2020. Abiotic and biotic influences on the performance of two biological control agents, Neochetina bruchi and N. eichhorniae, in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, California (USA). Biological Control. 153. Article 104495. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2020.104495.
Hathwaik, L.T., Horstman, J.D., Thomson, J.G., Thilmony, R.L. 2021. Efficient gene stacking in rice using the GAANTRY system. Rice. 14. Article 17 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12284-021-00460-5.
