Project description
Exploiting biodiversity to boost the efficiency of photosynthesis for better crops
Photosynthesis uses light energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates for plant growth and development. This natural process is crucial to sustaining life on our planet. The question arises whether photosynthesis can be improved significantly as a new strategy to increase crop yields. The EU-funded CAPITALISE project aims to answer this question by exploring three strategies in model plants: the tuning of the Calvin cycle, the kinetics of photosynthetic responses to changes in irradiance, and the tuning leaf chlorophyll content. The project will specifically focus on barley, tomato and maize in order to identify the genetic resources needed to improve their photosynthetic properties. The results of these scientific investigations can be translated to other important crop species. By 2030, CAPITALISE plans to have developed a solid strategy that will improve photosynthetic efficiency by 10 % in key crop plants.
Objective
There is a need for a ground-breaking technology to radically increase crop yields in Europe and beyond. Improved photosynthesis will be the foundation of these radical yield increases. We are an alliance of European plant breeding companies, a phenotyping technology developer and academic plant scientists. Our project aims to translate major advances in photosynthetic improvement from model plant species into three important crop species. We will capitalize on the three most promising strategies in model plants to identify the genetic resources needed to improve the photosynthetic properties of crop plants: (I) tuning of the Calvin cycle, (II) the kinetics of photosynthetic responses to changes in irradiance, and (III) tuning leaf chlorophyll content, thus providing new tools with which to increase the rate of CO2 fixation. To do so, we aim to discover the genetic basis for natural variation in traits associated with each strategy as well as use gene editing and transgenic engineering to improve photosynthesis in three major European crops: barley, tomato and maize. The findings will be used to build a complete roadmap including the feasibility of each specific technique to improve photosynthetic efficiency. Based on precedent, we expect that improving our targeted traits will result in increases in photosynthesis of 10% or more, and there will be added benefits in sustainability via better resource-use efficiency of water and nitrogen. A public dialogue programme will be used to ensure stakeholder engagement and explore further the societal limits to the acceptability of a range of technologies as potential routes to crop improvement. Looking to the 2030 horizon, this project will develop an adaptable strategy able to achieve 10% improvement in photosynthetic efficiency across a wide range of environments.
Fields of science
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinator
6708 PB Wageningen
Netherlands
See on map
Participants (20)
CO4 3SQ Colchester
See on map
LA1 4YW Lancaster
See on map
06484 Quedlinburg
See on map
CB2 1TN Cambridge
See on map
1081 HV Amsterdam
See on map
84105 Beer Sheva
See on map
1019 HD Amsterdam
See on map
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
Legal entity other than a subcontractor which is affiliated or legally linked to a participant. The entity carries out work under the conditions laid down in the Grant Agreement, supplies goods or provides services for the action, but did not sign the Grant Agreement. A third party abides by the rules applicable to its related participant under the Grant Agreement with regard to eligibility of costs and control of expenditure.
CH48 8AP West Kirby
See on map
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
56127 Pisa
See on map
91904 Jerusalem
See on map
14469 Potsdam
See on map
50250 Bet Dagan
See on map
06466 Seeland Ot Gatersleben
See on map
664 24 Drasov
See on map
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
75015 PARIS 15
See on map
Legal entity other than a subcontractor which is affiliated or legally linked to a participant. The entity carries out work under the conditions laid down in the Grant Agreement, supplies goods or provides services for the action, but did not sign the Grant Agreement. A third party abides by the rules applicable to its related participant under the Grant Agreement with regard to eligibility of costs and control of expenditure.
75794 Paris
See on map
37574 Einbeck
See on map
6083 AC Nunhem
See on map
1000 Bahir Dar
See on map
4421AJ Kapelle
See on map