In the West, when celebrating Thanksgiving, Christmas and other celebrations or going out for picnics, pies can be said to be a must-have "hard dish". However, due to a series of factors such as climate change, pests and diseases, global crop yields are under great threat, and many important ingredients in the production pie cannot survive. But don't worry, scientists have used advanced science and technology to make minor changes to these ingredients and cultivate varieties that can resist these threatening factors. The festival meals and the preference for food are all technology to protect and accompany!
Kachikchi Apple Pie
Apple Pie is one of the most popular Thanksgiving desserts. Apple is naturally an indispensable material for making, but "fire blight" has always threatened the growth of apples. If the conditions are appropriate, the fire germs will reproduce at an explosive rate and may even destroy the entire apple plantation. Apple enthusiasts can rest assured, though, because scientists have found that using methods of staying home genetic engineering can protect Apple from the devastating disease. Researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and Julius have identified and isolated the fire blight resistance gene in wild apples for the first time, and developed the first fire blight-resistant apple variety, which can keep apples away from fire blight~
Image source: innovature
Healthy and heartwarming Sweet potato pie
0 Winter to buy a hot sweet potato on the street to eat is a great enjoyment~ In addition to making sweet potato pie, sweet potatoes have many uses, and are sweet and rich in nutrients. However, the growth of sweet potatoes is under great threat due to pests and diseases that lead to decay. To prevent sweet potatoes from disappearing from our table, researchers at Tuskegee University in Alabama are finding solutions by identifying genes in sweet potatoes that can increase yield and resistance, and using gene editing technology.
Image source: innovature
sweet and glutinous Banana cream pie
Banana exports worldwide each year up to US$8 billion, but the top commercial banana variety Cavendish banana, which accounts for 99% of the global banana shipments, is now attacked by the banana wilt Tropical 4 (TR4) fungus and is in trouble. TR4 is a deadly fungus that hinders bananas from absorbing water and nutrients. It is currently spreading to banana plantations around the world. If bananas cannot be transformed to resist this fungus, bananas are really likely to become extinct in the next few decades. The research team of James Dale, a biotechnology expert at Queensland University of Technology, , edited the genome of Cavendish banana using the gene editing tool CRISPR, in an attempt to activate a dormant gene resistant to TR4 in Cavendish to enhance its adaptability to TR4. At present, this work is still in the early stage of R&D.
Image source: innovature
Romantic sweetheart Chocolate pie
Chocolate shortage? It sounds scary. In addition to chocolate pie, there are also various chocolate products that are deeply loved by people. Moreover, as a must-have product for CPs, how can chocolate be short of shortages! Although it is terrible, what should come will come. cocoa tree is facing serious existential threats, such as the invasion of pests cocoa pods and black pod disease, which have had a devastating impact on the yield of cocoa bean . Fortunately, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley used CRISPR tools to cultivate a more powerful cocoa tree, which not only has higher yields, but also can resist pests and diseases and is also "smart" in dealing with climate change. There is nothing else to say except to call it!
Image source: innovature
The most classic Pumpkin Pie
As Americans’ favorite Thanksgiving dessert (really the "most"! A survey in 2016 said), the future of Pumpkin Pie is also worrying. Because the growth of pumpkin pie, the main raw material, is being affected by rising temperatures and diseases such as powdery mildew, which directly affects its yield and quality.To improve pumpkin's disease resistance and climate adaptability, scientists from the Beijing Boyce Thompson Institute and the National Center for Vegetable Engineering Research have sequenced the genomes of two common pumpkins to try to find key genes that can unlock the problem.
Image source: innovature
appearance Berry pie
appearance Berry pie is beautiful and sweet, but breeders have encountered difficulties in cultivating new varieties of berries. Because berries have extremely complex genetic codes, it is difficult for breeders to develop new varieties that can withstand climate change and other risks. In view of this, scientists have begun to make efforts. Food and agriculture company Pairwise, the US Department of Agriculture and some top universities have cooperated to sequence the genetic code of hundreds of berry plants and share the genetic information of berry , laying the foundation for future improvements for the breeding process of berry and the development of new varieties.
Image source: innovation
Reference:
1, Gene Editing Is Protecting Pies – And Holiday Traditions (innovature)
https://innovature.com/article/gene-editing-protecting-pies-and-holiday-traditions
2. Genetically modified apples that resist fire epidemics are released (Dokebaba)
http://www.doc88.com/p-7746383256873.html
3. CRISPR might be the banana's only hope against a deadly fungus (nature)
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-02770-7
