Scientists genetically modified plants in order to give a huge boost to photosynthesis, hoping to one day improve the yield of food crops like rice and wheat, according to a new paper.
A swelling population means that demand for plant-based products continues to increase in kind.
This challenge has resulted in the development of things like pesticides, advances in irrigation, and increased mechanisation of the farming process.
“That’s our goal, to make a crop that has a solution to all photosynthetic problems,” study author Amanda Cavanagh, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Illinois, told Gizmodo.
Photosynthesis is an incredible chemical reaction, but it’s not perfect.
This can cost the photosynthesis process 20 to 50 per cent efficiency, especially in hot and arid climates, according to the paper published in Science.