Rice plants can fight off devastating disease after gene editing with AI-designed tool
University of Missouri researchers have created rice plants that resist bacterial blight, a devastating disease that threatens one of the world's most important food crops. The advance could help farmers in parts of Asia and Africa, where the disease can destroy harvests and threaten livelihoods.
Researchers at the University of Missouri have developed rice plants that are resistant to bacterial blight, a disease that can devastate crops and threaten food security in Asia and Africa. Led by Curators' Distinguished Professor Bing Yang, the team used an AI-designed gene-editing tool called OpenCRISPR-1 to make targeted changes to the rice genome.
This approach, which is open-source and free for use, allows for greater flexibility in developing crops that can withstand other agricultural challenges such as drought and extreme temperatures. While commercialization of the resistant rice varieties will require further testing, regulatory approval and industry partnerships, Yang is optimistic about the potential impact of this breakthrough on global food security.
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