This small molecule could have a big future in global food security

Researchers at the University of Arizona have found a promising way to prevent the loss of millions of tons of crops to a fungus each year, offering the potential to dramatically improve food security, especially in developing countries. The team’s approach uses transgenic corn plants that produce small RNA molecules that prevent fungi from producing aflatoxin, highly toxic substances that can render an entire harvest unsafe for human consumption even in small amounts.

Although extensive field testing will have to precede widespread application of the new technique in agricultural settings around the world, the results of the study, published in Science Advances, showed that transgenic corn plants infected with the fungus suppressed toxin levels below detectable limits…

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See also Open Access report :

Schmidt and her team chose the open access journal Science Advances specifically because “we want anyone with an internet connection to be able to access our results, especially in Africa, where aflatoxin is such a big challenge to food security.”


Thanks to Bill, Melinda and Monica.