- CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) -- For thousands of years, one of the best ways farmers
have manipulated the results of their harvest was to save the seeds from
the best plants for use in the next season's crop.
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- But scientists at the University of North
Carolina and other institutions are perfecting ways to customize the results
of crops while the plants still are growing.
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- Scientists have discovered a genetic
"switch" that can change the size of plant cells while the plant
is still growing. That means a tree farmer could alter his crops from softwood
for pulp to hardwood for furniture after the seeds are planted.
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- In a study published Friday in the journal
Science, UNC biologist Alan Jones and six other researchers describe the
activity of a protein that binds to auxin, a plant hormone that enables
cells to grow.
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- "For the first time, we've demonstrated
that we can manipulate cell size in plants," Jones said. "We
found the gene that controls cell growth. The next step is to figure out
how this receptor brings about the changes leading to growth.
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- Jones discovered the protein nearly a
decade ago but was unable until recently to genetically link the protein
to the hormone.
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- Novartis, based in Research Triangle
Park, N.C., helped UNC researchers test their cell-expansion theories on
corn. AgrEvo, an agricultural development company in Pikeville, and researchers
at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of West Florida also
were involved.
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- "Farmers have been doing genetic
engineering since before the time of Jesus Christ by selecting seeds from
larger fruits or particular fruits to plants," said Jones, an associate
professor of biology. "That is essentially all we are doing today."
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- But with the new research, the potential
uses are numerous.
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- For instance, corn growers could produce
stronger stalks, thus avoiding crop losses caused when the plants topple
over. A harmless chemical application potentially could strengthen the
stalks during growth, Jones said.
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- Fast-growing softwood trees, normally
used in making newsprint, contain large cells, but shrinking the cells
would create a furniture-grade hardwood from the same trees.
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- "This research could have a real-world
impact on yield, how much acrop produces," said Eric Ward, vice president
of research for Novartis Crop Protection Inc.
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