Chinese team injects desert moss gene into Xinjiang cotton to beat fungus, boost output

Chinese scientists who inserted a gene from desert moss into cotton say their innovation can boost yields by nearly a quarter through protection against a pervasive fungal disease that threatens crops worldwide.

The team, led by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography (XIEG), inserted a stress-resistance gene from a species of steppe moss that thrives in the deserts of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region into cotton plants.

The resulting genetically modified plant showed improved resistance to Verticillium wilt, sometimes known as “cotton cancer”, which can also affect other crops, including fruits and vegetables.

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Xinjiang, China’s top cotton producer

The transgenic cotton had “an approximate 23.8 per cent yield increase relative to non-transgenic counterparts under pathogen infection conditions”, according to the team’s paper published in the peer-reviewed Plant Biotechnology Journal in April.

Transgenic organisms have had genes from another species inserted into them before. Popular examples of transgenic crops include golden rice, which has been edited to produce beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A.

The transgenic cotton could reduce the impact of the devastating fungal disease. The team said its method also showed a “promising strategy” for improving crops by using genes from species that live in extreme environments.

Xinjiang is China’s largest cotton-producing province and in recent years the country has been transforming the region’s deserts to grow a variety of crops, such as rice, wheat and fruit.

It is part of a wider effort to strengthen China’s agricultural sector – which also includes incorporating technologies such as artificial intelligence and smart farming – to ensure food security.