Gene Editing Boosts Drought Tolerance in Sugarcane

Experts from Brazil have identified ScTpx2 as a key gene that plays an essential role in helping sugarcane tolerate drought conditions. The findings of the study, published in GM Crops & Food, suggest that enhancing ScTpx2 expression can reduce the impact of drought in sugarcane and could support the development of more resilient commercial varieties.

Sugarcane is a major crop in Brazil that supports sugar and bioethanol production and contributes to lower carbon emissions. However, drought has long been the leading cause of reduced yield. In the model plant Arabidopsis, the research team overexpressed ScTpx2. The plants showed improved survival under severe water deficit and better performance under milder stress.

In this study, the team engineered sugarcane plants to overexpress ScTpx2 and tested them under controlled drought conditions in a greenhouse. After 10 days of limited watering, the gene-edited sugarcane lines maintained 12-23% higher photosynthesis rates than wild-type plants. The edited lines also showed lower levels of oxidative stress and developed larger vascular bundles and xylem tissue, which may improve water transport within the plant.

For more information, read the article from GM Crops & Food.