A new technology could make it possible to save a growing crop from imminent widespread disaster \u2013 whether drought, pest or disease.<\/p>\n
And it doesn\u2019t come in a pesticide sprayer.<\/p>\n
Rather, scientists from The Ohio State University and partner institutions, including North Carolina State University, are using cutting-edge technologies from three scientific fields and combining them to provide an insect-delivered antidote, of sorts, to whatever ails a growing plant.<\/p>\n
Dubbed \u201cInsect Allies,\u201d<\/a> the project is being supported by a $10 million cooperative agreement with the federal Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).<\/p>\n Guo-Liang Wang, a molecular geneticist in the Department of Plant Pathology in Ohio State\u2019s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, and Peg Redinbaugh, a geneticist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture\u2019s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and an adjunct professor of plant pathology at Ohio State in Wooster, are co-leading the effort that includes scientists from ARS, NC State University and Oklahoma State University.<\/p>\n The team, including geneticists, virologists and entomologists, is focusing on four major stressors facing corn: viral and fungal diseases, insect damage, and drought.<\/p>\n \u201cIf there\u2019s a widespread drought, but farmers have already planted a drought-sensitive hybrid, this will allow us to protect that crop in the field,\u201d Wang said.<\/p>\n [pullquote color=’red’ align=”right”]Only a few short years ago, the project\u2019s aims would have been pure science fiction.[\/pullquote]The scientists are looking at modifying viruses to hold genetic information that will protect growing corn from one of the four stressors in the study. In the model they are trying to build, biologically modified insects, such as leafhoppers or aphids, would carry the virus and transfer it to corn plants when feeding. After the insects bite a corn plant, the virus would replicate in the plant\u2019s cells, and the plant would express the helpful trait. The insect would then die soon after feeding.<\/p>\n \u201cAll three parts have been accomplished individually,\u201d Redinbaugh said. \u201cWe know about editing the genome for maize. We know how to engineer insects. We know how to engineer viruses. Now we\u2019re bringing them all together, doing the basic research to see if this is a possibility.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLeafhoppers and aphids already do a good job of delivering pathogens to plants.\u00a0This project will demonstrate how these same insects can be used to deliver something good, like drought tolerance genes, to crop plants,\u201d said Astri Wayadande, a vector entomologist at Oklahoma State and co-researcher on the project.<\/p>\n While the modifications would help a current corn crop, \u201cthey would not be passed on to the next generation. Farmers will be able to continue to use their seed as before,\u201d Wang said.<\/p>\n Multiple safeguards are built into the research, he added.<\/p>\n The study will be conducted at an ARS biosecurity level 3 facility at Ft. Detrick in Frederick, Maryland, with all testing done inside. \u201cOur role includes conducting this exciting, innovative research in a safe, contained system,\u201d said William Schneider, USDA-ARS plant pathologist at the agency\u2019s Foreign Disease\/Weed Science Research Unit.<\/p>\n The technology would not replace the need for breeding plants with resistance to stressors, Redinbaugh said. \u201cIf a disease is widespread in a region, growers should plant corn that has resistance to that disease built right into the seed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe new technology might help stop a new disease from taking hold in a new location. The goal is to address an acute problem or prevent that problem from getting worse,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s intended to address catastrophic events that would affect the food supply.\u201d<\/p>\n The technology could provide great benefits and advances to the research community as well, Wang said.<\/p>\n Anna Whitfield, an NC State professor of entomology and plant pathology, agreed, adding that \u201cthe project\u2019s goal is to turn the pests and pathogens that are attackers of plants into their protectors.\u201d<\/p>\n The scientists credit a relatively new, breakthrough technique called CRISPR-Cas9 with making the project possible. Compared to older gene editing technologies, CRISPR-Cas9 makes gene editing easier to perform and has a high success rate.<\/p>\n \u201cOnly a few short years ago, the project\u2019s aims would have been pure science fiction,\u201d said Marce Lorenzen, an NC State associate professor of entomology and plant pathology. \u201cThe CRISPR revolution has dramatically expanded the boundaries of what\u2019s possible. The engineering feats required for the success of this project simply would not be possible, at least not in a timely or cost-effective manner, without the CRISPR-Cas9 nuclease system to create the necessary modifications to the insect and plant genomes.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"A new technology could make it possible to save a growing crop from imminent widespread disaster \u2013 whether drought, pest or disease.\r\n\r\nAnd it doesn\u2019t come in a pesticide sprayer.\r\n\r\nRather, scientists from The Ohio State University and partner institutions, including North Carolina State University, are using cutting-edge technologies from three scientific fields and combining them to provide an insect-delivered antidote, of sorts, to whatever ails a growing plant.\r\n\r\nDubbed \u201cInsect Allies,\u201d<\/a> the project is being supported by a $10 million cooperative agreement with the federal Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).\r\n\r\nGuo-Liang Wang, a molecular geneticist in the Department of Plant Pathology in Ohio State\u2019s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, and Peg Redinbaugh, a geneticist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture\u2019s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and an adjunct professor of plant pathology at Ohio State in Wooster, are co-leading the effort that includes scientists from ARS, NC State University and Oklahoma State University.\r\n\r\nThe team, including geneticists, virologists and entomologists, is focusing on four major stressors facing corn: viral and fungal diseases, insect damage, and drought.\r\n\r\n\u201cIf there\u2019s a widespread drought, but farmers have already planted a drought-sensitive hybrid, this will allow us to protect that crop in the field,\u201d Wang said.\r\n A new technology could make it possible to save a growing crop from imminent widespread disaster \u2013 whether drought, pest or disease. And it doesn\u2019t come in a sprayer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":159688,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1181,1163],"tags":[1862,131,218],"_ncst_magazine_issue":[],"coauthors":[1646],"class_list":["post-159685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newswire","category-research","tag-_from-newswire-collection-13","tag-corn","tag-plant-sciences"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159685"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=159685"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159685\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":159798,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159685\/revisions\/159798"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/159688"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=159685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=159685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=159685"},{"taxonomy":"_ncst_magazine_issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/_ncst_magazine_issue?post=159685"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=159685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Piecing the Puzzle Together<\/h3>\n
Safety First<\/h3>\n
CRISPR Makes Research Possible<\/h3>\n
Piecing the Puzzle Together<\/h3>\r\n[pullquote color='red' align=\"right\"]Only a few short years ago, the project\u2019s aims would have been pure science fiction.[\/pullquote]The scientists are looking at modifying viruses to hold genetic information that will protect growing corn from one of the four stressors in the study. In the model they are trying to build, biologically modified insects, such as leafhoppers or aphids, would carry the virus and transfer it to corn plants when feeding. After the insects bite a corn plant, the virus would replicate in the plant\u2019s cells, and the plant would express the helpful trait. The insect would then die soon after feeding.\r\n\r\n\u201cAll three parts have been accomplished individually,\u201d Redinbaugh said. \u201cWe know about editing the genome for maize. We know how to engineer insects. We know how to engineer viruses. Now we\u2019re bringing them all together, doing the basic research to see if this is a possibility.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cLeafhoppers and aphids already do a good job of delivering pathogens to plants.\u00a0This project will demonstrate how these same insects can be used to deliver something good, like drought tolerance genes, to crop plants,\u201d said Astri Wayadande, a vector entomologist at Oklahoma State and co-researcher on the project.\r\n\r\nWhile the modifications would help a current corn crop, \u201cthey would not be passed on to the next generation. Farmers will be able to continue to use their seed as before,\u201d Wang said.\r\n\r\nMultiple safeguards are built into the research, he added.\r\n
Safety First<\/h3>\r\nThe study will be conducted at an ARS biosecurity level 3 facility at Ft. Detrick in Frederick, Maryland, with all testing done inside. \u201cOur role includes conducting this exciting, innovative research in a safe, contained system,\u201d said William Schneider, USDA-ARS plant pathologist at the agency\u2019s Foreign Disease\/Weed Science Research Unit.\r\n\r\nThe technology would not replace the need for breeding plants with resistance to stressors, Redinbaugh said. \u201cIf a disease is widespread in a region, growers should plant corn that has resistance to that disease built right into the seed.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cThe new technology might help stop a new disease from taking hold in a new location. The goal is to address an acute problem or prevent that problem from getting worse,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s intended to address catastrophic events that would affect the food supply.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe technology could provide great benefits and advances to the research community as well, Wang said.\r\n\r\nAnna Whitfield, an NC State professor of entomology and plant pathology, agreed, adding that \u201cthe project\u2019s goal is to turn the pests and pathogens that are attackers of plants into their protectors.\u201d\r\n
CRISPR Makes Research Possible<\/h3>\r\nThe scientists credit a relatively new, breakthrough technique called CRISPR-Cas9 with making the project possible. Compared to older gene editing technologies, CRISPR-Cas9 makes gene editing easier to perform and has a high success rate.\r\n\r\n\u201cOnly a few short years ago, the project\u2019s aims would have been pure science fiction,\u201d said Marce Lorenzen, an NC State associate professor of entomology and plant pathology. \u201cThe CRISPR revolution has dramatically expanded the boundaries of what\u2019s possible. The engineering feats required for the success of this project simply would not be possible, at least not in a timely or cost-effective manner, without the CRISPR-Cas9 nuclease system to create the necessary modifications to the insect and plant genomes.\u201d"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"