Location: Plant Science Research
Project Number: 5062-21000-035-002-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 1, 2024
End Date: Aug 31, 2025
Objective:
The goal of this project is to gene edit soybean, lentils and common bean to generate plants with traits that have enhanced agronomic value. The specific objectives are to: (1) to alter/disrupt genes involved root architecture and drought traits; (2) disrupt genes associated with toxic phytohemagglutinin activity in common bean; (3) develop methods to improve the transformation and regeneration efficiency of these legumes plants.
Approach:
For objective 1, reagents that disrupt the function of genes associated with root and drought related traits will be introduced into soybean and lentils. Regenerated plants will be phenotyped in greenhouse plantings and macroscopic and microscopic phenotyping methods will be carried out to characterize plants exhibiting novel root architecture or drought phenotypes. For objective 2, genes associated with toxic phytohemagglutinin activity in common bean will be targeted for mutagenesis. These genes include trypsin, chymotrypsin and phytohemagglutinin related genes. Regenerated plants will be screened for heritable transmission of targeted mutations and removal of the transgene by genetic segregation. Seed from the plant will be milled and examined for phytohemagglutinin activity. For objective 3, experiments to improve transformation and regeneration of soybean, lentil and common bean will be carried out using recently developed strategies including engineered Agrobacterium strains, the deployment of developmental regulator genes and the use novel of peptides that improve shoot regeneration.
