Revolution in corn cultivation: AI strengthens disease resistance sustainably!

Revolution in corn cultivation: AI strengthens disease resistance sustainably!

Rust, Deutschland - agriculture faces major challenges, especially when it comes to combating plant diseases. A groundbreaking partnership between the British gene processing start-up Phytorm and Corteva Agriscience has taken on this topic in order to improve the resistance to the disease in corn using artificial intelligence. This cooperation marks an important step because it uses the innovative technologies of Phytorm, which are known under the name Cre.ai.tive. Modern machine learning methods are used here to identify beneficial DNA sequence changes in plants. The changes remain minimally and precisely without being introduced without avoiding a GMO classification, reports Agfunder News .

The Cre.ai.tive platform will analyze millions of variations in DNA control regions to improve the resilience of the corn against significant diseases, which according to Phytorm co-founder William Pelton pose serious threats to produce corn production. Corteva has some of these genes in her germplasma, which are currently inactive. The aim is to optimize the gene expression of two local genes that are crucial for the disease resistance.

modern breeding technologies

Corteva has also announced a new gene editing technology that aims to improve the protection of elite maize hybrids. This technology, which is located in an early development phase, combines several disease -resistant properties in one scene. The most common and devastating corn diseases in North America, such as Northern Leaf Blight and Southern Rust, demanded a loss of over 318 million bushes in corn production in 2021. With the combination and repositioning already in the corn genome of existing properties, the disease resistance is to be increased and production stress is to be reduced. Corteva's goal is to bring this innovative technology to market maturity until the end of the decade. Further information can be found on the website of Corteva .

But why is the topic so important? According to a study from 2020, plant pathogenic leads to average loss of yield of 11 to 30 percent worldwide. This is particularly struggling with food uncertainty. The pressure of increasing food production by 2050 by 2050 without using additional land grows continuously. A holistic approach that combines the use of different technologies and practices is necessary to address these challenges. In the analysis you can find out more in the analysis on PMC .

The future of agriculture

The partnership between Phytorm and Corteva could not only ensure resistance to corn diseases, but also set new standards in the greater context of agriculture. The focus on sustainable solutions and the avoidance of excessive use of pesticides could also help to reduce environmental pollution. Pelton of Phytorm sees great potential for the development of commercially usable products from these efforts, which indicates that the transitions of research and development to practical application could become reality here.

agriculture is dependent on innovations in plant breeding in order to be able to counter the challenges of climate change and the increasing population worldwide. The interaction between genetic advances, technological innovations and sustainable practices could be the key to a safe and stable food future. We can only hope that the new technologies will be used promptly!