Smart Farming with Genetic Technology

Qian Qian， Li Xinhai， Wang Youhua

Popular Science Press

January 2023

58.00 （CNY）

How do humans use “genes” to create high-quality plant and animal germplasm resources to meet the demand for increasing quality and efficiency of agricultural production？ This book will invite readers to enter a different world from a scientific perspective by combining all aspects of daily life such as food， clothing， housing and transportation.

If you want to describe the image of the potato， it is rustic， earthy， gray， and unimpressive， certainly having nothing to do with being classy or imposing. If you want to appoint the potato to a sect， cabbage and tomato from the vegetable sector are likely to reject its appearance， while rice and flour from the food sector are likely to regard it as a stranger. Although not looking attractive， potatoes do have opulent “inner beauty.” It is an important crop that can be used for staple， dish， and forage as well as an industrial raw material. Following only rice， corn， and wheat to rank as the fourth major food crop， it is grown in nearly 150 countries around the world. It is high yielding and resistant to infertile soil with low water consumption and easy to process. Also， it is particularly nutritious and rich in carotenoids， ascorbic acid and proteins that are easily absorbed by the human body， which is not found in other food crops. Some nutritionists say that eating only potatoes and whole milk at each meal will give you all the nutrients your body needs， making the potato a perfect human meal.

Potatoes have a long history of cultivation. The potato， scientifically called Solanum tuberosum L， originated in the Andes Mountains of South America， where aborigines revered the potato as the “mother of growth” and the “god of harvest” and held grand rituals for it. Potatoes have been cultivated in China for more than 400 years since they were introduced during the Wanli period （1573--1620） of the Ming Dynasty. Potatoes are relatively simple to grow and do not require sophisticated living conditions， making them a perfect example of “growing with ease.” But even the “model” has problems that are difficult to solve. Pests and diseases have been" persistent problems for potatoes， causing very large losses worldwide every year. In order to solve these problems， the first is to confront the enemy head-on， namely， using pesticides. However， using chemical and biological agents to kill pests and diseases can cause environmental pollution， and for some the cost is too high and their performance in the field is not stable. If the front line is lost， then outflanking tactics must be adopted. People began to use conventional breeding methods to select and breed high-quality varieties to lead the pests to a dead end， but there again occurred the problems of long breeding cycles and degeneration of varieties. Fortunately， with modern genetic technology， these problems are not to be worried about. Under the transformation of genetic engineering， insect and virus-resistant genes are introduced into the potato， not only shortening the breeding cycle but also further strengthening the ability to resist disease. Genetic technology has put on a virus-resistant “iron shirt” for potatoes.

If you think the potato has only one set of armor， then you are underestimating it. Let’s take a look at its “closet.” There is a compartment for insect resistance， a compartment for disease resistance， and another one for quality improvement， really a dazzling wide range.

Colorado potato beetle （CPB）， which farmers in China resentfully refer to as the “vest，” is a notoriously destructive pest of potatoes， and a critical quarantine insect pest. Scientists have used genetic engineering technology to introduce the Cry3A gene into the potato， so that the potato can produce a protein that can kill CPB， equivalent to dressing the potato in psychedelic color armor. CPB can be killed before they even find a meal. There are now at least 30 species of potatoes wearing these “iron shirts” growing healthily around the world， and the CPB， no matter where they come from， can harm the potato no more. So much about pests， let’s move on to diseases. Potatoes are most susceptible to viral diseases. Until now， people are not yet adept at dealing with viral infections， nor are potatoes， which are also quite sensitive to viral diseases. For this reason， humans have tailor-made “iron shirts” for potatoes to gain immunity. Potato Leaf Roll Virus （PLRV）， for example， is the most common viral potato disease， occurring in all countries， and can be spread by aphid bites; infected tubers can also transmit the disease， causing losses of up to 90% in susceptible varieties. Scientists have now developed genetically engineered potatoes that are resistant to PLRV， which are also compounded to bear the herbicide glyphosate resistance trait， meanwhile being able to resist CPB. Such incredible potatoes， with their impregnable armors， can grow with assurance.

Qian Qian

Qian Qian is a rice molecular geneticist academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences， chief scientist in rice germplasm resources research at the China National Rice Research Institute， and director of the Institute of Crop Sciences， Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

Li Xinhai

Li Xinhai is the director of Biotechnology Research Institute， Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences， and the leading talent of “National High-Level Talents Special Support Program.”

Wang Youhua

Wang Youhua is an associate researcher， director of the Research Management Division， Institute of Biotechnology， Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.