A new method mixes fruit and vegetable traits to make them stronger against bugs and dry weather. Usually, plants are grafted to combine different features. Sometimes, new shoots grow that have a mix of both plants – a graft chimera. These can be grown from cuttings or tubers, making them easier to produce.
KeyGene, a company in the Netherlands, has found a way to create graft chimeras reliably. They have made many mixes from potatoes, tomatoes, aubergines, and peppers. They have even patented a potato with Pimpernel skin and Bintje flesh, showing it could be a good business.
The company plans to make graft chimeras with bug resistance by transferring traits like trichomes. This could help farmers tomorrow without changing how they grow plants. Scientists are impressed with KeyGene’s work, as stable graft chimeras are hard to make.
This new method could lead to better crops that are easier to grow and protect. It’s a big step in plant breeding.
Vocabulary List:
- Grafted /ˈɡræf.tɪd/ (verb): To join a part of one plant to another in order to grow as a single plant.
- Chimera /kaɪˈmɪərə/ (noun): An organism containing cells with more than one genotype.
- Traits /treɪts/ (noun): Characteristics or features of an organism.
- Resilience /rɪˈzɪliəns/ (noun): The ability to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.
- Patented /ˈpæt.ənt.ɪd/ (verb): To obtain a patent for an invention or process.
- Stable /ˈsteɪ.bəl/ (adjective): Not likely to change or fail; firmly established.
How much do you know?
What is the purpose of the new method mentioned in the text?
How are graft chimeras usually formed?
Which company has found a way to create graft chimeras reliably?
What trait is mentioned as being transferred for bug resistance in the graft chimeras?
What kind of plants have been used by KeyGene to make graft chimeras?
Why are scientists impressed with KeyGene's work?
The new method mixes fruit and vegetable traits to make them weaker against bugs and dry weather.
KeyGene has patented a potato with Pimpernel skin and Maris Piper flesh.
The planned graft chimeras aim to make plants resistant to drought by transferring the trait of stomata.
The new method developed by KeyGene may lead to better crop protection and easier cultivation.
The graft chimeras created by KeyGene can only be grown from seeds.
KeyGene is based in the United States.
KeyGene, a company in the Netherlands, has found a way to create graft chimeras reliably. They have made many mixes from potatoes, tomatoes, aubergines, and peppers. They have even patented a potato with Pimpernel skin and Bintje flesh, showing it could be a good .
The company plans to make graft chimeras with bug resistance by transferring traits like .
This new method could lead to better crops that are easier to grow and .
KeyGene has found a way to reliably create graft chimeras from or tubers.
Scientists are impressed with KeyGene's work as stable graft chimeras are hard to .
The new method mixes fruit and vegetable traits to make them stronger against and dry weather.
