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For the first time, signals produced by a plant’s physiological response to infection will be linked to optimised crop treatments delivered with John Deere See & Spray technology. 

InnerPlant, the seed technology company enabling the earliest possible detection of stress in crops to make farming universally more efficient and sustainable, Syngenta, a global leader in agricultural innovation and crop protection and John Deere, a global leader in the delivery of agricultural, and construction, and forestry equipment, announce a joint effort to develop an integrated solution to fight fungus in soybeans. The first-of-its-kind solution will link together plants that give off early and specific signals when under attack by fungus with optimised crop protection treatments that are delivered with See & Spray technology.

“Fungal diseases are a massive and growing problem facing farmers who already face a great deal of risk in their operations,” explains Shely Aronov, CEO and co-founder of InnerPlant. “A solution that links signals directly from plants’ physiological responses to the individualised, precise delivery of optimised inputs will make farmers’ lives easier by delivering both improved efficacy and efficiency.”

Globally, crops are attacked by fungal diseases that result in substantial yield losses. And the problem is getting worse, according to experts who cite climate change and rising resistance to common fungicides as contributing to fast-rising fungal attacks that threaten the world’s food supply and a “global health catastrophe.”

“The technology from InnerPlant allows the detection of plant diseases at the earliest possible stage identifying plant diseases that otherwise often go undetected or untreated,” says Feroz Sheikh, Syngenta’s Chief Information and Digital Officer. “We are happy to engage in these initial trials with our partners. Integrated, innovative solutions are a critical path forward for managing the growing impact of soybean diseases and ensuring that farmers have the tools they need to feed the world.”

For the first time, signals produced by

Agri Genomics, North America

Researchers could clear mercury from both fresh and salt water in 48 hours by mixing in Metarhizium

University of Maryland Researchers have found that the fungus Metarhizium robertsii removes mercury from the soil around plant roots, and from fresh and saltwater. The researchers also genetically engineered the fungus to amplify its mercury detoxifying effects. 

This new work suggests Metarhizium could provide an inexpensive and efficient way to protect crops grown in polluted areas and remediate mercury-laden waterways.

The study, which was conducted by UMD professor of entomology Raymond St Leger and researchers in the laboratory of his former post-doctoral fellow, Weiguo Fang.

“This project, led by Dr Fang, found that Metarhizium stops plants from taking up mercury,” said St Leger. “Despite being planted in polluted soil, the plant grows normally and is edible. What’s more, the fungus alone can quickly clear mercury from both fresh and saltwater.”

Metarhizium is a nearly ubiquitous fungi, and previous work by the St Leger laboratory had shown that it colonises plant roots and protects them from herbivorous insects. Scientists have known that Metarhizium is often one of the only living things found in soils from toxic sites like mercury mines.

St Leger and other colleagues had previously sequenced the genome of Metarhizium, and Fang noticed that it contains two genes that are very similar to genes present in a bacterium known to detoxify, or bioremediate, mercury.

For the current study, the researchers ran a variety of laboratory experiments and found that corn infected with Metarhizium grew just as well whether it was planted in clean soil or mercury-laden soil. What’s more, no mercury was found in the plant tissues of corn grown in polluted soil.

The researchers then genetically modified the fungi, removing the two genes that were similar to those in mercury remediating bacteria. When they replicated their experiments, modified Metarhizium no longer protected corn plants from mercury-laden soil, and the corn died.

To verify that the genes were providing the detoxifying qualities, the researchers inserted them into another fungus that does not normally protect corn from mercury. The newly modified fungus performed like the Metarhizium, protecting the plants from mercury-laden soil.

In their final experiment, the researchers found they could clear mercury from both fresh and salt water in 48 hours by mixing in Metarhizium.

Researchers could clear mercury from both fresh