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Review
. 2019 Feb 20;70(4):1119-1140.
doi: 10.1093/jxb/ery445.

Feeding the world: improving photosynthetic efficiency for sustainable crop production

Andrew J Simkin  1   2 , Patricia E López-Calcagno  2 , Christine A Raines  2
Affiliations
Review

Feeding the world: improving photosynthetic efficiency for sustainable crop production

Andrew J Simkin et al. J Exp Bot. .

Abstract

A number of recent studies have provided strong support demonstrating that improving the photosynthetic processes through genetic engineering can provide an avenue to improve yield potential. The major focus of this review is on improvement of the Calvin-Benson cycle and electron transport. Consideration is also given to how altering regulatory process may provide an additional route to increase photosynthetic efficiency. Here we summarize some of the recent successes that have been observed through genetic manipulation of photosynthesis, showing that, in both the glasshouse and the field, yield can be increased by >40%. These results provide a clear demonstration of the potential for increasing yield through improvements in photosynthesis. In the final section, we consider the need to stack improvement in photosynthetic traits with traits that target the yield gap in order to provide robust germplasm for different crops across the globe.

Keywords: Calvin–Benson cycle; sink capacity; synthetic biology; yield potential.

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Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Schematic representation of the Calvin–Benson cycle. Sedoheptulose-1,7-bisphosphatase (SBPase: EC 3.1.3.37), fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (FBPA: EC 4.1.2.13), fructose-1,6-bisphosphatases (FBPase; EC 3.1.3.11), transketolase (TK; EC 2.2.1.1), phosphoribulokinase (PRK; EC 2.7.1.19), ribulose-phosphate 3-epimerase (RPE; EC 5.1.3.1), triosephosphate isomerase (TPI; EC 5.3.1.1), glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH; EC 1.2.1.12), phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK; EC 2.7.2.3), ribose 5-phosphate isomerase A (RPI; EC.5.3.1.6), Rubisco (EC 4.1.1.39).
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Schematic representation of photorespiration. Glycolate oxidase (GOX; EC 1.1.3.1), 2-phosphoglycerate phosphatase (PGP; EC 3.1.3.13), serine-glyoxylate transaminase (SGAT; EC 2.6.1.45), glycine:2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase (GGAT; EC 2.6.1.4), glycerate-3-kinase (GK; EC 2.7.1.31), hydroxypyruvate reductase (HPR; EC 1.11.81), glycine decarboxylase (GDC), catalase (CAT; EC 1.11.16), serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT; EC 2.1.2.1), Rubisco (EC 4.1.1.39).
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Schematic representation of photosynthetic electron transport. Ferredoxin (Fd), ferredoxin-NADP reductase (FNR), cytochrome b6f complex (Cyt b6f), plastocyanin (PC), cytochrome c6 (Cyt c6).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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