More than three billion people worldwide depend on rice for survival, and the number is expected to climb as the developing world grows. In Asia every hectare devoted to rice produces food for 27 people. By 2050, each hectare will need to support at least 43 people.
To address this challenge, Washington State University plant biologists Asaph Cousins and Gerry Edwards are working with an international consortium of researchers to supercharge photosynthesis in rice by introducing more efficient traits found in wild strains and other crops.
The School of Biological Sciences researchers recently received an award from the University of Oxford to start the third phase of the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation sponsored project – an important step toward boosting rice yields and meeting the growing food needs of the developing world.