Engineering more water-use efficient crops: functional genomics of weak and strong Crassulacean acid metabolism in diverse species of the genus Kalanchoë

The world is getting hotter and drier due to climate change, and the human population is growing rapidly to the extent that it has been predicted that we will need to increase crop yields by 50 - 70 % by 2050 in order to feed the predicted 9 - 10 billion people. This extra food production has to be achieved using the same land and the same or less fresh water relative to the water used by agriculture today. Achieving such dramatic advances in crop productivity to underpin human food security this century is widely regarded as a key global grand challenge that requires ground-breaking, innovative approaches that "think outside the box". Our research aims to leverage a naturally occurring super-charged adaptation of photosynthesis called Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM). This adaptation can enhance plant water use efficiency well beyond that of any of today's major food crop species such as rice, wheat or maize. Through decoding the genomes and transcriptomes of model CAM species and undertaking functional genomics research in model CAM species in the genus Kalanchoë, our work is establishing the minimal parts list for the engineering of CAM into C3 crops such as rice or wheat in order to enhance crop water use efficiency and photosynthesis. This project will work to leverage our recent discoveries by engineering genes from a "strong CAM" species of Kalanchoë into a "weak CAM" species with a view to discovering the genetic basis of "strong CAM" within the evolutionarily more derived species in the genus Kalanchoë. The student will be trained in the latest approaches for comparative and functional genomics analyses in plants, including working with the Liverpool GeneMill to engineer complex multi-gene constructs from strong CAM species so that they can be introduce into a weak CAM species. This will allow the student to make a key contribution to our understanding of the genetic elements associated with strong CAM. The student will also become accomplished in plant transformation and the techniques required for the detailed molecular, biochemical and physiological characterisation of the generated transgenic lines. The student will have the opportunity to work closely with the collaborators on our US-Dept. of Energy funded CAM Biodesign project, see: http://cambiodesign.org

For further information see the website: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/integrative-biology/

To apply:
Please submit a full CV and covering letter directly to [Email Address Removed]