On February 12, ChinaSeed's research paper, "Resistance to Striga Parasitism through Reduction of Strigolactone Exudation," was officially published in the prestigious international journal Cell. The study is the first to uncover how phosphorus deficiency triggers increased strigolactone (SL) exudation in crops and to identify the molecular mechanisms behind this process, filling a gap in the research on curbing Striga parasitism by regulating SL exudation. The?discovery provides a strong scientific foundation and valuable genetic resources for developing Striga-resistant crop varieties, marking a major breakthrough for ChinaSeed in the research on curbing parasitic plants and a significant advancement in agricultural science.

Parasitic plants have long been a major threat to crops, with Striga spp. and Orobanche spp. causing the most damage. Striga primarily affects monocot crops such as sorghum, maize, and millet, while Orobanche mainly targets dicot crops like tomatoes and sunflowers. These parasitic plants infest nearly 70 million hectares of farmland each year, threatening the food security of 300 million people and causing economic losses of $10 billion to $12 billion. Understanding the mechanisms behind parasitic plant infestations and the interactions between host plants and parasitic plants is vital for developing resistant crops.

To address this global agricultural challenge, Xie Qi, chief scientist at ChinaSeed, led a collaborative research team involving several scientific institutions. Using artificial intelligence and through extensive genetic, biochemical, and molecular biology research, the team successfully identified two SL transporters, SbSLT1 and SbSLT2, in sorghum. By using gene-editing technology to precisely regulate these genes, they significantly boosted sorghum’s resistance to Striga and dramatically reduced crop yield losses caused by the parasite.