Everyone loves roses, but we'd probably love them even more if they didn't have those sharp thorns. Scientists have found a way to grow thornless roses, and their findings could lead to crops that are easier to harvest.
First of all, yes, there has There are some rose varieties that are naturally thornless.
But for most, this is not the case. Furthermore, crop plants such as blackberries and eggplants (along with some varieties of tomatoes, potatoes, and rice) have herbivore-deterring spines that are scientifically classified as “thorns.” This makes harvesting their fruits laborious and time-consuming.
With this problem in mind, scientists from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York and the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) in Spain began by analyzing eggplants. The team, led by Cold Spring's Prof. Zachary Lippman and postdoctoral researcher James Satterlee, discovered that certain mutations in a gene known as LOG (LOnely Guy) prevent the plants from producing spines.
It was already known that LOG facilitates the synthesis of certain plant hormones. I wonder if this is possible Moreover Scientists who wanted to be responsible for the production of thorns in other plants reached out to colleagues in countries such as France, Canada, Germany and England.
After reviewing previous studies and conducting new research, LOG was found to be associated with spiny plant growth in about 20 species. This was apparently a case of convergent evolution, as the plants were not all closely related and some evolved millions of years apart from others.
A scientist from INRAE (Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique) in France has managed to significantly reduce thorn growth in roses by using the CRISPR gene editing technique to silence the LOG gene, while researchers at Cornell University have eliminated thorns from an Australian fruit plant known as the desert raisin.
Furthermore, silencing the gene did not appear to have any detrimental effects on the plants.
“Removing thorns would make handling and harvesting the crop easier, reduce the risk of injury to farm workers and reduce post-harvest damage caused by thorns,” says Prof. Jaime Prohens from the UPV. “In addition, obtaining new thorn-free varieties could lead to greater acceptance and consumption by consumers. All of these would be beneficial.”
An article on the research was recently published in the journal Science.
Sources: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Universitat Politècnica de València