Lettuce Gene Editing for Shade Tolerance in Indoor Farming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Indoor farming technologies trigger the shade avoidance syndrome in lettuce plants, leading to reduced crop quality and marketability, which current adjustments to growing conditions only partially address.
Innovation Solution
Mutations in the ent-kaurene oxidase-2 (LsKO2) and gibberellin-20-oxidase-1-B (Ls20ox1-B) genes reduce the activity or absence of their protein products, conferring shade tolerance to lettuce plants by impairing gibberellin biosynthesis, thereby minimizing the shade avoidance syndrome.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If indoor farming technologies with artificial lighting and high density planting are used, then productivity and crop yield are improved, but the shade avoidance syndrome is triggered leading to reduced crop quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the physiological response parameters of lettuce plants by altering gene expression levels (specifically photoreceptor genes and phytochrome-interacting factors) to change how plants respond to light quality and quantity changes, thereby reducing shade avoidance syndrome while maintaining productivity in indoor farming systems
2Productivity
If far-red enriched light recipes are applied to increase productivity, then crop yield is improved, but the shade avoidance syndrome effects on quality are exacerbated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the genetic parameters of the plant (gene modifications in photoreceptors and signaling pathways) to alter the plant's physiological response to far-red light, enabling the use of far-red enriched lighting for productivity enhancement without triggering excessive shade avoidance responses that degrade quality
3Productivity
If elevated ambient temperature is applied to enhance productivity, then crop yield is improved, but thermomorphogenesis response enhances vegetative elongation lowering quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies genetic parameters (hormone-related genes and temperature response genes) to change the plant's physiological response to temperature increases, allowing elevated temperature cultivation for productivity enhancement while suppressing thermomorphogenesis responses that cause excessive vegetative elongation and quality reduction
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a lettuce plant, with a modified LsKO2 and/or Ls20ox1-B gene, wherein the homozygous presence of said genes leads to a shade tolerant phenotype, the wild-type LsKO2 gene and the wild-type Ls20ox1-B gene can have a coding sequence having at least 70% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO.: 9 and SEQ ID NO.: 11, respectively. The modification involves replacement and/or deletion and/or insertion of nucleotides resulting in an absence of functional KO2 and/or GA20ox1-B protein or the modification results in the absence of the wild-type LsKO2 and/or Ls20ox1-B gene. The homozygous presence of one or both of the modified LsKO2 and Ls20ox1-B genes or the homozygous absence of one or both of the wild-type LsKO2 and/or Ls20ox1-B genes in the plant confers shade tolerance as compared to a plant with the wild-type LsKO2 and Ls20ox1-B gene and not showing shade tolerance.