In summary:

--Plants use light to split water into hydrogen and oxygen producing high energy electrons.

--The energy from the electrons is used to synthesise carbohydrates from water and carbon dioxide

--The process is called photosynthesis

I cannot improve on Wikipedia’s explanation of the processes underlying photosynthesis so I’ll just post a link.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthesis

Not all photosynthesising organisms are equal. The most important food crops, potatoes, rice and wheat use a process known as C3. Some plants, such as maize, use the much more efficient C4 process.

The differences are huge. A C4 plant needs only around 300 grams of water to produce one gram of carbohydrate versus 550 – 850 grams of water per gram of carbohydrate in C3 plants. C4 plants also function better at higher temperatures and for a given leaf nitrogen content are able to absorb CO2 at more than twice the rate of C3 plants.

Could we use genetic engineering to produce a rice plant that uses the C4 pathway? If we could it would lead to a dramatic increase in yields per hectare with no extra water or fertiliser required.

Well that’s the dream and no one is sure whether it can be done. Historically the C3 pathway appeared first. The C4 pathway evolved independently on at least 40 occasions so obviously plants can make the transition.

Now scientists at the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) have taken a giant step forward in making the dream possible. They have carefully tracked the expression of genes in the leaves of maize plants as they develop. We now have a complete record of gene expression for at least one C4 species as the leaf develops.

See: http://bti.cornell.edu/pdfs/trans/TheTranscript_Fall_2010.pdf

What the researchers at BTI have done is provide a resource for scientists working to develop a C4 rice plant.

That’s how most science is done. Breakthroughs and eureka moments are rare. Mostly it’s tiny steps forward.

The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation financed the research.

Australia as a water-short rice growing country would benefit enormously if the greenies ever allow it.

Really great stuff Steven, the sort of thing that could change the world, & our effect on it.

Tell me, do you think the greenies will just lump it in with other genetic engineering, & make it impossible to use in the real world?

CORRECTION

I wrote:

>>A C4 plant needs only around 300 grams of water to produce one gram of carbohydrate versus 550 – 850 grams of water per gram of carbohydrate in C3 plants.>>

On reflection this is misleading.

Both types of plant actually use almost the SAME amount of water to produce a gram of carbohydrate. The difference comes from the rate of TRANSPIRATION.

Being more efficient C4 plants lose less water through transpiration than C3 plants.

But from the point of view of a farmer you need to supply more water to a C3 plant per gram of carbohydrate than to a C4 plant.

Sorry if I inadvertently misled anyone.

Hasbeen,

I have no doubt the greenies will object.

Wish I knew one percent of what you do Steven.
Watching this thread and your last with interest.
I a 30 year bush firefighter am surrounded by fires, it will get very much worse.
Those extremist greens who tell us we know nothing, often live in the very base of tomorrows inferno.
And that inferno will bring much more damage to the Forrest's that the century's old practice of slow burning.
New fuel? new under standing science is indeed great!

Belly,

Thank you for your kind words.

Don't get me started on the greenies. Never mind a 350 word limit. 350,000 wouldn't be enough for me to express my contempt.

I do admire your being a bush firefigher for 30 years. How old does that make you?

you should..get out more
like reading other..olo threads

belly there..announced he is 66
had his birthday..a few days ago
but its a fair question..and
i shouldnt destract..from the topic

anyhow your posting..a lot of praise
''In praise of Vittal Yachandra''

how about praising..*palasteinians
for that clever move..at the un

or the clever jews..in israel;
so expert at dry-land farming
by stealing palistinian water/land and work effort

but of course..in time they too
will get their due jew praises..[yeah right]

they..are expert at all they do
from getting govt-money..from usa
to telling/ordering..the president..to veto

gotta hand the due
to the jew

anyhow its good..that you explained
[clarified] re transpiration rates

we just cant wait for the frankenstein water plant
to be mutated..into a dry land plant..

heck we allready grow rice..in our deserts

ps you failed to mention that respiration..[of water and oxigen]
is a by product..of creating..all that other stuff..[including carbo-hydrate]

carboh/hydrate:..any of a large group..of compound's
including..sugers/starch and cell-ulose

which contain
that horrible POISEN*[c02]..LOL

as well as hydrogen
[that other vile greenhouse/gas..*not taxed]..

and oxygen..that stuff
we living breath in..
.
[then breath out that horrible poisen c02
*that plants need to live on]

the substances of life
that we all need to make energy

[you know E=mc2...lol]..recall
that great jew einstein..[one stone]

e=energy
E= mass..ie weight

times the speed of light
times the speed of light
lol

so tell me
is the answer in jules?

[ie 'E']..well i gues we will praise
the due that figures that out

or better actually invents..*something

all this praise stuff is so much like
WE GOT A CURE FOR CANCER*
lol..[in ten more years]

gee i been hearing..that since the 30's
but praise..where praise is jew eh

anything but diss-cuss the 2 state formula
for colenisation
by perpetual; war
and meanness to the true semites

praise
bah

what is the praise of..*[pick your own words]

jesus said by their works..will we know..'them'

[seeking the praise of innocents/ignorants/man]
but heck if you got no works..words will do..