Biotechnology advances target potato diseases and carbon capture

Researchers are developing biotechnological solutions to address agricultural disease and climate change. At the University of Glasgow, a team led by Joel Milner is developing a bacteriocin-based treatment to combat blackleg and soft rot in potatoes. These bacterial diseases cause billions of pounds in global crop losses annually, with single outbreaks costing farmers up to £100,000. The research, which led to the creation of Casdu Crop Solutions, has shown success in greenhouse trials by limiting plant infections.

Separately, scientists at Harvard University’s Wyss Institute have genetically modified the marine bacterium Alteromonas macleodii to enhance carbon capture. By decoupling siderophore production from ambient iron levels, the modified bacteria accelerate the dissolution of olivine in seawater. This process releases iron and promotes the capture of atmospheric CO2. In trials using seawater from the Port of Boston, the modified bacteria achieved mineral dissolution rates 2.6 times faster than natural processes.