VOA慢速英语2016--“增压植物”或能大量增产

Supercharged Plants May Mean More Crop Production “增压植物”或能大量增产

One day, “supercharged plants” may help feed people around the world.

Supercharged plants are ones that grow faster than normal plant life.

Scientists can speed up the growth by modifying, or changing, the structure of plants’ genes¹. The modifications³ make them react quickly to changes in light.

This all has to do with photosynthesis⁴, the process in which plants turn sunlight, carbon dioxide and water into food.

Steve Long is a plant biologist with the University of Illinois.

"Arguably, photosynthesis is the most important process on our planet. It is the driving force behind all of life."

Plants grow fastest in the sun. That is when they make the most food for themselves. But their rate of growth can slow when things like clouds or trees block sunlight. But when the sun returns, it can take many minutes for growth to speed up again.

This can be a problem because it means some of our most important crop plants are not as productive as they could be.

Researchers say demand for food is expected to increase up to 70 percent by the middle of the century. They also note rising temperatures on Earth’s surface. That is why they are looking for ways to improve photosynthesis and make plants more productive.

Steve Long wanted to find a way to help plants get back up to speed quickly after a period of darkness.

So he and his team added genes that shortened the recovery time. It also increased the speed at which the plants grew.

His modified plants grew up to 20 percent more than untreated ones.

"This finding, where we've just made one modification² that has boosted crop yield, is really a boost to the whole area, because everyone else working on photosynthesis can now see that if we can improve photosynthetic⁵ efficiency in crops, we will get more yield."

In Long's study, his group used a form of genetic⁶ engineering called transgenics. It means taking genes from one plant, then putting them into another.

There is a scientific debate about whether transgenics is a good idea or not.

The findings were published in the journal Science.

Why is it important for plants to be efficient at making their food?

Some of our most important crop plants are ones that are not very efficient at photosynthesis.

Matthew Reynolds knows this. He is with the International Maize⁷ and Wheat Improvement Center, known as CIMMYT. Reynolds was not involved in the research. He spoke⁸ to VOA on Skype.

"Population is growing so fast, climate change is affecting negatively predictions of productivity, and so we're kind of forced to push our crops to the limit."

His group studies how plants reproduce naturally. But he says that Long’s work of increasing plant growth is “a very big deal.” He says the experimental use of transgenics is a start.

"A transgenic event can prove a proof of concept so we can start looking for natural variation as well."

Reynolds says the increased rates of production noted⁹ by Long's team are impressive. He has some hope about the process. But he also has questions.

"What is the downside? Why have the plants not done that before? And we always ask those questions when we see something that looks a bit too good to be true..."

Long's group worked with tobacco plants because they are easy to study. Now they are experimenting with rice, soybeans, cowpeas, and cassava – four important food crops.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation provided money for the study.

The organization says any new technology approved from this research will be made freely available to farmers in Africa and South Asia.

Words in This Story

modify – v. to change some parts while not changing other parts

photosynthesis – n. the process plants use to make food using sunlight, carbon dioxide and water

yield – n. the amount of something produced by a plant or farm

efficiency – n. the ability to do something or produce something without wasting materials, time or energy

transgenics – n. biotechnology that involves producing plants, animals or foods into which genes from another species have been incorporated

impressive – adj. deserving attention, admiration or respect

1 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

2 modification   

n.修改，改进，缓和，减轻

参考例句：

• The law,in its present form,is unjust;it needs modification.现行的法律是不公正的，它需要修改。
• The design requires considerable modification.这个设计需要作大的修改。

3 modifications   

n.缓和( modification的名词复数 )；限制；更改；改变

参考例句：

• The engine was pulled apart for modifications and then reassembled. 发动机被拆开改型，然后再组装起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The original plan had undergone fairly extensive modifications. 原计划已经作了相当大的修改。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 photosynthesis   

n.光合作用

参考例句：

• In apple trees photosynthesis occurs almost exclusively in the leaves.苹果树的光合作用几乎只发生在叶内。
• Chloroplasts are the structures in which photosynthesis happens.叶绿体就是光合作用发生的地方。

5 photosynthetic   

adj.光合的，促进光合作用的

参考例句：

• In some plants photosynthetic products are stored in the form polyfructosans. 在有些植物中，光合作用产物是以多聚果糖的形式储藏。
• Chlorotic or necrotic lesions were evidence of decreased photosynthetic tissues. 缺绿的或坏死的侵蚀斑便是减少了光合组织的证据。

6 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

7 maize   

n.玉米

参考例句：

• There's a field planted with maize behind the house.房子后面有一块玉米地。
• We can grow sorghum or maize on this plot.这块地可以种高粱或玉米。

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。