Gene that inhibits grass in-breeding discovered

The discovery of the gene can aid cultivation of crops such as rice. Keystone / Hotli Simanjuntak

Swiss scientists have uncovered a gene that prevents grasses from self-pollinating, a discovery that could aid the cultivation of crops such as rice.

Research at the federal technology institute ETH Zurich found two genes that produce three types of protein that stop in-breeding of grasses.

They recognise whether pollen is too genetically similar and send signals to interrupt the fertilisation process.

ETH Zurich combined forces with scientists in Denmark, Wales and the United States in a 15-year hunt for the genes.

“We owe the breakthrough to advances in genome analysis. This has only recently allowed us to quickly and comprehensively sequence the entire genome of an individual organism,” said ETH Zurich lead scientist Bruno Studer.

The new findings, recently published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution, open up new possibilities for breeding grasses.

For example, grasses that have lost the ability to inhibit self-pollination can be adjusted to prevent in-breeding.

On the other hand, this process can also be switched off to produce uniform crops.