Half of the world’s ricelands are phosphorus-deficient. And while this problem can be overcome by phosphorus (P) fertilisers, this solution is often out of reach for poorer farmers, who are by far and away the vast majority. Matthias Wissuwa of the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) talks about a sustainable and environmentally friendly solution that purely revolves around a naturally occurring gene, PSTOL1, found in the Pup1 (phosphorus uptake) locus.Matthias tells us what identifying this gene really means in practical terms, and the benefits for farmers in both Africa and Asia, for which JIRCAS is working in collaboration with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Africa Rice Center on both Oryza sativa (Asian rice) and Oryza glaberrima (African rice). A Pup2 might even be in the offing in the near future, so do watch this space!

Meantime, see related blogpost and tune in to Episode 3.2