RESEARCH & INNOVATION
WASTE NOT
In industry and on campus , Tritons shape a sustainable world .
BY MARIO AGUILERA ’ 89
THE SAVING BEGINS in bright yellow fields of the canola plant , whose seedpods hold small , peppercorn-like seeds that eventually become the cooking oil you have in your cupboard . Not long ago , for every bottle of canola oil that reached a pantry shelf , just as many of the seeds it took to make it were left wasted in the fields . This is no longer the case , however , thanks to some basic science research out of the lab of UC San Diego biologist and alumnus Marty Yanofsky ’ 78 .
The trouble was in those seedpods — ever since canola ’ s rise in the 1970s , its farmers faced a vexing problem : a significant portion of canola seeds were wasted due to “ pod shattering ,” when ripe seedpods open onto the ground before or during harvesting . For decades , it was common to see more than half of a crop wasted due to pod shattering , while weather events like hailstorms could devastate entire fields .
When Yanofsky learned of this problem , he saw a plant biology challenge waiting to be solved . His laboratory already had deep experience studying a relative of canola , Arabidopsis , so beginning in the early 1990s , Yanofsky and members of his lab set out to identify the genes that control fruit opening — a painstaking process that took years to find success .
“ The end result was very satisfying ,” says Yanofsky , who shares credit for the discovery with Sarah Liljegren , PhD ’ 99 , Sherry Kempin and Cristina Ferrandiz , three scientists in his lab at the time . “ We were able to put together a rather simple model that explains how these genes control the fruit-opening process .”
After patenting their discovery , the team looked to apply their findings to solve the pod shattering problem in canola .
“ Since this technology can dramatically increase seed yield , farmers can get the same yield on less land , meaning fewer chemical pesticides , fertilizers and less water .”
– MARTY YANOFSKY ’ 78
Working with commercial partners , they demonstrated that these very same genes could be manipulated to strengthen the seedpod and prevent pod shattering in canola plants .
The first canola plants resistant to pod shattering were launched in 2015 and farmers have been ecstatic over the innovation ever since . Many call it a game-changing technology because it completely transforms the way canola is harvested . And perhaps most importantly , the breakthrough is a boon for the planet — a revolutionary leap forward in sustainable farming .
14 TRITON | WINTER 2020