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Landmark photosynthesis gene discovery boosts plant height, advances crop science: « A team of scientists discovered a naturally occurring gene in the poplar tree that enhances photosynthetic activity and significantly boosts plant growth. »

Department of Energy Bioenergy Research Centers — the Center for Bioenergy Innovation, or CBI, at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation, or CABBI, at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign — identified a gene in a poplar tree that enhances photosynthesis and can boost tree height by about 30% in the field and by as much as 200% in the greenhouse. The gene, which scientists named Booster, also increased the biomass of another plant species, Arabidopsis, or thale cress, indicating the potential for higher yields from other crops if successful on a larger scale.

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