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 modification 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 photosynthetic efficiency in crops, we will get more yield.