Rice is a staple food - more than half the worlds population

Rice production has to increase by over 50%

But the rate of growth is decreasing
C4 Rice project - using efficiency C4 photosynthesis

All plants using normal photosynthesis (C4) but this can be inefficient since RuBisCo can bind to
oxygen instead of carbon dioxide

C4 plants still use RuBisCo but they also have a C4 pump

Mesophyll cells in the leaf capture CO2 to produce 4-carbon molecules

Exported to neighbouring bundle sheath cells, which strip CO2 from the 4-carbon molecules and
feed it to RuBisCO
converts the 4-carbon molecules to 3-carbon molecules
C4 can pump up the concentration of CO2 around RuBisCO - more likely that it binds with CO2
and O2
compared to a turbo-charger

boost to photosynthesis means C4 plants can use less RuBisCO than C3 plants - saves nitrogen
needed to build the protein
can survive on a lower overall CO2 concentration in the leaf
Crassulacean Acid Metabolism is similar to C4 - evolved in desert plants
they open their stomata at night and fix CO2 into 4-carbon molecules
close their stomata to save water, and release CO2 from the 4-carbon molecules
four major crops use C4: maize, sugar cane, sorghum and millet
Rice leaves have widely spaced vascular bundles surrounded by bundle sheath cells.
large numbers of mesophyll cells - most photosynthesis occurs
Kranz anatomy - inner layer of bundle-sheath cells and outer layer of mesophyll cells
May have to be bred into rice