A study finds that transgenic cotton plants expressing the bacterial gene ptxD can convert phosphite, a nonmetabolizable form of phosphorus, into phosphate, the nutrient form of phosphorus; when fertilized with phosphite instead of the traditional phosphate fertilizer the transgenic plants can outcompete weeds that lack the gene, suggesting that selective fertilization of crops can facilitate weed control without the use of herbicides.
Article #18-04862: "Selective fertilization with phosphite allows unhindered growth of cotton plants expressing the ptxD gene while suppressing weeds," by Devendra Pandeya et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Luis Herrera-Estrella, Laboratorio Nacional de Genomica para la Biodiversidad, Guanajuato, MEXICO; tel: +52 462 1663002; e-mail: < lherrerae@cinvestav.mx >
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences