A scientist at the University of Warwick has been awarded £535,000 to investigate actin – a natural molecule contained in plant cells – to see whether it can be engineered to move faster and so grow bigger plants with more biomass.

It is hoped that the three-year study could help farmers feed a growing world population that will need 60% more food by 2050.

See also: Farmers warn of potato and veg shortages later this year

With funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), research fellow Joe McKenna will look at how actin interacts with plant proteins and “organelles”, or internal cell structures, to produce rapid and co-ordinated movements within cells.

“This movement is critical for normal growth and development, as well as responses to environmental conditions – changing shape and moving during hot or cold temperatures,” Dr McKenna said.

With a better understanding of these interactions, he said systems could be engineered to improve plant growth and develop plants which are bigger and more resistant to temperature stresses.

“It is known that changing the rate of organelle dynamics has a direct effect on plant growth,” he said. “Faster movement results in larger plants.”

The three-year study is being funded through the BBSRC’s Discovery Fellowship.