Changing Plant Chloroplasts To Improve Crop Performance

Chloroplasts are tiny protein-filled units within plant cells. As well as being responsible for photosynthesis, they are critical to a plant's ability to respond to its environment (for example, to the intensity of light or the threat of disease). They do this by importing the proteins they need - and getting rid of those they don't need. Scientists at the University of Oxford have been examining this removal system - which they call CHLORAD - and investigating how to change plant chloroplasts to improve crop performance.