By TIM THORNBERRY
Kentucky Correspondent

LEXINGTON, Ky. — As technology progresses, the idea of changing plant genetics has gone from science fiction to reality, thanks to research by experts around the world.

University of Kentucky (UK) plant pathologist Michael Goodin is one of those experts, and with the proper funding his work could take a complicated subject and achieve a simple goal: To make food better and safer while improving people’s lives.

Goodin is heading an international team that has developed a proposal to help farmers around the world grow better crops, and that will in turn create a more sustainable agriculture environment, especially for producers in Sub-Saharan Africa. The goal of the research is to prevent potential global plant viral epidemics, a concern for food safety and security.

“We’ve heard all the talk of swine flu – well, plants get sick with viral diseases, as well,” said Goodin. “Plants are the basis of our food supply and even if you eat a lot of meat, we still need the grain to feed the animals. So when plants don’t do well, society doesn’t do well.”

The research is focusing on 10 agriculturally important viruses in an attempt to find their “host factors.” Once that happens, the hope is to develop plants that are resistant to those viruses, according to Goodin.

“Basically, what we are trying to find are proteins in a plant a virus requires. If we find those, then maybe we can engineer them so they can’t be used by the virus anymore or they interfere with a process the virus needs,” he said. “If we do that, we would have a virus-resistant plant.”

Goodin added the 10 viruses selected for the research are common and extremely detrimental to the plants they affect. These selected viruses are also ones Goodin felt could be tackled with reasonable efficiency and eliminate the “boom and bust cycle” many crops go through with the occurrence of diseases.

While the project focuses on developing countries, especially in Africa, Goodin pointed out the U.S. agriculture industry could benefit as well.

He noted that the citrus and grape industries, which are often stricken with viral diseases that cause great economic losses.
“This could be very important to the United States. The citrus industry in Florida alone is a $10 billion industry, while the grape industry is a multibillion (dollar) industry in the U.S. as well,” he explained.

While Goodin conducts his research at UK, he has spent a great deal of time traveling around the country and the world to better understand farmers’ needs in those developing countries and to spread the word of how beneficial this research will be.
He recently returned from a trip to Africa to meet researchers and view facilities there.

“This was my first trip to Africa, and I was there basically to learn,” he said. “Once the research grant proposal went in, I thought it was important to meet these people and to see what their facilities were like so that we can work efficiently. This trip allowed me to better understand the farmers’ perspectives for what is really needed.”
Just how long it will take to make all the discoveries necessary isn’t known, but Goodin emphasized their goals are obtainable.

“One is always cautious to make predictions, but within five years we should know what genes we can use and within another five more, hopefully we can engineer those genes,” he said.

Funding is key

As with any project of this magnitude, funding is key. Goodin’s team has turned to a program known as BREAD (Basic Research to Enable Agricultural Development) sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Science Foundation (NSF) to help continue its work.

The grant program is administered by the NSF and was created to “support innovative scientific research designed to address key constraints to smallholder agriculture in the developing world,” according to information from the foundation. A grant proposal is currently under review.

“We are not currently funded to do this work that has gone into a very exciting proposal. We have asked for $1.8 million to get us started, and hopefully by December or January we should know. But I am confident this project will get done,” Goodin said.

“It is too important of a project not to. If it doesn’t get funded by this program, we’ll find a way through other agencies. It will slow down our progress, but it is too important and there are too many people on board with what we want to do. In that respect, I am absolutely confident that we’ll get the work done.”

Even without funding, the research is progressing. Goodin said about 30 genes had already been identified that could be used for engineering resistance, demonstrating the technology works.
He expects many proposals to be submitted for this grant money, and added that if everyone is as passionate about their projects as he is about this one, it will be extremely competitive.

Depending on its success, this project could have far-reaching effects. Goodin expects it will work on multiple levels – everything from meeting the basic needs of life in Africa to protection of high-value crops in the U.S. and other parts of the world.

Another benefit of the project will be for students. Goodin said not only could students come from Africa to study here in technologies they ordinarily wouldn’t have, those here could have the opportunity to go to Africa to engage in the project from that side; a win-win situation, he said.

“It’s time for the next generation to step up and tackle these really significant issues in food production, worldwide. At the end of the day, if you don’t eat, then your cell phones and Internet and everything else really doesn’t matter,” said Goodin.