Perspektywy wykorzystania inżynierii genetycznej do zwiększenia wydajności fotosyntezy

The significant increase in crop productivity occurred in the second half o the 20th century. However, it is thought that nowadays yield of main crop species reached its maximum. As we expect that the demand for plant products is going to increase during next century, it is necessary to develop new methods for yield improvement, other than traditional breeding. The redesign of photosynthesis using genetic engineering is one of the approaches postulated. The present article covers the main directions of research aimed to increase photosynthetic efficiency. The research covered by this review are: improvement of light capture, improvement of Rubisco and the regeneration phase of Calvin cycle, introducing carbon concentrating mechanisms to main crop species and reducing loss caused by photorespiration.