Today is World Food Day. Most of us don’t have to worry about when our next meal is coming from, but around 735 million people in the world are struggling to put food on the table, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Since 1945, on October 16 each year, World Food Day has promoted the awareness of food security and concern with world hunger. “We must build resilience against the crises and shocks that drive food insecurity – from conflict to climate,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. 

Technology and global collaboration are crucial to building such resilience and scientists around the world are working tirelessly to tackle global hunger problems. At BGI Group we have vowed to use genomics technology to benefit mankind and tackling food security and world hunger are an important part of what we do.

Crop research helps tackle world hunger

Rice, which serves as the primary crop and dietary staple for more than half of the world's population, was an early focus of study for BGI. On April 5, 2002, a significant milestone was achieved when Science published 'A Draft Sequence of the Rice Genome (Oryza sativa L. ssp Indica),' representing the culmination of nearly two years of dedicated effort by BGI scientists. This pioneering paper detailed the sequencing of the indica strain of rice, predominantly grown in China and Southeast Asia.

Following this breakthrough, BGI embarked on further research to unravel the genomic variations present in 3,010 diverse accessions of Asian cultivated rice, shedding light on the gene-wide history of rice domestication. This work uncovered vital genetic data with potential agronomic significance.

BGI has extended its contributions to agriculture through multi-omics research, focusing on the development of perennial rice. By crossbreeding different rice strains, BGI aims to create a rice variety capable of self-germination and continuous harvesting over a period of three to five years.

Great progress has been made as shown by PR23. Derived from a single planting, this variety of perennial rice is able to consistently yield grain over eight consecutive harvests within a four-year timeframe, averaging 6.8 tons of rice per hectare. This significantly surpasses the yield of replanted annual rice, which requires additional labor and seed. As of the end of 2022, trial plantings of perennial rice have been carried out in 117 locations across 13 major rice-growing provinces in China.

The groundbreaking development of perennial rice earned recognition from Science as one of the top ten scientific advancements in 2022, marking the only Chinese project featured in the prestigious journal's annual listing.

Another strong example of how genomics is being used in crop research is with chickpeas, the third most widely grown legume crop that provides protein to over 50 countries.  BGI played a pivotal role in research published in 2021. Utilizing BGI's sequencing platform, an international research team sequenced 3,366 chickpea genomes, constructed a comprehensive genomic variation map, and assembled a pan-genome containing 1,582 previously undiscovered genes. This research provided insights into the cultivation history of chickpeas, tracing it back to its wild progenitor species, Cicer reticulatum, around 12,600 years ago. The findings also suggested novel crop breeding strategies based on genomic prediction to enhance crop productivity, and the study was published in the journal Nature. This research will be vital in tackling world hunger through improving current strains of vital crops such as chickpea.

Another facet of BGI's research since 2009 focuses on foxtail millet which had been a dietary staple for humans for over 8,000 years until modern cuisines took precedence. In October 2022, a Nature Communications paper led by BGI-Research revealed the pivotal role of the genetic makeup of foxtail millet in determining the environmental impact of root-associated microbiota within the plant. The regulation of microbial composition linked to plant genotypes opens up possibilities for "personalized feeding strategies" using precise microbial biofertilizers to optimize agriculture and cultivate high-yielding varieties. This insight is poised to enhance the adaptability and productivity of the crop.

Beyond studying individual crops, BGI's commitment extends to finding ways to transform arid deserts into fertile farmland. Besides converting sand into a cohesive soil mass to enhance water retention, BGI has isolated more than 400 strains of functional bacteria. These microorganisms are integral to the promotion of crop growth in desert-transformed farmlands, such as those in the Ulan Buh Desert of Inner Mongolia. In these regions, sorghum yields exceed 3,600 kilograms per acre, surpassing the national average in China by 1.5 times.

Additionally, BGI leverages genomics technology to improve crop drought resistance and develop new species adapted to desert environments. Furthermore, BGI actively engages in saline-alkali agricultural genomics, resulting in the establishment of a dedicated database focused on saline-alkali plants.

International collaborations speed up the process of discovery

All of the endeavors above, spanning more than two decades, exemplify BGI's dedication to addressing this global crisis. Nevertheless, their accomplishment relies heavily on the cooperation of scholars and scientific institutions from around the world.

An example of this collaborative effort of which we are particularly proud, is the partnership with Professor Rajeev Varshney, a distinguished Fellow of the Royal Society. He serves as the Director of the Centre for Crop and Food Innovation and the Western Australia State Biotechnology Centre, as well as holding the international chair in Agriculture and Food Security at Murdoch University, Australia.

In 2010, Professor Varshney initiated a journey with BGI, embarking on the genome sequencing of the pigeonpea, followed by groundbreaking contributions to the study of chickpeas, peanuts, and various other crops. This collaboration spanned from the initial construction of reference genomes to large-scale whole-genome re-sequencing, ultimately resulting in the sequencing of over 10,000 accessions of multiple crop varieties. Currently, BGI and Professor Varshney are engaged in a larger-scale project, encompassing the study of more than 10,000 chickpea species.

Another noteworthy partnership has been forged with Professor Robert Henry, an expert in agricultural innovation at the University of Queensland, Australia. Collaborating with BGI, he has embarked on an ambitious endeavor to develop a novel breed of macadamia tree capable of delivering economic benefits in a remarkably short time frame.

This groundbreaking collaboration will revolutionize the field of agriculture. The extensive expertise of BGI Group has played a pivotal role in facilitating the efficient acquisition of substantial volumes of high-quality data necessary to drive forward the entire genomics program. With BGI's state-of-the-art technology and an unwavering commitment to collaboration at its core, Professor Henry's work holds the potential to usher in transformative changes that will enhance the sustainability of the agriculture industry, ultimately benefiting agriculture as a whole.

BGI’s efforts extend to various partnerships with prominent global research institutions, including the African Orphan Crops Consortium (AOCC), the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), among others.

As Dr. Yin Ye, BGI Group CEO, emphasized, 'We must keep cutting-edge technologies affordable, accessible, and equitable.' As such BGI Group will continue its quest to contribute to the global effort to fight against world hunger and safeguard the world for a better tomorrow.