![Steve Long and Don Ort stand in a soybean field.](/long/system/files/styles/thumbnail/private/2019-03/Long_Ort_soybean%20field_thumbnail.jpg?itok=nF4UxomQ)
RIPE project receives additional $13 million to accelerate progress to redesign photosynthesis
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation increases RIPE project investment to complement support from FFAR and DFID to improve yields for farmers worldwide.
![Bundle sheath](/long/system/files/styles/thumbnail/private/2019-03/m_ery34502_0.jpeg?itok=VrMyur4h)
Scientists debunk potential link to crop cold tolerance
Crops are far from reaching their photosynthetic potential.
![Cassava seedlings grow in a black seed tray.](/long/system/files/styles/thumbnail/private/2019-03/Cassava_seedlings_362_220_s_c1_0.jpg?itok=ASbRa1EM)
Cassava breeding hasn’t improved photosynthesis or yield potential
Unimproved varieties of cassava photosynthesize better than those selected for improved pest and disease resistance.
![stomata](/long/system/files/styles/thumbnail/private/2019-03/RIPE_stomata_%281%29_362_220_s_c1.jpg?itok=Lmq4ch5W)
Scientists engineer crops to conserve water, resist drought
As reported in Nature Communications, RIPE has improved how a crop uses water by 25 percent—without compromising yield—by altering the expression of one gene.
![Miscanthus field](/long/system/files/styles/thumbnail/private/2019-03/ROGUE-page.jpg?itok=jpuTk3qg)
DOE grants $10.6 million to produce more biodiesel, biojet fuel
The U.S. Department of Energy awarded the University of Illinois a $10.6 million, five-year grant to transform two of the most productive crops in America into sustainable sources of biodiesel and biojet fuel.
![TRACTOR](/long/system/files/styles/thumbnail/private/2019-03/farming-785.png?itok=L6lpQEJa)
Farming crops with rocks to reduce CO2 and improve global food security
Adding fast-reacting silicate rocks to croplands could capture CO2 and give increased protection from pests and diseases while restoring soil structure and fertility.