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Plant Biologist Venkatesan Sundaresan Wins 2024 Wolf Prize in Agriculture

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A man in a blue lab coat and glasses works with a plant in a lab setting.
Venkatesan Sundaresan, a plant reproduction biologist at 嘿嘿视频, has been awarded a 2024 Wolf Prize in Agriculture for his groundbreaking work on plant reproduction, which led to a method for producing clonal plant seeds. (Jael Mackendorf/嘿嘿视频)

, Distinguished Professor in the Departments of and at the University of California, Davis, has been awarded a for key discoveries on plant developmental biology of relevance to crop improvement. The Wolf Prize in Agriculture, considered by many the Nobel Prize for agriculture, has been awarded annually since 1978 and carries a monetary award of $100,000. Sundaresan shares the award with Joanne Chory of the Salk Institute and Elliot Meyerowitz of the California Institute of Technology.

鈥淭his prize is a very well-deserved recognition of Professor Sundaresan鈥檚 groundbreaking work applying an understanding of the basic biology of plant reproduction to create a highly impactful propagation process for hybrid crop strains that are critically important in developing countries,鈥 said Mark Winey, dean of the College of Biological Sciences. 鈥淗is work will continue to have a positive impact on farming for generations in many communities.鈥

The Wolf Foundation selected Sundaresan for his groundbreaking molecular research on plant reproduction, which led to . The method mimics a process called 鈥渁pomixis鈥 that occurs naturally in many plants including blackberries, dandelions, and many citrus species. In bypassing sexual reproduction, apomixis鈥攁nd 鈥渟ynthetic apomixis,鈥 Sundaresan鈥檚 lab-generated version鈥攔esults in plants that are genetically identical from one generation to the next. This makes it simple to generate and perpetuate high yielding hybrid crops without having to cross different strains, which is an expensive and time-consuming process.

鈥淲ith these clonal hybrids, farmers can save some of their harvested seeds and replant them for the next year鈥檚 crop,鈥 said Sundaresan. 鈥淭his is very good news for smallholder farmers in developing countries who cannot afford to purchase hybrid seeds every year.鈥

Driven by curiosity

Sundaresan is honored by the Wolf Foundation鈥檚 recognition, particularly because his breakthrough came from basic 鈥渃uriosity-driven鈥 science.

鈥淚鈥檓 especially pleased that in conferring this award to three basic scientists, the Wolf Foundation is encouraging and recognizing fundamental knowledge as important and deserving of this kind of honor,鈥 said Sundaresan. 鈥淧eople often think that to solve an applied problem, we have to tackle the problem directly, but quite often the solution comes from basic science, where you鈥檙e not aiming at an application.鈥 

He also wanted to acknowledge that the work to develop synthetic apomixis was a team effort that involved many lab members. 

鈥淭he concept of apomixis in a crop plant is decades old,鈥 said Sundaresan. 鈥淭he eventual realization of this dream was built upon the foundation of a fundamental understanding of plant reproduction, achieved through the efforts of many talented lab members and collaborators over several years.鈥

In particular, Sundaresan said that , who worked on the project as a postdoctoral fellow and is now an assistant professor and assistant agronomist for the  in the , was pivotal to the project鈥檚 success, 鈥渃reativity and perseverance in the face of setbacks and dedication in pursuit of the final goal.鈥

鈥淭he success of this research is a testament to Professor Sundaresan鈥檚 brilliance and the collaborative spirit of his team,鈥 said Helene Dillard, dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. 鈥淭heir work exemplifies how academic endeavors do not exist in isolation but are part of a broader, interconnected community effort aimed at creating real-world solutions. We celebrate his dedication to pushing the boundaries of science to benefit humanity while inspiring a new generation of scientists and farmers around the world.鈥

Sundaresan is the seventh professor from 嘿嘿视频 to receive the Wolf Prize in Agriculture. Previous 嘿嘿视频-affiliated recipients include Pamela Ronald, Jorge Dubcovsky, Harris Lewin, Roger Beachy, Gurdev Khush and Shang-Fa Yang.

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Liana Wait is a freelance science writer based in Philadelphia. She has a Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology and specializes in writing about the life sciences.

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