Genetic engineers awarded for finding flower switch

October 3, 2000
Web posted at: 2:58 PM EDT (1858 GMT)

CANBERRA, Australia (Reuters) -- Two genetic engineers who have found the flowering switch gene that helps determines when crops are ready to harvest were awarded Australia's inaugural Prime Minister's Prize for Science on Tuesday.

Jim Peacock and Liz Dennis, from the plant unit of the government's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), will share the $300,000 (US$165,000) prize for their discovery which has wide implications for farmers.

Announcing the award, Australian Prime Minister John Howard said their work was a tremendous example of how scientific research makes a direct contribution to Australia's economic and social wellbeing.

"Their discovery of the gene that determines when plants begin flowering has the potential to boost the productivity of the world's crops by billions of dollars per year and increase the nutritional value of crops," Howard said in a statement.

Controlling the gene which determines when crops flower means farmers can manipulate when crops are ready for harvest and can avoid cold snaps or other adverse weather ruining production.

Flowering is a crucial process in agriculture as seed and grain crops cannot be harvested until they have flowered.

Dennis said she hoped the award would prompt people who opposed genetic modification to look at the manipulation of plants in a new light and realize it will be crucial to the future of the world's food supply.

"It would be good if people could see there's a wider context," Dennis told reporters.

She estimated that the flowering gene switch could boost production of Australia's $4 billion annual wheat harvest by 10 percent.

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