RIPE Project featured by BBC

November 03, 2021
Plants in a greenhouse.


In a series called “Follow the Food,” the BBC recently featured the Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) research project, a University of Illinois-led initiative working to help plants improve the efficiency of their photosynthesis. Professor Krishna Niyogi is a longtime collaborator on the project. 

In a field of plants, the upper leaves are far more productive than the lower ones as they receive the most light. But if the genetics of a plant could be altered to make its leaves more transparent, the crop might grow more efficiently, increasing crop yields for farmers worldwide. Learn more about the project in this interactive story and video from the BBC.