Global Institutions Join to Advance Cassava Photosynthesis Research
St. Louis, Mo. (December 3, 2025) — A new research partnership is taking a fresh look at how cassava captures and uses light energy for efficient photosynthesis, with the goal of increasing yield and tolerance to stresses and expanding what scientists know about one of the world’s most important staple crops. The initiative, called Photosynthetic Efficiency in Cassava through Implementation of a Carbon Positive Photorespiration Bypass (TaCoCass), is funded by Gates Agricultural Innovations (Gates Ag One) and led by Heinrich Heine University alongside partners from the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, the Jan IngenHousz Institute, Friedrich Alexander University, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) in Nigeria.
“At Gates Ag One we invest in discovery science that can broaden the toolkit for how crops are improved,” said Brigitte Weston, Director of Product Development at Gates Ag One. “TaCoCass adds to our ongoing work in photosynthesis, metabolism and nutrient use by exploring a new idea that could enhance crop yield and resilience.”
Cassava is central to food systems across the tropics. It grows well in low-fertility soils, tolerates irregular rainfall and serves as a reliable source of calories. Global cassava production reached more than 334 million tons in 2019 with Africa producing over 60 percent of the total, according to the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture. Its starchy roots provide major dietary energy for more than 500 million people, based on data from the Agricultural Research Council of South Africa.
The TaCoCass project will engineer a pathway known as TaCo that may help cassava use energy more efficiently during photorespiration, a natural process that can limit growth and reduce yield by consuming carbon and energy while releasing toxic ammonia. By studying how this pathway behaves in cassava varieties widely grown by smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, the research aims to build new understanding that may inform future work in a range of crops, and across growing regions characterized by water and heat stress.
“This project gives us an opportunity to explore an idea that has not yet been tested in cassava,” said Professor Andreas Weber, principal investigator of TaCoCass at Heinrich Heine University. “Even incremental insights into how cassava efficiently manages sunlight and carbon can add value to the broader field of plant science.”
TaCoCass complements other Gates Ag One discovery efforts, including work on photosynthetic efficiency, transport of organic compounds in plants and nutrient use. Together, these projects are helping expand the scientific foundation needed for long-term crop improvement.
About Gates Ag One:
Gates Agricultural Innovations (Gates Ag One) is a non-profit organization that accelerates breakthrough agricultural research to meet the urgent and neglected needs of smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Out of the conviction that all lives have equal value, Gates Ag One serves the interests of smallholder farmers, who are most exposed to climate shocks yet lack the access that others have to the latest agricultural innovations. Gates Ag One works to level the playing field and empower smallholder farmers to transform their agricultural productivity, nutrition security and climate resilience. Learn more at gatesagone.org.