Crop4Clima's TaCo Pathway Spotlighted in Major Scientific Breakthrough

We’re proud to share that the TaCo pathway, a key innovation at the heart of the Crop4Clima project, has been recognized in a landmark study published in Science Advances by researchers from the GAIN4CROPS project.

The publication, titled “Alternatives to photorespiration: A system-level analysis reveals mechanisms of enhanced plant productivity,” identifies the TaCo pathway—originally developed in the FutureAgriculture project and now applied in Crop4Clima—as one of the most promising strategies to overcome photorespiration, a major bottleneck in plant productivity.

Photorespiration can reduce crop yields by up to 36% due to energy and carbon loss. The TaCo pathway offers a breakthrough by recapturing lost CO₂ and reintegrating it into the photosynthetic cycle, enhancing carbon fixation and resource efficiency. According to the study, carbon-fixing pathways like TaCo can increase carbon export by up to 20%, even under challenging environmental conditions such as high light and low CO₂ levels.

“This external validation highlights the strong scientific foundation of Crop4Clima and reinforces our belief in the pathway’s potential to transform future agriculture,” said the Crop4Clima coordinator, Dr. Silvia Shaked, Vice President of Experimental Technologies at EVOGENE. “By pushing the boundaries of plant metabolic engineering, we are bridging fundamental science—from lab to field—to accelerate solutions that matter for farmers, consumers, and the planet, while meeting the urgent demands of climate-resilient farming.”

The study also underscores the importance of tailoring engineered pathways to specific environmental contexts—a key design principle in Crop4Clima’s approach. Our application of the TaCo pathway in rapeseed (canola) aims to improve yield, drought resilience, and CO₂ assimilation—contributing directly to the EU’s climate and sustainability goals.

As momentum builds around this innovation, we are excited to continue optimizing and validating the TaCo pathway in real-world crop conditions. We invite partners, policymakers, and researchers to collaborate with us to accelerate the adoption of next-generation solutions that secure global food systems against climate risks. We’re also proud to see our work contribute to a growing body of evidence supporting advanced plant metabolic engineering as a cornerstone for climate-smart, high-performance agriculture.