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Science-Based Spinach

Scientists have been trying to breed low-oxalate spinach for decades. In December 2021 a study published in Nature Communications identified the genes that regulate oxalate concentration in spinach. Sounds promising. So where is the low-oxalate spinach? It does not exist. And here is why. Oxalate is not just a byproduct. It is a plant defense mechanism. As Boyce Thompson Institute faculty member and Cornell adjunct professor Zhangjun Fei put it: "Plants usually depend on networks of genetic factors to defend themselves. Removing one means finding the right balance among the others." The team found two genes encoding metal and metal ion transporters that may regulate oxalates in spinach. But as the researchers themselves admitted, more research is needed to understand their full function…