Key Gene Allows Plants to Survive Drought

Key Gene Allows Plants to Survive Drought

Scientists from around the globe have discovered a key gene which allows plants to survive in harsh environmental conditions such as drought, flood and extreme heat. Peter McCourt, a professor of cell and systems biology at the University of Toronto, says the scientists have indentified that “plants have stress hormones that they produce naturally and that signal adverse conditions and help them adapt.” Such discoveries are especially important in a time of significantly harsh climate conditions and the scientists are predicting that the discovery of this particular gene will lead them to be able to protect plants, in particular crops, from adverse environmental conditions.

Sean Cutler says that the team of scientists have isolated the receptor of the key hormone in stress protection to be abscisic acid (ABA). The process which plants undergo to survive the adverse climate is through increasing their ABA levels which occurs under stress. The discovery of the ABA receptor is a revolutionary step in genetics as scientists have been searching for it for at least 20 years. Furthermore, the research has discovered that chemical genomics can identify new chemicals that could have profound impacts on farming methods and processes.

References:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090430144541.htm
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