[ExI] Flood-resistant Rice (& possibly other grains)

[SR Ballard]

Title: New genes control plant height, could lead to flood-proof crops
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/07/new-genes-control-plant-height-could-lead-flood-proof-crops

“Now, researchers have found two genes that together help control the height of rice plants: one that accelerates the elongation of the stem and another that acts as a brake.”

“Plant molecular geneticist Motoyuki Ashikari of Nagoya University and colleagues have been studying rice varieties that survive long, deep floods by growing taller—and quickly, if need be, up to 25 centimeters per day.”

“If plant breeders or molecular biologists can control those two genes, they might be able to adjust plant height without having to modify GA levels—perhaps even in crops other than rice—says Laura Dixon, a plant biologist at the University of Leeds.”

“The two genes also exist in sugarcane, barley, and the well-studied grass Brachypodium distachyon. They might occur widely in other agriculturally important grasses, Ashikari believes.”


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