Drought-resistant plant genes could accelerate evolution of
water-use efficient crops
Scientists
have recently done a study on plants that are good at conserving water to see
which genes are responsible for this adaptation. Plants in drought areas thrive by keeping
their stomata shut during the day to conserve water and open at night to collect
carbon dioxide. This is known as CAM and
is found in plants such as the orchid and pineapple. It is a proven mechanism for increasing
water- use efficiency which allows them to live in drier climates and still
survive. Scientists identified 60 genes
that exhibited convergent evolution in the CAM species. They found that phosphoenolpyruvate
carboxylase is an important enzyme responsible for the nighttime fixation of
carbon dioxide into malic acid. Malic acid
is then converted to carbon dioxide so photosynthesis can continue to take
place during the day.
The
discovery of the PEPC enzyme is important as scientists can study it more in
depth to find out exactly how it works. One
day, they may be able to insert it into other plants, especially those that are
very water- dependent. PEPC will make
the plants use less water than ever before.
This can change the future of agriculture at is the leading cause of
water use on the planet. I found this
article very interesting as it is another stepping stone to saving the
planet. If we can find a way to use less
water on earth, there can be many benefits for the entire planet. Overall, this study can benefit mankind as we
can develop new technologies mimicking this water usage efficiency. I found another article that goes more in
depth about CAM and its usefulness to plants and essentially society.
Could this perhaps be utilized to grow plants that have food benefit in places of drought? These genetically engineered plants could have great benefits to areas that don’t receive lots of water. Water is the key to life, this finds a little loophole.
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