Rice with fewer stomata requires less water and is better suited for climate change

Scientists from the University of Sheffield have discovered that engineering a high yielding rice cultivar to have reduced stomatal density, helps the crop to conserve water and to survive high temperatures and drought.

Much of humanity relies on rice as a food source, but rice cultivation is particularly water intensive, using an estimated 2,500 liters of water per kilogram of rice produced.

However, almost half of the global rice crop derives from rain fed agricultural systems where drought and high temperatures are predicted to become more frequent and damaging under climate change.

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