
Scientists Seek to Relieve Crops of Drought
StressBy Ben Hardin August 19, 1997Crop plants, often made less productive by extreme temperatures and drought,
may get help from hearty, wild plants. Scientists with the
Agricultural Research Service in
Lubbock, Texas, isolated genes from a South African grass and a native moss
that help these plants survive severe droughts. The researchers are testing the genes potential to improve crop
survival and productivity. Theyve determined the exact order of the
genes DNA building blocks to lay the groundwork for transforming crop
plants. Two sequenced genes have been transferred into drought- sensitive test
plants to determine their ability to promote recovery from water stress. Twenty
more genes await testing. This project is among several being conducted by an ARS research team that
will eventually be part of the agencys new Plant Stress and Water
Conservation Laboratory. Groundbreaking ceremonies take place tomorrow, Aug.
20, for construction of a 64,000- square-foot ARS lab facility located on the
Texas Tech University campus in Lubbock.
Lubbock, on the High Plains of Texas, is an ideal environment to study effects
of drought. The area receives only about 18 inches of precipitation annually,
and there are frequently long periods of gusty winds. The drought-resistant moss and grass withstand even harsher conditions. Both
can dry out completely but turn green and resume photosynthesis after receiving
water. Most plants, once dry, wont turn green again. If the experiments
succeed, the first crop species to receive the genes will be cotton--the
regions most economically important crop--followed by all other major
crop species. Lubbock scientists earlier produced what is now the major workable system
for inserting genes from different organisms into cotton. The system was proven
with development of herbicide-resistant cotton--the first publicly released
transgenic germplasm. More information about ARS Lubbock research can be
seen on the World Wide Web at: http://www.csrl.ars.usda.gov Scientific contact: Melvin J. Oliver, USDA-ARS Cropping Systems Research Laboratory,
Lubbock, Tex., phone (806) 746-5353, fax (806) 744-4402, e-mail
[email protected]. U.S. Department of Agriculture | |