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October 7, 2008 1:12:14 PM CDT

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Gene Discovery Holds Hope for Drought-Safe Crops

Posted Feb 28, 08 2:45 AM CST in World,  Science & Health 

(Newser) – Scientists have discovered a gene that controls how plants absorb carbon dioxide and release moisture in a breakthrough discovery that could help develop drought-resistant crops, reports the BBC. The gene that regulates the work of stomata, or pores on plant leaves, has been sought by biologists for decades. The gene also controls the amount of water vapor a plant releases into the atmosphere, and its manipulation could affect climate change.

"It opens the avenue," said one expert of the discovery detailed in the journal Nature. "It is still several years away, but before this there was no single component which would have so many different effects. Now we know the target." The genetic mechanism is similar in several key food crops.

Source BBC

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Scientists say they have discovered the gene that controls how plants absorb carbon dioxide and expels moisture. It could lead to the production of drought resistant crops.   ((c) Hey Paul)
A man and his child pass the carcass of a cow in the Denan region, Ethiopia, hit by a severe drought. Scientists say they have discovered a breakthrough that could lead to the creation of drought resistant...   (Associated Press)
A woman prepares the family meal in the Damrat, or nomadic encampment, of Surmi in drought stricken Darfur. Scientists in the US and Europe have discovered a gene which could lead to the creation of drought...   (Associated Press)
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Africa  • farming  • genes  • crops  • carbon dioxide  • drought  • plants  • Nature  • genetically modified crops


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