Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS) have discovered a new, yet simple, way to increase drought tolerance in a wide range of plants. Published in Nature Plants, the study reports a newly discovered biological pathway that is activated in times of drought. By working out the details of this pathway, scientists were able to induce greater tolerance for drought-like conditions simply by growing plants in vinegar.
Led by Jong-Myong Kim and Motoaki Seki at RIKEN CSRS, the large collaborative effort began with the discovery of novel Arabidopsis mutants that have strong drought tolerance, although the reasons were unknown. These plants have a mutation to an enzyme called HDA6 (histone deacetylase6), and the first goal of the current study was to determine exactly how this mutation allows the plants to grow normally in severe and extended conditions without water.
Kim and Seki say that this project has led to several important discoveries. Not only did they discover that external application of vinegar can enhance drought tolerance in the Arabidopsis plant, but they also found that this pathway is regulated epigenetically and conserved in common crops such as maize, rice, and wheat.
Initial testing in normal Arabidopsis under drought stress showed that genomic-wide expression of hda6 was linked to activation of the biological pathway that produces acetate, the main component of vinegar. In the mutated plants, they found that under the same conditions, this pathway was activated even more, and plants produced larger amounts of acetate. Further analysis showed that activity of the HDA6 enzyme acts as a switch that controls which type of metabolic pathway is active. Normally plants break down sugar for energy, but in time of drought, they switch to the acetate-producing pathway.
The team next measured acetate levels in normal plants and found that the amount of acetate produced by plants during drought directly correlated to how well they survived. To confirm this, they tested plants with mutations in two of the genes found in the acetate-biosynthesis pathway. Results showed that these plants produced less acetate and were more sensitive to drought than normal plants.
These results predicted that increasing the amount of acetate in plants could help them survive drought. The team tested this hypothesis by growing normal plants in drought conditions and treatment with acetic acid, other organic acids, or water. They found that after 14 days over 70% of the plants treated with acetic acid had survived, while virtually all other plants had died.
The scientists mapped the entire signaling pathway from the HDA6 switch, and realized that this pathway is highly conserved across different plant species. They performed the same experiment as described above, and found that drought tolerance also increased in rice, wheat, and maize when the plants were grown in optimal acetic acid concentrations.
Kim notes the significance of this finding. “Although transgenic technologies can be used to create plants that are more tolerant to drought, we must also develop simple and less expensive technologies because genetically modified plants are not available in all several countries. We expect that external application of acetate to plants will be a useful, simple, and less expensive way to enhance drought tolerance in a variety of plants.”
Learn more: Vinegar: a cheap and simple way to help plants fight drought
The Latest on: Drought tolerance
[google_news title=”” keyword=”drought tolerance” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
- Farmers advised to cultivate drought resistant crops in Vellore, nearby districts to conserve wateron April 26, 2024 at 5:44 pm
The district administrations in Vellore, Ranipet, Tirupattur and Tiruvannamalai have advised farmers to cultivate crops like maize, rye and ragi that are drought tolerant as these districts are ...
- 10 Fast-Growing Perennials That Will Fill Your Garden In A Flashon April 26, 2024 at 11:19 am
Discover a variety of fast-growing perennials and learn how to care for them in your garden. Explore tips and techniques for successful planting and maintenance.
- Trichoderma priming shows enhanced drought tolerance in barley: Studyon April 25, 2024 at 4:34 pm
Varanasi: Researchers at Banaras Hindu University’s department of Botany conducted a study examining Trichoderma-mediated defence priming in barley un.
- Tyler City Council updates drought plan, talks sewer system improvementson April 25, 2024 at 3:35 am
The Tyler City Council adopted updates to the city’s drought contingency plan and heard about sewer system improvements at this week’s meeting. On Wednesday, the city council approved an update to ...
- Exploring eco-friendly lawns: Saving time, money and benefiting pollinatorson April 24, 2024 at 4:01 pm
With the recent rain falls and the upcoming rain later this week lawns are finally starting to look green again --But the ongoing drought over the last few year ...
- Can Diverting the Mississippi River Save the Drought-Stricken West? 5 Better Alternativeson April 24, 2024 at 10:30 am
In case you missed it, the American Southwest has been going through a drought for the past 24 years. Tree ring and geologic data show it is the worst drought in the region for 1200 years! Lake Mead ...
- Phoenix Embraces Arbor Day, City Plants for a Cooler Future with Drought-Tolerant Treeson April 24, 2024 at 8:23 am
Phoenix celebrates Arbor Day with a focus on planting trees suitable for its arid climate and urban forestry goals.
- Drought-tolerant, virtually unkillable plants and more for the garden this weekon April 19, 2024 at 12:36 am
2. If you are seeking drought-tolerant candidates for spilling over block walls that will flower from now until fall, I have two suggestions. If you are partial to passionate blazing color ...
- Drought preparedness through soil and crop managementon April 18, 2024 at 4:31 pm
As spring approaches, the agricultural community is becoming increasingly concerned about potential forecasts of drought across the southern Prairies. And ...
via Google News and Bing News