Salt-tolerant rice offers hope for global food supply

A team of scientists at the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics has successfully used genetic modification (GM) to improve the salt tolerance of rice, offering hope for improved rice production around the world.

The research team has used a new GM technique to trap salt in the root of the rice plant, reducing the amount of toxic salt building up in the plant and increasing its tolerance to salinity.

This new research into rice builds on previous work into the salt tolerance of plants led by scientists from ACPFG. The research has been conducted in collaboration with scientists now based in universities in Cairo, Copenhagen and Melbourne.

About ACPFG: scientists are improving cereal crops' tolerance to environmental stresses such as drought, heat, salinity and nutrient toxicities. These stresses are a major cause of yield and quality loss throughout the world and cause significant problems for cereal growers. For more information on ACPFG visit www.acpfg.com.au

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• salt tolerance
• ACPFG
• food security
• rice

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