Grains in the rain

Of the major food crops, only rice is currently able to survive flooding. Thanks to new research, that could soon change -- good news for a world in which rains are increasing in both frequency and intensity.

Rice fields in Indonesia. Photo: Simon Fanger/Unsplash

The research studied how other crops compare to rice when submerged in water. The study found that a wild-growing tomato, a tomato used for farming, and a plant similar to alfalfa all share at least 68 families of genes that are activated in response to flooding.

Rice was domesticated from wild species that grew in tropical regions, where it adapted to endure monsoons and waterlogging. Although some of the genes involved in that adaptation exist in the other plants, they do not switch on when the roots are being flooded.

The biologists looked at the genes in root tip cells to understand whether and how the genes were activated when covered with water and deprived of oxygen.

It's the first time a flooding response has been studied in a comprehensive way across different species, the researchers said.

"These exciting outcomes show that long-term commitment to basic research has incredible potential for real-world impact," says Anne Sylvester, a program officer in NSF's Division of Integrative Organismal Systems. (National Science Foundation)

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Study explores how rock expands near soil surface in Sierra Nevada

Expansion dominates the rock weathering process.

Coastal birds can weather the storm, but not the sea

Bird populations can recover from hurricane impacts in two decades.

North Atlantic haddock use magnetic compass to guide them

Study shows that haddock larvae orient toward the northwest.

Supplements of 'Good Bacteria' Can Enhance Weight Loss in Dieters

Scientists have found the live microorganisms that boost 'good bacteria' in the stomach can enhance weight loss.

Stretchable wireless sensor could monitor healing of cerebral aneurysms

A wireless sensor small enough to be implanted in the blood vessels of the human brain could help clinicians evaluate the healing of aneurysms -- bulges that can cause death or serious injury if they burst.

Amazon fish ‘face new threats’

While history has played an important role in the distribution and diversity of fish species in the Amazon basin, climate change, deforestation and building of power dams could alter such dynamics even more.