In a new study published in The Plant Cell, a team of researchers has identified a gene that limits yield losses in rice plants exposed to salt stress and deciphered the underlying mechanism. Rising global temperatures are expected to accelerate the accumulation of salt in soil, placing an increasing burden on agricultural production.
In this scenario, the team of scientists led by Jian-Zhong Lin and Xuan-Ming Liu, from Hunan University in Changsha, China, recently identified a gene that contributes to salt stress tolerance in rice. The gene, called STRK1 (salt tolerance receptor-like cytoplasmic 1) was activated under salt stress conditions.
The researchers generated two sets of transgenic plants, one in which STRK1 was expressed at high levels, and another in which expression was significantly reduced. Under normal growth conditions, both sets of transgenic plants appeared normal. However, when challenged with salt, transgenic plants with high STRK1 expression were greener and larger than non-transgenic plants.
Next, the team examined STRK1's effect on performance. “Notably, overexpression of rice STRK1 not only enhances growth but also significantly limits grain yield loss under salt stress conditions,” said Jian-Zhong Lin.
These exciting discoveries bring the research community closer to the development of rice plants that thrive in saline soils. “Agricultural productivity is increasingly threatened by salinization of irrigated farmland… Our work shows that STRK1 is a promising candidate gene for yield protection in crop plants exposed to salt stress,” said Liu Xuan-Ming.
Post | Marina Carvejani
Author | Leonardo Gottems
Source | agrolink
