Saudi Arabia and Australia to Deliver Salt Tolerant Crops

The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and The Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics (ACPFG) at the University of Adelaide in Australia, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop salt-tolerant varieties of wheat and barley for growers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Australia.

The partnership will allow for transfer of materials, technologies, and resources between the two organizations, facilitating the development of crops that are able to grow in saline conditions. The project will also provide opportunities for student exchanges and joint PhD projects. A part of  the collaboration allows ACPFG and KAUST to replicate laboratory and field trials to identify genes with key roles in salinity tolerance.

Dr. Mark Tester, Professor of Bioscience at KAUST said, "Both KAUST and ACPFG have great resources and mutual interest in understanding and improving salinity tolerance in crops. This international agreement provides a valuable opportunity to benefit agriculture in both the Kingdom and Australia."

For more information, read the KAUST news release at: http://www.kaust.edu.sa/media/pressreleases/mou2013.html.