Australian Scientist Fine-tunes Plant Cells to Produce Superior Cereal Crops

University of Adelaide research scientist Matthew Tucker is changing the developmental path of grain in cereal crops to better influence yield and quality. Tucker will be taking advantage of plant cells' ability to change identity as the plant develops, to determine how to create cereal grains that are healthier to eat and produces more yield.

Tucker said, "I'm trying to identify the pathways that drive cells to become different. We'll be looking to identify natural variants in these pathways that can be used to purposely change cell types in the developing cereal grain."  A potential outcome of Tucker's work could be increased antioxidant levels in wholegrain or wholemeal flour. He added that there is tremendous potential to bring the healthy compound-making ability to cereals, which would also help develop a sustainable way of growing healthier foods.

For more, read the news release at http://www.adelaide.edu.au/news/news73542.html.