Australian Researchers Get Breakthrough in Development of Salt Tolerant Crops

A team of researchers led by Professor Timothy Colmer from the University of Western Australia (UWA) has made a breakthrough that could help the future development of crops for salty soils worldwide.

The UWA team Worked with research partners at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), where scientists specifically looked at whether the effect of salinity on reproductive processes in chickpea was associated with ion concentration in specific tissues. It has been thought that the accumulation of salt ions in the reproductive structures of chickpea plants was responsible for its sensitivity to salt. The results, however, showed that this is incorrect.

The UWA and ICRISAT team analyzed the early reproductive tissues of developing ovules and pods between a known salt tolerant variety, Genesis836, and a known salt sensitive variety, Rupali, after they were subjected to varying concentrations of sodium chloride applied to soil. According to Professor Colmer, they did not find any differences in the accumulation of sodium or chloride between the contrasting genotypes.

For more details, read the news release at the UWA website.