Scientists Discover "Rewired" Stomata Genes in Grasses

A new study from Carnegie Institution for Science reveals how the regulation of stomata development in grasses could be used to improve plant efficiency and agricultural yield.

Their work focused on the stomata of grasses, a family that includes maize, rice, and wheat. Scientists studied stomata in grasses since their stomata show several unique innovations. Grass stomata are dumbbell-shaped and are aligned in rows along the leaf blade. Scientists have speculated that these are the reasons for their evolutionary success.

The research team studied the regulatory systems that turn genes on and off and determine how grasses control the number of stomata to make, where to put them, and their distinct shape. They found that grasses have the same stomata genes as other plants but use them in different ways. This is similar to two circuits having similar components, but with different wirings.

This "rewiring" can partly explain how grasses form different stomata with superior physiology. Knowledge of this in grasses could potentially be game-changing in improving performance of plants for food or fuel use.

For more on this study, read the article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.