Study Unveils the Role of CAX1 Gene in Improving Plant Tolerance to Flooding

Researchers from Baylor College of Medicine discovered that the removal of the CAX1 gene increases the low-oxygen stress tolerance of Arabidopsis under flooding conditions. The findings of their study are published in Plant, Cell & Environment.

Overwatering plants can be just as detrimental as underwatering them. When plants are subjected to excessive water, such as heavy rainfall or overwatering, they face significant challenges, such as limited access to light and oxygen and increased susceptibility to harmful microbes and pathogens, which can lead to yield losses and poor crop quality.

This research presents significant insights into the current efforts in the research and development of flood-tolerant plants. According to Dr. Kendal Hirschi, Professor at Baylor College of Medicine, “All crops have this problem, so if we could give plants the ability to be more flood-tolerant, we would provide an important solution to world agriculture.”

For more information, read the article from Baylor College of Medicine.