HARDY Rice for Marginal Soils

Scientists from the Wageningen University in the Netherlands have identified a gene that enables plants to produce higher biomass even in low-water and high salt conditions. The HARDY gene was identified by mutation screening in the model plant Arabidopsis. HARDY encodes a transcription factor, a protein that regulates expression of other genes. The scientists have also identified another gene-coding transcription factor, SHINE, that confers salinity tolerance to rice. The transcription factors facilitate the activation or inactivation of the plant’s entire drought and salinity tolerance mechanism.

When the HARDY gene was introduced to rice via genetic modification, the scientists obtained drought-tolerant lines that can perform in normal conditions with the same efficiency as non-GM rice. The fact that HARDY, from the dicot Arabidopsis, was successfully introduced to a monocot plant shows the broad applicability of the gene in a wide range of crop plants.

For more information visit http://www.pri.wur.nl/UK/newsagenda/news/Wageningen_scientist_discovers_genes_that_increase_yield_
on_marginal_soils.htm