Monsanto and BASF Announce Discovery of Drought Resistance Gene

A gene from a soil bacterium can help corn plants tolerate severe drought conditions and confer yield stability during periods of inadequate water supplies, researchers from Monsanto and BASF announced earlier this week. The cspB gene from the naturally-occurring Bacillus subtilis will be used by the companies in their first-generation drought-tolerant corn product, which is slated for release in 2012 pending regulatory approvals. The cspB gene codes for an RNA chaperone, which are molecules that bind to RNA and facilitate their function. Researchers first identified the gene in bacteria subjected to cold stress conditions.

Monsanto and BASF said in a press release that they have completed regulatory submissions for cultivation in the United States and Canada, and for import to Mexico, the European Union and Colombia. The product could be the first biotechnology-derived drought-tolerant crop in the world.

View the press release at http://monsanto.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=710 Monsanto scientists have published their findings in Plant Physiology. Subscribers to the journal can download the full paper at http://www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/content/full/147/2/446