Crop Biotech Update

Researchers Identify Modulator of Salt Tolerance in Rice

February 28, 2024

Researchers from China utilized CRISPR-Cas9 on rice to boost yield while under salinity stress. Their findings may help breed salt-tolerant crops in the future.

Crops quickly grow when subjected to optimal conditions. However, environmental stresses, like salt stress, limit the grain yield and crop architecture of rice. Breeding crop varieties that are salt-tolerant is necessary for better agricultural productivity.

Scientists from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the National Key Facility of Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, and Anhui Agricultural University studied OsDSK2a, which is a modulator of crop growth and salt tolerance in rice. The results showed that the gene-edited osdsk2aS2G has a lower crop height but higher salt tolerance. They also learned that SnRK1A maintains the stability of OsDSK2a to support crop growth during normal conditions and decreases the amount of OsDSK2a to restrict growth during salt stress.

Read the article in the Plant Biotechnology Journal for more information.


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