CRISPR Rice Exhibits Improved Photosynthesis Under Drought Stress

Plants have natural survival mechanisms that sometimes work against them during extreme weather conditions. Within a plant's cells, there are membrane lipids that act as messengers. When a plant experiences stress such as drought, an enzyme called Phospholipase D (PLD) breaks the membrane lipids down to send signals. However, in rice plants, one specific version of this enzyme, known as OsPLDβ1, can actually make the plant more vulnerable to damage.

Using gene editing technology, a group of researchers from the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology and other institutions turned off OsPLDβ1 to develop a hardier version of rice that stays healthier even when water is scarce. The results, published in Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, showed that the gene-edited rice plants were much better at defending themselves against drought.

When plants are exposed to drought, toxic molecules called reactive oxygen species accumulate, which affects seedlings and leaves. The gene-edited rice plants, however, produced more protective antioxidants, which kept their roots growing and their photosynthesis running smoothly. Because these plants suffered less internal damage and had a higher survival rate, this discovery offers a promising way to breed climate-resilient crops that can thrive despite the unpredictable weather patterns caused by climate change.

Read the research article for more findings.