Selective breeding could improve drought tolerance for crops in warming world, scientists say

Though farmers can easily select crops which produce bigger yields, science can also help them choose hardier specimens, writes Harry Cockburn

Genes found in tomato roots dictate how the plant will respond to drought conditions, scientists have found (Getty )

On a rapidly warming planet, one of the most pressing concerns is how humans can maintain their food supply amid conditions which are widely becoming increasingly detrimental to crop-growing

Among other changing weather trends, the climate crisis is bringing some parts of the world more intense heat waves and periods of drought, which can have major impacts on the quantity and quality of harvests.

But University of California scientists have discovered genetic data they say can help food crops such as tomatoes and rice survive longer and more intense periods of drought.

Through studying plants’ roots - the first part of the organism which detects the effects of drought - the scientists came across genes which they say can protect plants from these stresses.

The study examined genetic data from different cells of tomato roots grown both indoors and outside, which the scientists said allowed them to achieve a “high degree of understanding of the root functions”.

"Frequently, researchers do lab and greenhouse experiments, but farmers grow things in the field, and this data looks at field samples too," said Neelima Sinha, a professor of plant biology and the paper’s co-author.

The data yielded information about genes that tell the plant to make three key things: xylem, the suberin and lingin.

Xylem are hollow, pipe-like vessels that transport water and nutrients from the roots all the way up to the shoots. Without transport in xylem, the plant cannot create its own food via photosynthesis.

Suberin is a protective substance found in plant cells which holds in water during drought, and lingin helps waterproof cells and its strength means it provides mechanical strength for the plant.

"Xylem are very important to shore up plants against drought as well as salt and other stresses," said lead study author Siobhan Brady, professor of plant biology at UC Davis.

In turn, without plant mineral transport in xylem, humans and other animals would have fewer vitamins and nutrients essential for our survival.

In addition to some typical genes needed to form the xylem, new and surprising genes were found.

Among these are the genes which direct an outer layer of the root to produce lignin and suberin.

Suberin is the key substance in cork and it surrounds plant cells in a thick layer, holding in water during drought.

Crops like tomatoes and rice have suberin in their roots. Apple fruits have suberin surrounding their outer cells. Anywhere it occurs, it prevents the plant from losing water. Lignin also waterproofs cells and provides mechanical support.

“Suberin and lignin are natural forms of drought protection, and now that the genes that encode for them in this very specific layer of cells have been identified, these compounds can be enhanced,” said study co-author Julia Bailey-Serres, a UC Riverside professor of genetics.

“I’m excited we’ve learned so much about the genes regulating this moisture barrier layer. It is so important for being able to improve drought tolerance for crops,” she said.

Genes that encode for a plant’s root meristem also turned out to be remarkably similar between tomato, rice, and Arabidopsis, a weed-like model plant. The meristem is the growing tip of each root, and it’s the source of all the cells that make up the root.

“It’s the region that’s going to make the rest of the root, and serves as its stem cell niche,” said Professor Bailey-Serres.

“It dictates the properties of the roots themselves, such as how big they get. Having knowledge of it can help us develop better root systems.”

Professor Brady said that when farmers are interested in a particular crop, they select plants that have features they can see, such as bigger, more attractive fruits.

However, it is much more difficult for growers to select plants with properties below ground they can’t see.

“The ‘hidden half’ of a plant, below ground, is critical for breeders to consider if they want to grow a plant successfully,” Professor Brady said.

“Being able to modify the meristem of a plant’s roots will help us engineer crops with more desirable properties.”

Though this study analysed only three plants, the team believes the findings can be applied more broadly.

“Tomato and rice are separated by more than 125 million years of evolution, yet we still see similarities between the genes that control key characteristics,” said Professor Bailey-Serres.

“It’s likely these similarities hold true for other crops too.”

The research is published in the journal Cell.