Genetic mapping showed that these high-yield lines carried a specific set of genes on chromosome 12. The poorer-performing lines didn't carry the same gene forms. Next, the scientists planted a sample of 21 lines from the original cross in a variety of environments in India and the Philippines. Some lines carried the high-yield genes. Some didn't. Nine of these environments ended up facing severe drought. In those places, lines containing the genes produced twice as much rice as expected. The newly discovered genes help the plants produce deeper roots that can collect 8 percent more water from the soil, Spaner said -- enough to make a big difference in how much rice the plants produce. Results appeared in October on the Web site of the plant sciences journal Euphytica. Publication will follow. "The effect of the [gene region] on grain yield was the highest ever identified in rice or in any other crop actually," Bernier said. Still, while promising, the genetic discovery is preliminary, said Katherine Steele, a researcher at Bangor University in the United Kingdom. Plenty of unanswered questions remain. For example, scientists will need to show that the genes work equally well in different strains of rice. And farmers will need to accept the new crop's taste and other features. "Much more work is required in order to use the [genes] effectively in the development of modern varieties for subsistence farmers," Steele said. Only after more breeding work is done will farmers have the chance to grow new strains of drought-resistant rice. Related Links: University of Alberta Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science |
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