Scientists find gene that makes plants more carefree under climate stress

The SP1 gene 'de-stresses' plants, making them resilient to harsh conditions and furthering the possibility of future crops resistant to drought

By 2050, we'll have to meet the gargantuan challenge of growing 50% more food, to feed a burgeoning global population. Enter climate-resilient agriculture, possibly the best chance we have of actually attaining this goal: as countries grapple with the effects of climate change-drought, higher salinity-increasingly we'll have to depend on crops that can also flourish despite its inconsistencies.

Research on agricultural resilience abounds, but the latest offering looks to plant genetics for a solution, bringing us a little closer to the goal of hardy crops. Plant cell biologists at the University of Oxford have discovered a gene that can be harnessed to give plants in a laboratory setting more resilience, making them thrive instead of whither when unfavourable conditions strike.