In a world full of worry over food scarcity, energy shortages, and fading non-renewable resources, plant biologists continue to bring us hope. This time that hope comes in the form of salt-tolerant crops.

A team of researchers, let by professor Mark Tester at the University of Adelaide’s Waite Campus in Australia, has developed salt-tolerant crops via gene modification. They genetically modified the cells surrounding the plant’s xylem to remove the salt from the water before it gets to the shoot. This reduces the salt buildup that typically occurs at the shoot of the plant, and in doing so increases the plant’s tolerance to high saline levels.

This research effort was initiated as a way to reduce agricultural freshwater consumption. High salinity is a considerable concern for crops grown on irrigated lands, which includes almost a third of the world’s food supply. As fresh water becomes increasingly rare, an increased tolerance to high salinity can give plants the extra edge to survive.

“Helping plants to withstand this salt onslaught will have a significant impact on world food production” Tester advocated. The team is currently attempting to implement stage two of their research by applying the new method to three test crops: rice, wheat and barley. The outlook seems promising but only time will tell what will become of this solution to our salty problems.

Discussion question: What are the implications of this agricultural innovation for water conservation?

News Article: http://www.sciencecentric.com/news/article.php?q=09070837-scientists-closer-developing-salt-tolerant-crops
Journal Article: http://www.plantcell.org/cgi/content/abstract/tpc.108.064568v1?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&andorexacttitle=and&andorexacttitleabs=and&fulltext=tester&andorexactfulltext=or&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=relevance&resourcetype=HWCIT