Scientists have made a breakthrough in crop farming during drought

Drought quickly covers agricultural lands around the world - and is yet to be stepped up. A new study suggests how we can continue to cultivate the crops we are used to feeding, but with much less water.

Many of the major cereals - like rice and wheat - actually have a mechanism that protects them from drought. The problem is that this mechanism is often triggered too late. Scientists at the Australian National University have just identified the enzyme responsible for this - phosphatase SAL1 - in a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . Now they want to use it to get the plants to enter the "drought mode" earlier.

Scientists explain that the enzyme acts as a fire alarm in the plant. The problem is that the alarm is screaming only after two or three rooms from the house have already been burned. The shielding mechanism reduces the use and loss of water in the plant but is triggered when the plant has spent a long time under continuous drought conditions.

By the time the plant enters water conservation mode, it is often too mature. Unfortunately, plants are particularly vulnerable to damage in their early stages of development. So taking measures on land early enough may mean that the plant is more likely not only to survive but also to produce a larger product for consumption.

Now the researchers have determined who this enzyme is and how it is triggered, and their next step is to figure out how to use it. So far, this is only a first step, but in the conditions of rapid drought, it may prove to be key.

Source: www.sciencealert.com ,https://www.gettyimages.com