Growing wheat in drought conditions may be easier in the future, thanks to new genetic research out of the University of California, Davis.
An international team of scientists found that the right number of copies of a specific group of genes can stimulate longer root growth, enabling wheat plants to pull water from deeper supplies. The resulting plants have more biomass and produce higher grain yield, according to a paper published in the journal Nature Communications.
The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research, or FFAR, has awarded a Seeding Solutions grant to the University of California, Davis to study how the microbial community hosted by the Sierra Mixe corn variety provides atmospheric nitrogen to the plant. Seeding Solutions grants are awarded annually in six different challenge groups recognized by the FFAR, with this one falling under “Next Generation Crops.” The grant was matched by Benson Hill for a total investment of $1,855,162
Distinguished Professor and John B Orr Endowed Professor in Environmental Plant Sciences and Chair of the Department of Plant Sciences
Faculty
Department Chair
Plant Sciences Executive Committee - Chair
Plant adaptation to a changing climate, genetics and genomics of leafy salad crops, non-food woody biomass crops for bioenergy. Sustainability, ecosystem services, plants and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Plant breeding, genetics and genomics of quantitative traits; quantitative genetics; use of wild species in crop and germplasm improvement; QTL introgression; marker-assisted selection and genomics in breeding.
114 ASMUNDSON UC Davis,
One Shields Ave,
Davis CA 95616
