Plants that have endured drought conditions are able to “remember” the stress of dehydration and to adapt responses to future dry conditions, a new study says. Working with Arabidopsis, a member of the mustard family, scientists at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln found that plants for which water was withheld over an extended period recovered more quickly to dry conditions than plants that had not experienced dehydration stress. Specifically, they found that “trained” plants respond to subsequent dehydration by increasing the transcription of a certain subset of genes. “All of this is driven by events at the molecular level,” said Zoya Avramova, a plant molecular biologist. “We demonstrate that this transcriptional memory is associated with chromatin changes that seem to be involved in maintaining this memory.” According to the scientists, these findings could help in the development of more drought-resistant crops. The study was published in the journal Nature Communications.
Plants Exposed to Drought Adapt Response to Dry Conditions
More From E360
-
Oceans
Dire Straits: Can a Fishing Ban Save the Elusive European Eel?
-
Climate
Scientists Are Trying to Coax the Ocean to Absorb More CO2
-
INTERVIEW
Marina Silva on Brazil’s Fight to Turn the Tide on Deforestation
-
Solutions
Solomon Islands Tribes Sell Carbon Credits, Not Their Trees
-
INTERVIEW
With Sea Turtles in Peril, a Call for New Strategies to Save Them
-
RIVERS
Jared Kushner Has Big Plans for Delta of Europe’s Last Wild River
-
Energy
A Nuclear Power Revival Is Sparking a Surge in Uranium Mining
-
OPINION
Despite Official Vote, the Evidence of the Anthropocene Is Clear
-
INTERVIEW
At 11,500 Feet, a ‘Climate Fast’ to Save the Melting Himalaya
-
Oceans
Octopuses Are Highly Intelligent. Should They Be Farmed for Food?
-
Climate
Nations Are Undercounting Emissions, Putting UN Goals at Risk
-
Solutions
As Carbon Air Capture Ramps Up, Major Hurdles Remain