All articles tagged with #drought tolerance
Research from the University of Copenhagen has debunked a 127-year-old theory about the function of bladder cells on the surface of quinoa plants. Previously believed to protect against drought and salt, the study found that bladder cells actually serve as a barrier against pests and diseases. The discovery could lead to the development of more resilient quinoa varieties and wider cultivation of this sustainable crop worldwide.
New research challenges the conventional belief that soil microbes help plants cope with drought by responding to the plants' chemical signals. A study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign found that free-living soil microbes are primarily looking out for themselves. The environment selects for drought-tolerant microbes, which incidentally make plants more drought-tolerant. The study highlights the need for considering no-microbe and no-plant controls in future research to better understand plant-microbe interactions.