An international team led by researchers from Monash University in Australia has developed a new model for thermosensing plants that redefines previously held theories about how plants sense and respond to temperature.
Their findings, published in the journal Science, explain that instead of using a single “thermometer” to sense temperature, like humans do, plants have a decentralized genetic network of proteins and biological processes.
A changing climate has already affected crop yields and plant health, which makes this shift in perspective about how plants deal with temperature shifts extremely useful.
“Understanding how plants naturally integrate temperature into their growth and defence systems opens the door to precision breeding and AI-assisted approaches to enhance crop resilience,” said lead researcher Professor Sureshkumar Balasubramanian.
“Effectively, this means we can grow designer crops that are tailored to the local climate of a particular region.”
A United Nations report has warned that in the next 30 years, food supplies and food security could be threatened by the negative impacts of a warming planet. Action needs to be taken to mitigate the effects and bolster the food system’s resilience.
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There have been various advancements in helping plants deal with these climate shifts, including using zinc to protect plants from heat and slowing down the plant aging process through genetic engineering.
Around a decade’s worth of research into farming practices has shown that reduced tilling and more varied crops can help soil retain more nitrogen, which is essential to growth.
Sorghum, which is a naturally resistant cereal grain, is being studied to better understand its molecular structure, which could help improve breeding practices for other plants.
The results of this new comprehensive review about how plants sense temperatures can offer solutions to a broad range of plant species across different regions. This could help farmers breed resilient crops specifically tailored to their locality.
“Now that we have been able to identify exactly which elements within the plants are temperature-responsive, we can genetically manipulate them with greater accuracy,” said Dr Sridevi Sureshkumar.
“We can determine the specific combinations of manipulations that can produce bespoke solutions. Think of it like personalised medicine but for plants; this will revolutionize the way we think about agriculture moving forward.”
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