As climate change is expected to lead to more frequent periods of drought, researchers are increasingly working to make discoveries that can help plants adapt to prolonged water stress.
Researchers from Boyce Thompson Institute and Cornell University have completed the first study to provide a comprehensive picture of gene expression changes in response to water stress in a fruit – the tomato, Solanum lycopersicum – identifying genes that could help plant breeders develop fruit that can cope with drought conditions.
Published in the December issue of Plant Physiology, the work was led by the research team of Carmen Catalá, an assistant professor at BTI and a Senior Research Associate in the School of Integrative Plant Science (SIPS) at Cornell. Collaborating researchers include Jocelyn Rose, a professor in SIPS, and BTI professors Jim Giovannoni, Zhangjun Fei and Lukas Mueller, who are also adjunct professors in SIPS
Read more at: Boyce Thompson Institute
Carmen Catalá and Philippe Nicolas examine tomatoes in a BTI greenhouse. (Photo Credit: Boyce Thompson Institute)