Preparing Plants for Growth in Warmer Temperatures

According to ScienceDaily, "Researchers have discovered a new gene that enables plants to regulate their growth in different temperatures."

The importance of this research is amplified by climate change trends. CNN.com reported today that March, 2015, was the warmest in recorded history. Warmer weather has negative impacts on crops, including those in South Florida and beyond.

Scientists in Austrailia and Spain have published a study focused on the ill effects of heat on plants in PLoS Genetics. The work describes the identity of a gene, named ICARUS1, which works on temperature sensitivity in plants; the gene may hold the key to helping to feed our world as it grows warmer.

According to the researchers, this discovery could lead to designer plants that can grow in regions with elevated temperatures. This research holds great promise in sustaining heat-threatened agricultural areas as droughts negatively affect crop yield in the American west and Southwest.

The detailed study can be seen here.