Plant and computer scientists have discovered the genes plants use to manage environmental stresses. Called “cis-regulatory elements”, these genes were found in the Arabidopsis thaliana plant, or mouse-ear cress.
It was found that 3,000 to 10,000 of the plant’s 25,000 genes are used to cope with extremes.
“Our work will contribute to improving crops so they can deal with environmental changes better,” said one of the researchers.
It is thought the results will give new insight into the effects of climate change on plant grown and food production.
Read more at Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences