Rooting and shooting for rice: getting to the root of the matter to increase production

The article The protein kinase PSTOL1 from traditional rice confers tolerance of phosphorus deficiency, published in Nature on 22 August 2012, highlights a scientific breakthrough – the isolation of a gene that enhances root growth thereby enabling rice to take up significantly more phosphorus, a critical nutrient for plant growth. Some of the media coverage from IRRI and GCP press releases:

BBC, 22 Aug – Wild rice gives yield boost
BBC, 23 Aug – Video of TV interview (Youtube)

Other news agencies (wide syndication)

Reuters, 23 Aug – Researchers identify gene that improves rice yields in poor soil
AFP, 22 Aug – Gene breakthrough could boost rice yields by 20 percent

More media coverage:

Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug – Gene helps rice grow in phosphorus-poor soils
Herald Sun, Australia, 23 Aug – Gene breakthrough could boost rice yields
The Hindu, 23 Aug – Growing rice in soil poor in phosphorus possible
The Australian, 23 Aug – Gene breakthrough could boost rice yields
The China Post, 24 Aug – Gene breakthrough could boost rice yields by 20 percent
International Business Times, 24 Aug – Gene That Can Boost Rice Output Discovered by Scientists
ABC Radio Australia, 24 Aug – Scientists identify gene that can boost rice yields (podcast)
Environmental News Network, 23 Aug – Rice Genes
United Press International, 23 Aug – Wild rice gene can increase crop yields
Jakarta Globe, 23 Aug – Rice Gene That Frees Soil Nutrients Could Boost Yields in Indonesia
Yahoo India, 22 Aug – India rice gene creates new varieties
Phys.org, 22 Aug – Gene breakthrough could boost rice yields by 20 percent
AlertNet, 22 Aug – Researchers identify gene that improves rice yields in poor soil
RedOrbit, 22 Aug – Rice Gene Allows Crop To Thrive In Nutrient Deficient Soil
Perth Now, 23 Aug – Gene breakthrough could boost rice yields
Courier Mail, 23 Aug – Gene breakthrough could boost rice yields
Adelaide Now, 23 Aug – Gene breakthrough could boost rice yields
Philstar, 23 Aug – Scientists discover rice gene that increases grain production
ZeeNews, 23 Aug – Rice gene that increases grain production found
AsianScientist, 27 Aug – Rice gene discovery linked to larger roots
SciDev.Net, 30 Aug – Phosphorus uptake gene 'could boost rice yields'
ISB News report, Nov/Dec – Back to the roots – a novel rice protein kinase enhances phosphorus uptake
ScienceNews, 23 Feb 2013 – Salvage job

Nature links

The article – The protein kinase PSTOL1 from traditional rice confers tolerance of phosphorus deficiency
Commentary by Leon Kochian – Plant nutrition: Rooting for more phosphorus

Nature Press release, 18 Aug:

Genetics: Increasing rice yields (pp 535–539)

A gene that can enhance rice yields in crops that normally rely on fertilizers containing phosphorus, an essential element for plant growth, is characterized in this week’s Nature. The gene makes crops tolerant to low concentrations of phosphorus, partly by enhancing root growth, which enables plants to acquire more phosphorus and other nutrients. Introduction of this gene into modern rice varieties is expected to enhance productivity under low-phosphorus conditions.

Rice is an important source of energy to many populations, such as in Asia, the world’s largest producer of rice. However, limited availability of phosphorus fertilizers contributes to low crop yields and high poverty in this region. Sigrid Heuer and co-authors suggest that a gene found in phosphorus-deficiency-tolerant rice in India, which is absent in other modern rice varieties, could address this problem. They show that grain yield can be increased in intolerant varieties by making them express the so-called phosphorus-starvation tolerance 1 (PSTOL1) gene.

The authors highlight the importance of exploring varieties of crops with valuable genes, such as PSTOL1, that could be used in breeding programs to improve plant yields.

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