Biologists from The Scripps Research Institute and the University of California (UC), San Diego have discovered ‘the structure of a critical molecule that helps plants survive during droughts.’ According to Elizabeth Getzoff, the leader of the research team, “This molecular structure helps explain the mechanism behind drought tolerance in plants.”

The findings of the research, featured in the journal Science, will help towards developing ‘new ways to protect crops against prolonged dry periods, potentially improving crop yields worldwide, aiding biofuels production on marginal lands and mitigating drought’s human and economic costs.’ Major droughts in the last three years alone are said to have caused an overall damage costing more than ten billion dollars in losses to crops and other damages in the United States alone.

The discovery of the mysterious hormone also reveals that drought-tolerant plants synthesize abscisic acid when they detect dry conditions. ‘Abscisic acid triggers an array of plant drought-tolerance mechanisms.’ This synthesis causes changes in the plants from root tips to leaves and flowers. They, then, start conserving water. ‘Plants under the influence of this hormone begin to conserve water. Their seeds lie dormant in the ground. Their leaves close microscopic pores to stop water loss. They slow their own growth, and they signal numerous genetic changes, reprogramming themselves to accomplish their single most pressing goal — survival.’

Via Science Daily