Scientists say they have identified a gene that will allow rice plants to survive being completely submerged in water for up to two weeks.
Most rice plants die within a week of being underwater, but the researchers hope the new gene will offer greater protection to the world's rice harvest.
Farmers in south-east Asia lose an estimated £524m ($1bn) each year from rice crops being destroyed by flooding.
The findings have been published in the science journal Nature.
The team from the University of California, Davis, US, and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) based in the Philippines says the gene, called Sub1A-1, will give the plants greater protection against damaging flooding.
They say it will also offer farmers greater crop protection, especially those who live in vulnerable areas.
2 comments:
im getting really nervous with scientist mucking about with my food...makes me suspicious
I have noticed food doesn't last half as long as it used to, I'm sure it's a "Supermarket giant thing" (Like Walmart) to sell more goods , coz it just went off quicker.
But I am wholeheartedly FOR anything scientific that can aid crop growth in third world countries , like France and Bangladesh.
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