The China Daily reported on March 24, that “Chinese scientists have discovered a crop gene that, once deactivated, can allow plants to thrive in saline and alkaline soils, a feat that has the potential to create new saline-alkaline tolerant crops.” The study was published in the journal Science and National Science Review on March 24. (https://academic.oup.com/nsr/advance-article/doi/10.1093/nsr/nwad075/7083012?searchresult=1)
China Daily explains: “The gene, called AT1, plays a key role in regulating the plant’s response to saline and alkaline environments. Field experiments have shown that without the gene, crops such as sorghum, rice, wheat, maize and millet have higher yields and biomass when planted in fields with low to medium saline-alkaline content.”
Further: “The AT1-deactivated rice variant can produce about 22.4 to 27.8% more grain in saline and alkaline soils. New grain variants, including millet, documented an increased production of nearly 20%, and research has shown removing the AT1 gene in maize can significantly increase its ability to survive in saline-alkaline environments.…
