A SURPRISE discovery about how seeds germinate could boost the development of drought and flood-resistant crops.
How seeds absorb water before sprouting has long been queried; the proteins that help create water channels in the cell membranes of mature roots and shoots are absent in germinating seeds.
Now 鈥榮 team at the University of Warwick in Coventry, UK, has the answer. They studied the genes expressed as (Arabidopsis thaliana) germinated and found that growth of water channels on the surface of seed cells is controlled by the same genes that create channels deep within the cell, around water-filled chambers called vacuoles (Molecular Plant, ). The 鈥渦nexpected finding鈥� gives us a genetic target to manipulate to improve germination in extreme conditions, says Frigerio.
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