Global agriculture today faces unprecedented challenges posed by severe drought that threatens strategic crops, most notably rice, which is the staple food for millions of people around the world.
In response to this crisis, a research team from Chonnam National University in South Korea has made a highly promising scientific discovery. The scientists identified a unique gene in rice plants that plays a dual and intriguing role in this area, and the findings were published in a recent study in the scientific journal "Plant Biotechnology Journal."
Plant cells contain highly sophisticated green energy factories known as chloroplasts. These tiny factories are not only responsible for giving the plant its vibrant green color, but they also act as a kitchen, converting sunlight and water into food that ensures the plant's growth and productivity.
But when drought strikes, chloroplast cells begin to malfunction, producing highly damaging molecules known as reactive oxygen species (ROS). These molecules cause what is scientifically known as oxidative stress and can be likened to harmful chemical compounds that invade the cell and destroy its internal structure, ultimately leading to leaf wilting and a significant crop reduction.
Ahmed Qassem, a researcher in the Department of Chemistry at Virginia Commonwealth University in the United States - who was not involved in the study - explained in exclusive statements to Al Jazeera Net: “It has been customary in the literature to treat reactive oxygen metabolism as a total cellular phenomenon, but the study concludes that the relationship between the cytoplasm and the chloroplast is not simultaneous but sequential, and confirms that if we want to protect the plant, the smart place to put the fire extinguisher is not just anywhere, but specifically inside the chloroplast at the source of the fire.”
This is where the gene discovered in this scientific study comes in, explains Juebel Yang, a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and Technology at Chonnam National University in South Korea.“The gene produces an enzyme that quickly cleans up highly reactive oxygen molecules that are capable of damaging cell components if they accumulate.”
Under environmental stresses such as drought, chloroplasts become the primary source of highly reactive oxygen species, capable of disrupting the oxygen balance of the entire cell. You can think of it as a firefighter extinguishing sparks before they burn the forest; by removing and preventing their accumulation in the chloroplasts, it protects the photosynthetic machinery and allows plants to continue growing even under stressful conditions.
Using advanced microscopy techniques, the research team demonstrated that the damaging oxygen molecules released in plants exposed to drought originate within the chloroplasts before spreading to other parts of the plant cell. When the scientists genetically modified rice plants to enhance the activity and effectiveness of this protective gene, they observed a remarkable response.
The enhanced plants were able to suppress those harmful chemical molecules with superior efficiency and speed, preventing the spread of damage and preserving the integrity of the energy cells and their continued functioning even in conditions of extreme thirst.
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