New sensing techniques can detect drought tolerance in ancient crops, may inform new breeding programsThe key to sustainable agriculture could lie in the legacy of wild relatives of essential crops like wheat and barley. These under-exploited genetic treasures harbor stress tolerance mechanisms shaped by generations of natural selection under harsh environments.
Using the same entry and exit means there is an inevitable trade-off between conserving water and gaining enough carbon to produce healthy grains via photosynthesis. Using iTE, we can then identify the well-adapted lines that demonstrate such efficient use of water under drought conditions and still can sustain their capacity to resume growth.Although we developed iTE with wild populations in mind, its application could also extend to cultivated commercial crops.
For instance, some plants might keep photosynthesizing effectively, as our research suggests, while others might have deeper roots that access water far below the surface.