The Himalayas are home to plants that can withstand extreme weather. Could they help in making crops equally resilient and thus more resistant to climate change? That’s what an Indo-German project aims to find out.
Credit: Jülich Plant Phenotyping Center
The remote “cold desert” regions of the Himalayas in northern India are notorious for their highly inhospitable terrain. The snow-clad mountain peaks soar over 4,500 meters high; the air is thin, frost covers the ground and there hasn’t been a drop of rain for months.
Yet, paradoxically, a variety of plants flourish in the rugged landscape. Just what is it that makes these plants withstand such harsh conditions?
It’s a question that scientists at the Jülich Plant Phenotyping Center (JPPC) near Cologne are puzzling over, and one they hope will offer clues to developing stronger crops in future.
A partnership with India
The Germany-based institute has teamed up with the state-funded Institute for Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IHBT) in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Researchers at the IHBT have identified and isolated genes in the Himalayan plant potentilla that makes it drought-resistant.
The scientists have transferred the genes into Arabidopsis Thaliana, a common lab plant whose entire genome has been sequenced and is thus easy to manipulate. The next step is to carefully monitor and analyze growth in the genetically modified plant. That’s where the Germans play a key role.
“It would take an entire lifetime if we were to do it at our institute,” said Sanjay Kumar, plant physiologist at the IHBT who discovered the drought-tolerant gene. “So far, we’ve been harvesting the plants regularly and then measuring growth. But at Jülich, scientists have technologies that can examine plants in a precise way without destroying them. That will help accelerate the research.”
Making crops drought-resistant
In addition to their hi-tech scanning technologies, researchers at the JPPC also plan to genetically modify crops as part of the Indo-German cooperation project. The project involves both an Indian and a German industrial partner. The two want to use the scientific results in cotton and canola respectively.
The aim is to make the crops more drought-resistant and significantly lower the amount of water needed for them to survive.
“Drought already dramatically reduces yields – not just in India but in several parts of the world, and things can only get worse with climate change,” said Anika Wiese-Klinkenberg, biologist at Jülich who is charge of the Indo-German project. “Cotton is a hugely important crop in India and canola is an important source of oil in Europe. Our aim is to make these plants more resilient in the face of dry stress situations.”
Win-win situation
Researchers estimate that it will take several years before drought-resistant crops actually hit the market. The endeavor faces a host of scientific and legal challenges. But for Jülich, the cooperation with India has already brought advantages.
“This project is a particularly good example of how you can combine basic research with applied research,” said Uli Schurr, director of the Jülich Plant Phenotyping Center. “We’re only just beginning to understand how the different plant systems work in the Himalayas, which are known as a ‘biodiversity hotspot.’ So for us it’s a chance to learn something new.”
Contacts and sources:
Author: Sonia Phalnikar
Editor: Sean Sinico
Deutsche Welle
Credit: Jülich Plant Phenotyping Center
The remote “cold desert” regions of the Himalayas in northern India are notorious for their highly inhospitable terrain. The snow-clad mountain peaks soar over 4,500 meters high; the air is thin, frost covers the ground and there hasn’t been a drop of rain for months.
Yet, paradoxically, a variety of plants flourish in the rugged landscape. Just what is it that makes these plants withstand such harsh conditions?
It’s a question that scientists at the Jülich Plant Phenotyping Center (JPPC) near Cologne are puzzling over, and one they hope will offer clues to developing stronger crops in future.
A partnership with India
The Germany-based institute has teamed up with the state-funded Institute for Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IHBT) in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Researchers at the IHBT have identified and isolated genes in the Himalayan plant potentilla that makes it drought-resistant.
The scientists have transferred the genes into Arabidopsis Thaliana, a common lab plant whose entire genome has been sequenced and is thus easy to manipulate. The next step is to carefully monitor and analyze growth in the genetically modified plant. That’s where the Germans play a key role.
“It would take an entire lifetime if we were to do it at our institute,” said Sanjay Kumar, plant physiologist at the IHBT who discovered the drought-tolerant gene. “So far, we’ve been harvesting the plants regularly and then measuring growth. But at Jülich, scientists have technologies that can examine plants in a precise way without destroying them. That will help accelerate the research.”
Making crops drought-resistant
In addition to their hi-tech scanning technologies, researchers at the JPPC also plan to genetically modify crops as part of the Indo-German cooperation project. The project involves both an Indian and a German industrial partner. The two want to use the scientific results in cotton and canola respectively.
The aim is to make the crops more drought-resistant and significantly lower the amount of water needed for them to survive.
“Drought already dramatically reduces yields – not just in India but in several parts of the world, and things can only get worse with climate change,” said Anika Wiese-Klinkenberg, biologist at Jülich who is charge of the Indo-German project. “Cotton is a hugely important crop in India and canola is an important source of oil in Europe. Our aim is to make these plants more resilient in the face of dry stress situations.”
Win-win situation
Researchers estimate that it will take several years before drought-resistant crops actually hit the market. The endeavor faces a host of scientific and legal challenges. But for Jülich, the cooperation with India has already brought advantages.
“This project is a particularly good example of how you can combine basic research with applied research,” said Uli Schurr, director of the Jülich Plant Phenotyping Center. “We’re only just beginning to understand how the different plant systems work in the Himalayas, which are known as a ‘biodiversity hotspot.’ So for us it’s a chance to learn something new.”
Contacts and sources:
Author: Sonia Phalnikar
Editor: Sean Sinico
Deutsche Welle
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