Desert provides an oasis for KAUST bioscientist studying plant stress

KAUST · January 21, 2015 · Notable

Summary

KAUST Associate Professor Liming Xiong is researching how plants adapt to drought conditions, focusing on reducing water consumption, increasing water uptake, and surviving under stress. His "whole plant" approach aims to identify major genes controlling water uptake, water loss, and cellular detoxification. The research seeks to develop plants that use water more efficiently or can be irrigated with brackish water, important for agriculture in Saudi Arabia. Why it matters: Understanding the molecular mechanisms of plant drought tolerance can help in breeding stress-tolerant crops suitable for the arid conditions in the region.

Keywords

plant stress · drought tolerance · KAUST · water consumption · agriculture

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