Agricultural production needs to dramatically increase to feed the growing population – but there may not be enough water. The Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) project has discovered how to produce crops that need 25% less water without sacrificing photosynthesis or yield.
Increasing levels of a photosynthetic protein tricks plants into partially closing their stomata – the microscopic pores in the leaf that allow water to escape – enabling plants to conserve water to grow faster and yield more.
Research started out using tobacco, a model crop used for research, but now our team will focus on translating this discovery to food crops.
– Stephen Long, Ikenberry Endowed Chair of Plant Biology and Crop Sciences, University of Illinois