Study Finds Dicot Model System to Study Flooding Tolerance

Most economically important crops cannot survive long periods of severe floods. Thus, researchers look to wild plant families with inherent submergence traits. However, most of these wild crops are difficult to study at a genetic level. Scientists at the University of Bayreuth, Germany, reported yellow marshcress (Rorippa islandica) as a breakthrough candidate because of its simple genetic structure and ability to survive submergence. Their findings are published in Plant Physiology.

The researchers investigated R. islandica's secret to survival by comparing its active gene during a flood to those of a relative plant that is sensitive to flooding. They were led to a gene called RiBCA3, which seemed to confer resilience to the wild plant. When this gene was turned off, the edited plants still survived the flood, indicating that the source of flood tolerance remains a mystery. However, the study revealed that yellow marshcress is indeed a good model for studying flood resistance in dicot crops such as broccoli, cabbage, and oilseed rape.

Read the research article in Plant Physiology.