Method for producing a drought and salt tolerant plant

Simple SummaryContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

This invention describes a genetic engineering method to make plants more tolerant to drought and salt stress. It works by introducing and expressing a gene that encodes the enzyme ferulate 5-hydroxylase (F5H), specifically in the endodermis cells of plant roots using suitable promoters. Plants modified this way can survive and yield better under conditions of limited water or high salinity, which would normally harm or kill conventional plants.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Developing drought-tolerant crops for arid or semi-arid regions.
• Engineering salt-tolerant crop varieties for areas affected by soil salinization, such as irrigated farmland or coastal zones.
• Increasing crop yield and reliability in regions experiencing water scarcity or irregular rainfall.
• Enabling sustainable agriculture in marginal lands that are currently unsuitable for farming due to dryness or salinity.
• Improving the resilience of staple crops like rice, wheat, maize, cotton, and barley to climate change-induced stress.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Enhanced survival, growth, and yield of crops under drought and salt-stressed conditions.
• Reduced need for irrigation and costly water management in agriculture, saving water resources.
• Enables farming on marginal or previously unproductive land, increasing global food production.
• Potential to stabilize food supply against the effects of climate change and land degradation.
• Decreased use of chemical soil amendments or expensive infrastructure for salt and water management.

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Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

The present invention is concerned with the improvement of agricobiological traits in plants. More specifically, the present invention pertains to a method for increasing drought-stress and/or salt stress tolerance of a plant comprising expressing in a plant a polynucleotide encoding for a polypeptide having ferulate 5-hydroxylase activity, wherein said polynucleotide is operably linked to a promoter which is active in endodermis cells. The present invention also deals with plants obtainable by the method of the present invention as well as with expression cassettes comprising a polynucleotide encoding for a polypeptide having ferulate 5-hydroxylase activity.