The discovery of a pair of genes that prompt rice plants to grow extra-tall when submerged in water could potentially lead to new hardier varieties of rice that yield food even in flooded conditions, and could help out farmers in flood-prone nations like Thailand and Cambodia, according to a study published in Nature. Researchers discovered a pair of genes known as SNORKEL, which spurs growth among the plants when they are completely submerged, allowing the plants to survive by keeping their leaf tops above the water.
As water levels rise, accumulation of the plant hormone ethylene activates the SNORKEL genes, making stem growth more rapid. When the researchers introduced the genes into rice that does not normally survive in deep water, they were able to rescue the plants from drowning [AP].
There are already strains of rice that can survive waterlogged conditions such as those that affect about a quarter ...
