The protein, which is involved in the mechanism of the plant’s response to water and thermal stresses and to invasion by fungi, has been named DRIK1. It could help develop drought-resistant plant varieties and products that reduce losses related to climate change.
The new Engineering Research Center will be hosted by São Paulo State University’s School of Agrarian and Veterinary Sciences in Jaboticabal. Its scientists will also research biotechnology and plant resistance.
Studies of food crops such as corn, sugarcane, rice, wheat, soybeans and cocoa, as well as rubber trees, were presented at an event organized by FAPESP and the Japanese agency JST to foster collaboration between researchers from São Paulo State and Japan.
With FAPESP’s support, researchers have succeeded in mapping 99.1% of the plant’s genes, providing knowledge that will help improve its resistance to disease and increase its biomass yield for fuel or sugar production.
In a search for more sustainable alternatives for agriculture, researchers at UNESP are developing systems to encapsulate synthetic pesticides as well as compounds of botanical, fungal, and bacterial origin; results were presented at FAPESP Week France.
Brazilian researcher reports during his lecture at FAPESP Week France that socioterritorial movements are creating alternatives to agribusiness based on sustainable development and healthy food.
Available online for free, polyploid mapping system developed in Brazil helps breeders of sugarcane, kiwi, blueberry, sweet potato and forages, among other crops.
In an article published in PNAS, Brazilian researchers stress the need for agricultural management that favors the maintenance of wildlife.
