Silicon enhances stomatal function and protects crop yields

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In this project the student will test whether wheat and rice plants with high capacities for silicon uptake can produce 'more crop per drop' of water. Silicon is an abundant element long thought of as being unreactive and non-essential for plants. However, some plants accumulate very high levels of silicon and the benefits of this for their protection against threats such as drought and pathogen attack have now become clear. For example, we have recently discovered that silicon accumulates in the guard cells of stomata on plant leaves and helps them to act quickly. These cells are particularly important as they adjust the stomatal pores to control how much carbon dioxide enters the plant for photosynthesis, and how much water is lost. Plants that can react more quickly to a changing environment should be able to use water more efficiently and could have advantages under rising CO2levels and future warmer, drier climate scenarios. The student will learn to use molecular and physiological techniques and use these to explore the potential role for silicon in future food security