Re-engineering rice root architecture to maximise water use efficiency

该项目旨在发现负责在水稻植物中产生更深和更多分支根的基因网络。植物的根是从土壤中吸收水分和养分的主要机制。操纵根系渗透更深，分支更大，可以让植物在更少的水分和更少的营养下茁壮成长。该项目将确定负责这一过程的关键基因和蛋白质，并改变它们的表达，以评估这些调控元件在水稻根系发育中的作用。该项目预计将提供新的、更可持续的水稻品种，这将有助于加强粮食安全。

This project aims to discover gene networks responsible for producing deeper and more branched roots in rice plants. The roots of plants are the primary mechanism for absorbing water and nutrients from the soil. Manipulating roots to penetrate deeper with greater branching allows plants to thrive with less water and less nutrients. The project will identify key genes and proteins responsible for this process, and alter their expression in order to assess the role of these regulatory elements in root development in rice plants. The project expects to provide new, more sustainable varieties of rice which will help provide enhanced food security.