Léo Ramos Chaves/Pesquisa FAPESPShoots inherit ability to deal with water scarcity from the mother plantLéo Ramos Chaves/Pesquisa FAPESP
Sugarcane shoots derived from plants previously exposed to drought proved capable of withstanding water scarcity, according to researchers from the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) and the Campinas Agronomic Institute (IAC). Traits that the propagules (daughter plants) inherited from the parent material (mother plant) increased photosynthesis 1.5-fold in one of the tested varieties, almost doubled the size of the roots, increased the production of culms (stalks) 3.5-fold, and increased sucrose production 1.5-fold in comparison to propagules derived from plants that had not experienced drought. Field experiments and laboratory analyses also showed that the expression of drought memory depends on the sugarcane variety and the plant’s stage of development. “The two varieties that we tested in the field were developed by IAC,” says Rafael Vasconcelos Ribeiro, an agricultural engineer at UNICAMP and leader of the study, which began 11 years ago. “Now we need to evaluate and explore the benefits of this memory in other varieties” (Plant Science, October).
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