Drought and Wheat Research

Drought and Wheat Research

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
From Texas to the coast of Oregon, we are all painfully aware of this withering drought that has been going on for well over a year. The heat and drought are affecting fish, agriculture, vacationers and all that fall in its path. All of that said, Dr. Mary Stromberger, Professor of Soil Microbiology at Colorado State University outlines some of the work that she, along with her colleagues are performing in an effort to fight drought. In this case, she is working with wheat. “I’m very excited and it is a collaboration with wheat geneticists, drought physiologists, rude biologists, molecular biologists so it's a big team effort. The idea is that certain cultivars of wheat produce certain compounds that they release through their roots and these chemicals attract these beneficial bacteria that then colonize the root and then when the drought hits, they affect hormone levels in the plant and stimulate root growth under stress so that the roots can grow deeper and develop a better rooting system and then the idea is that these deeper roots are more able to capture water that is stored deeper in the soil profile. It’s a great example of the service that bacteria do to promote food production under drought.”
Previous ReportCanola and Environment
Next ReportHammond Nuance