3-21 IAT Corn & Barley

 Oregon State University has been named a partner on a $10 million grant that aims to further the understanding of the molecular interactions and genes in crops. OSU will develop an online database, called a plant reactome, with information about the molecular and genetic interactions in the cells of, among other plants, corn. The university will also study the role of growth hormones in plants. Pankaj Jaiswal, a plant biologist who is overseeing OSU's part in the project says rice and corn are related to wheat and barley. “What happens is there are lots of proteins and biochemicals that are present inside the cell and those proteins are encoded by our genetic makeup. Interaction of those proteins synthesize new molecules that overall go on to determine the structure and makeup of the plant cell leading to different types of plant cells.”

 The idea here is for OSU researchers to seek to better understand the genes that regulate photosynthesis in the plants as well as the yields when they're stressed by mineral deficiencies, drought and salt. Jaiswal hopes that the research and sharing of knowledge will contribute toward the development of crops that yield more and resist diseases better. These improvements, he said, would ultimately benefit farmers and help feed the world's growing population.