Cultivated taste
Once they found the gene, the next challenge was to take it from a water-resistant rice plant and put it in a crop plant with a big yield - without losing the waterproofing ability.
The scientists picked a widely grown rice breed called swarna, which boasts a bumper yield but can't survive underwater. Having transferred Sub1A into swarna, the researchers then tested how well the new plant faced up to flooding. Sure enough the new 'super' swarna passed the test - it was waterproof but still produced a good yield.
| 
Image: International Rice Research Institute |
|
