Glowing wheat guides
Glowing wheat guides
PLANTS that light up to show their nutrient status are on the cards if IACR-Rothamsted research bears fruit.
The genetically-modified plants could be used as sentinels in conventional crops to guide fertiliser applications, explains Tony Miller.
Scientists have already found they can enhance soil nitrogen uptake in Thale cress, an oilseed rape relative, by modifying a nitrate transporter gene which is switched on by a promoter from a cauliflower virus.
By inserting a firefly gene into the cress they can then link the N uptake to light emission, leading to the sentinel idea. Anticipating the reaction of some media elements, Dr Miller points to the potential benefits: "The aim of this work is to reduce nitrogen inputs to the soil and environmental pollution." *