Purpose

The project aims to create maize varieties that have enhanced tolerance to a number of adverse environmental effects. Plants are subjected to a variety of environmental stresses under field growth conditions. Knowledge gained will help reduce crop losses and production costs in the future.

Objective

Research has shown that two plant mitochondrial proteins are highly induced by a number of different stresses. Both proteins are encoded by nuclear genes. What is suggested is that a central stress defence in plant cells relies on the concerted action of both proteins.

Project will introduce constitutively co-expressed genes for these two proteins into maize lines using a technique for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of maize embryos. Goal is to have the proteins expressed all the time, thus "re-adapting" the plants to multiple environmental stresses.

Impact

To produce maize varieties that will defend themselves against the stresses of environmental pressures thus preventing plant loss.