'Hibernating' crops may be science's cure for drought
Accidental discovery could let plants survive even in absence of water
Times of Israel
http://www.timesofisrael.com/hibernating-crops-may-be-sciences-cure-for-drought/
(Times of Israel) Will crop loss due to drought become a thing of the past? Professor Shimon Gepstein, a Technion professor and president of Kinneret College in northern Israel, thinks it might. By adding some "youth hormone," his team developed plants that essentially put themselves into a state of hibernation when they weren't getting watered and halted their aging/wilting process until they started getting water again.
"They go into a 'frozen' state when they do not get water for a while, and return to full development when the water flow resumes," said Geptstein. "There is no damage to the plant."
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