Beijing: SiltaNews – News Desk
Researchers in China have identified a mechanism that enhances corn’s resistance to low temperatures while simultaneously improving its ability to absorb phosphorus from the soil. The study was published in an international scientific journal, according to Xinhua News Agency, a partner of TV BRICS.
Exposure to low temperatures not only slows plant growth but also disrupts the absorption of phosphates – the primary source of phosphorus essential for development. As a result, crops experience dual stress: cold damage combined with nutrient deficiency.
Researchers at the State Key Laboratory of Plant Environmental Resilience at China Agricultural University have discovered that the NLA protein is responsible for the plant’s response to cold and nutrient regulation. As explained by Professor Yang Shuhua, one of the study’s authors, this natural mechanism functions like a seesaw: while the protein strengthens cold resistance, it simultaneously limits the roots’ capacity to absorb phosphates.
To break this link, the research team applied artificial intelligence tools alongside gene-editing technologies to engineer a modified version of the protein. As a result, the researchers obtained a hybrid corn material that tolerates cold well and uses phosphates efficiently.
The authors suggested that this approach could be extended to improve the absorption of other elements, such as nitrogen, by plants. Such developments may contribute to the creation of crop varieties better adapted to challenging environmental conditions amid ongoing climate change.