Aussie, Chinese scientists discover new salt-tolerant soy gene

Australian and Chinese scientists have stumbled upon a particular soybean gene which could lead to stronger crop endurance of soil salinity as well as improved output, according to an article in The Plant Journal.

Backed by the Australian Research Council (ARC), the research is conducted by a partnership between Australia''s University of Adelaide and China''s Institute of Crop Sciences (Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences).

Professor Lijuan Qiu and Dr. Rongxia Guan, both of the Institute of Crop Sciences, had identified a candidate salt tolerance gene after investigating the genetic sequence of several soybean varieties and comparing two commercial cultivars.

The function of this gene was then scrutinised by the ARC''s Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology at the University of Adelaide.

"We were surprised to see that the gene also conferred salt tolerance in some other commercial cultivars, old domesticated soybean varieties and even wild soybean," Professor Qiu said.

He said breeding new soybeancultivars in areas without salinity may have led to the loss of such a gene. This means that current batches of new cultivars are more vulnerable to damages from rising levels of soil salinity, a point echoed by Matthew Gilliham, an associate professor from the University of Adelaide who heads the research.

He said that with the discovery of the new gene, "we can now use this information to find similar genes in different crops, such as wheat and grapevine, to selectively breed for their enhanced salt tolerance."

Uncovering the gene marks a milestone in the development of future soybean cultivars with better performance. Genetic markers can now be created and employed in breeding programmes which will help preserve the salt tolerance of crops.

Moreover, continual exploitations of the gene for such purposes might play a pivotal role in agricultural land-based productions. According to Gilliham, salt-affected areas are on a rapid rise and expected to double in the next 35 years.

"The identification of genes that improve crop salt tolerance will be essential to our efforts to improve global food security," he said.