Mexican scientists develop drought-resistant maize

A group of investigators from the Research and Advanced Studies Center (CINVESTAV) have developed a highly productive strain of hybrid maize that can endure long periods of drought and low temperatures.

During the investigation led by Kenny Alejandra Agreda Laguna, from the Bioengineering and Biotechnology Department , a pilot field test was conducted in the state of Sinaloa with a permission obtained by Beatriz Xoconoztle, an investigator from CINVESTAV and current director of the Yucatán Scientific Research Center (CICY) .

The specialists were given a whole hectare under biosafety conditions to grow the genetically modified maize, according to a press release by CINVESTAV.

The project, led by Kenny Alejandra Agreda Laguna, consisted of obtaining a hybrid strain of maize. She focused on using a specific histone (protein) of centromere CENH3 , which handles the regulation and proper segregation of chromosomes during mitosis and meiosis .

Through this histone manipulation in maize plants grown in vitro, the researcher pointed out that it was possible to generate double haploid plants with genetic information from one of the parents, through which she expected to preserve the characteristics desired in hybrid maize strains in subsequent generations.

One of the most important contributions of the scientific study is that, through the histone-based modification, the plant will “automatically” create a defense mechanism preventing the access of pollen with new altered genes .

According to CINVESTAV, the expert worked simultaneously on the creation of genetically modified maize plants through the physicochemical properties of trehalose , which worked as a stabilizing shield for enzymes in extreme conditions of abiotic stress, such as high temperatures, frost, salinity, and oxidation .

The scientific development was tested in a lab and proved to be fully functional in the field. The experiment demonstrated that this maize strain can tolerate droughts and has shown an improved growth under conditions of scarce irrigation and at low temperatures, compared with the standard maize strain used during the field test.

Mexico at the forefront of agricultural biotechnology

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