Barley genes against drought

With many regions of the world becoming more arid as a result of the climate change, the crop yield also decreases. New types of crops should therefore be more resistant to aridity.

In many regions of the Earth, agriculture is threatened by a lack of water. Therefore, new plant varieties must be developed that are especially resistant to drought. For scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, barley is an ideal model for understanding the genetic strategies plants use to adapt to drought.