Climate change threatens crops across the globe. But the problem goes far beyond rising temperatures. One major cause for concern is more acidic soil, a product of increasing rainfall. This can result in aluminum toxicity, putting further stress on global agriculture. A new project at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) seeks to find solutions at the intersection of genomics and plant biology. CSHL Professors Thomas Gingeras and Rob Martienssen have received a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to tackle aluminum toxicity. Their work may point the way to more resilient crops and stronger food supplies.
“The climate is rapidly transitioning into much harsher crop cultivation conditions,” Gingeras says. “Aluminum toxicity is a significant stress in acidic soils. It damages roots and makes crops more susceptible to drought and mineral deficiency. These effects contribute to serious food insecurity around the world.”
Gingeras leads a team of scientists from the U.S. and Brazil. They aim to uncover connections between gene regulation and aluminum tolerance in crops. The project will also train scientists on new genomic approaches to addressing the effects of climate change. Their training module will supplement CSHL’s Cereal Genomics Workshop.
“Acidic soils are a global agricultural problem worsened by climate change,” Martienssen says. “The NSF has given us a great opportunity to build upon our team’s discoveries on aluminum resistance in maize and sorghum, as well as our genomic technologies.”
In addition to CSHL, the team includes Andrea Eveland from the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Jurandir Magalhaes from Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, and the New York Genome Center’s Michael Zody.
Written by: Nick Wurm, Communications Specialist | wurm@cshl.edu | 516-367-5940