Research reveals that some plants have an advantage in coping with dry and stressful conditions.
Research reveals that some plants have an advantage in coping with dry and stressful conditions.
Scientists have discovered that certain plants can survive stressful, dry conditions by controlling water loss through their leaves without relying on their usual mechanism - tiny pores known as ‘stomata’.
Nonstomatal control of transpiration in maize, sorghum, and proso millet – all C4 crops which are critical for global food security – gives these plants an advantage in maintaining a beneficial microclimate for photosynthesis within their leaves.
This allows the plants to absorb carbon dioxide as part of the photosynthesis and growth process, despite raised temperatures and increased atmospheric demand for water without increasing the water expenditure.
Read more at University of Birmingham
Photo Credit: GregMontani via Pixabay
