Researchers have found out how to engineer drought-resistant tomatoes, potentially leading to increased yields.

By making tomato plants over-express the gene AVP1, which resulted in stronger, larger root systems, the researchers were able to develop roots that make better use of limited water.

“The gene gave us a better root system, and the root system could then take the adjustment to drought stress better and thus grow better,” said Kendal Hirschi, a researcher at Texas A&M University’s vegetable and fruit improvement centre and Baylor's college of medicine.

Dr Hirschi said that control tomatoes used in the experiment suffered irreversible damage after five days without water. The transgenic tomatoes however, began to show signs of damage after 13 days, but rebounded completely as soon as they were watered, according to the study.

“This technology could ultimately be applied to all crops because it involves the over-expression of a gene found in all plants,” said Roberto Gaxiola, a plant biologist at the University of Connecticut and the lead author of the study.

“It has the potential to revolutionise agriculture and improve food production worldwide by addressing an increasing global concern: water scarcity.”

Dr Gaxiola’s findings regarding the use of AVP1 in Arabidopsis to create hardier, more drought resistant plants marks the first time the enhanced gene has been inserted in a commercially viable crop, he said.

The study appears in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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