Can the Quest for Drought Tolerant Crops AvoidArabidopsisAny Longer?

Abstract

SUMMARY The use of Arabidopsis as a model system in plant research has been a powerful tool for biologists in the last twenty years, yet crop scientists largely have considered Arabidopsis an unsuitable system for addressing agricultural problems. The realization that Arabidopsis genes can function ectopically in other plant species, together with recent advances in our understanding of Arabidopsis gene function, have greatly facilitated the potential for genetic manipulation of crop species. Based on the available data on function in Arabidopsis and on our current knowledge of phenological, morphological, and biochemical factors affecting water stress tolerance in plants, we identify in this chapter possible strategies to improve drought stress tolerance, using the powerful genetic model Arabidopsis. Specifically, we consider those Arabidopsis genes and mutants, whose respective functions and phenotypes may be directly or indirectly involved in improving drought stress tolerance. Genes that shorten or de...