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Circadian Clock
Discovery Could Help
Boost Water Efficiency in Food Plants
A discovery by Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists in Dallas provides
new insights about the biological or circadian clock, how it regulates
high water-use efficiency in some plants, and how others, including
food plants, might be improved for the same efficiency, possibly to
grow in conditions uninhabitable for them today. The scientists in their
study, published in the journal Genome Biology and Evolution, identify
1,398 transcription factors, proteins that regulate expression of
certain genes in pineapple. Of those, nearly half exhibited time-of-day
specific or diurnal gene expression patterns, which could be important
in uncovering the genetic controls for water use in plants. “This is an
important step in understanding the overall circadian regulation of water-
efficient photosynthesis and how that efficiency might be replicated in
other plants, namely food crops,” says Dr. Qingyi Yu, AgriLife Research
associate professor of plant genomics.
—sciencedaily.com
More Than a Quarter of American
Jobs Linked to Food and Ag
A nationwide economic impact study found that 28
per cent of all American jobs are connected to the
food and agriculture industries. This equates to over
43 million jobs and $1.9 trillion in wages. It also
represents over $146 billion in exports and
a total economic impact of $6.7 trillion.
The economic data was compiled by
John Dunham & Associates and is
available at feedingtheeconomy.com.
The analysis illustrates the direct
impact of food and agriculture
on jobs, wages, economic
output, exports, and state
and local business taxes.
The interactive website
also breaks out the
data at the national,
state, and congressional
district levels.
—freshplaza.com
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