Gene in mutant rice identified

MANILA, Philippines — A Filipino scientist at the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), along with a team of researchers from Nagoya University in Japan, has discovered a gene in mutant rice that could help crops survive drought.

In a statement, PhilRice said Nonawin Lucob-Agustin and the Nagoya team identified the gene called wavy root elongation growth 1, or weg1, that could be helpful to rice planted in lowlands that rely on rainfall for irrigation.

According to Agustin, weg1 was found in mutants of a rice variety called Taichung 65, which has wavy parental roots compared to straight roots in “normal” rice.

“The wavy root is found to be highly branched compared to the straight root,” she said, adding that highly branched root system enable the plant to explore its underground environment for water and nutrients.

This in turn could mean survival and productivity even under drought conditions.

Agustin took part in the research as a participant of the government’s Balik Scientist Program. She was hosted by the crop biotechnology unit of the Department of Agriculture-supervised PhilRice.

Agustin earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from the University of the Philippines. After graduating in 2011, she worked as a science research specialist with PhilRice before going to Nagoya in 2014 for further research studies.

For this same research, Agustin received the 2021 Special Citation Award from the National Academy of Science and Technology.