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BACKGROUND: A number of novel methods have
been developed to control water metabolism in commercially
useful plants by artificial regulation of stomatal opening,
thus imparting drought resistance. Control of signal
transduction pathways function have been used successfully
(see inventions SD99-019 and SD99-112 referenced below).
DESCRIPTION: The current invention describes
the use of genetic techniques to suppress stomatal potassium
transport as an additional method for creating drought-resistant
plants.
ADVANTAGES: Interestingly, plants containing
the modified stomata-specific K+ channel displayed both
decreased transpirational water loss and improved growth
and maturation under conditions of restricted watering.
No untoward effects of selective modification of this
K+ channel were observed, suggesting a general method
for creating drought resistant variants of many commercially
useful plants.
Together with previous inventions we offer for license
describing both transgenic methods and applied chemical
methods for altering stomatal signal transduction to
control water loss, a palette of techniques are now
available that should allow creation of drought-resistant
versions of almost any plant.
STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT: Invention has been reduced
to practice in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana
CASE NUMBER: SD2000-061
INQUIRIES TO: invent@ucsd.edu
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