An international team of researchers have identified a novel mechanism in barley plants that help growers achieve high yields as temperatures increase. The study was led by professor Dabing Zhang from the University of Adelaide’s Waite Research Institute and Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s Joint Lab for Plant Science and Breeding. In the study, the team identified a novel mechanism by which a specific barley protein regulates the numbers of flowers generated on each spike. Using a highly efficient genome editing technique, the researchers were able to generate new plants bearing more flowers at high temperatures.
