WEST has already made substantial progress towards realizing crops with improved water-use efficiency. Our team has evaluated over 870 sorghum varieties to pinpoint key traits to improve crop's water-use efficiency.
We have identified two targets for improvement:
- Reduce Water Loss: Reduce the number of microscopic openings in the leaf that allow water to escape.
- Improve crop canopy: Conserve water by promoting photosynthesis in the humid lower canopy.
We are incorporating these two targets through two approaches:
- Engineer water-efficiency genes: Develop sorghum plants with genes for reduced water loss and improved crop canopies.
- Generate sorghum hybrids: Breed sorghum plants that are naturally more water efficient to create superior hybrids.