Multimedia Gallery

Trait-off.

I'm Bob Karson with the Discovery Files, from the National Science Foundation.

To a plant, it's a jungle out there. To flourish in the wild, the name of the game is watch your back. Bacteria... fungi... viruses... lurk at every turn. (battle sounds) it's vital to have an immune system ready to counter any attack.

But if you're a plant growing in a farmer's carefully tended field, (pastoral, birds) threats are fewer. In this controlled environment, plants could probably ease up on their anti-pathogen protections, and channel that energy to grow taller, produce more seeds, be more productive.

Researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have found a gene in corn that could help them tweak that balance (ratchet sound): Gß (gee-BAY-ta) just so happens to be involved in both the plant's growth and defense. It helps control corn's immune system... and affects the size of reservoirs of stem cells from which new growth originates.

More than that, the team found that Gß likely acts as sort of a mediator between the cellular pathways that control these functions.

The team is working with Gß to tone down corn's hardcore immune system and put more energy into boosting its productivity.

The work continues, and could lead to higher crop yields, and some beautiful ears with more kernels.

But probably not before my next corn roast.

Discover more research with funding from the government's National Science Foundation at nsf.gov.

"The discovery files" covers projects funded by the government's National Science Foundation. Federally sponsored research -- brought to you, by you! Learn more at nsf.gov or on our podcast.

Images and other media in the National Science Foundation Multimedia Gallery are available for use in print and electronic material by NSF employees, members of the media, university staff, teachers and the general public. All media in the gallery are intended for personal, educational and nonprofit/non-commercial use only.

Images credited to the National Science Foundation, a federal agency, are in the public domain. The images were created by employees of the United States Government as part of their official duties or prepared by contractors as "works for hire" for NSF. You may freely use NSF-credited images and, at your discretion, credit NSF with a "Courtesy: National Science Foundation" notation.

Additional information about general usage can be found in Conditions.