Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
How do flowering plants survive in one of the most hostile environments on Earth? Scientists may finally be closer to answering that question after completing the most detailed genetic map ever created for one of Antarctica’s only native flowering plants.
A team of Chilean researchers has successfully sequenced the entire genome of Colobanthus quitensis, a hardy flowering plant that thrives in Antarctica despite freezing temperatures, limited water availability and intense ultraviolet radiation.
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The breakthrough could eventually help scientists develop crops capable of withstanding drought, heatwaves and other climate extremes.
The findings, published in the Oxford University Press journal Genome Biology and Evolution, come as farmers worldwide face growing challenges from climate change, including prolonged droughts, erratic rainfall and record-breaking temperatures.
Colobanthus quitensis is one of just two flowering plant species that naturally grow in Antarctica, making it a unique model for understanding how life adapts to extreme conditions. Researchers say the plant’s remarkable resilience has fascinated scientists for years.
Under a project known as Polarix, the team assembled all 40 chromosome-scale scaffolds that make up the plant’s genetic blueprint, creating the most complete genome map ever produced for the species.
“We were able to sequence and assemble the entire genome,” said Eduardo Castro, an associate researcher at Chile’s Cape Horn International Center and one of the study’s lead authors.
The complete genetic map will allow scientists to identify specific genes responsible for traits such as cold tolerance, water conservation and protection against damaging ultraviolet radiation. These traits could one day be introduced into agricultural crops using advanced gene-editing technologies.
Researchers emphasised that the goal is not to create genetically modified organisms through the insertion of foreign DNA. Instead, scientists hope to use genome-editing techniques to enhance desirable traits already present in food crops.
“The idea is not to create transgenic plants. The idea is to edit the genome of a plant with nutritional value,” Castro explained.
However, practical applications remain years away. Researchers estimate it could take five to ten years to identify key genes and develop commercially viable crop varieties.
With climate change increasing pressure on global food systems, Antarctica’s tiny flowering plants may hold valuable clues for safeguarding agriculture in an increasingly unpredictable world.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
