Plants Use Natural Techniques to Adapt to Drought

A dry land that was once fertile and green, in Second Village, Qouta town, Fayoum, Egypt, Aug. 8, 2020. (AP Photo)
A dry land that was once fertile and green, in Second Village, Qouta town, Fayoum, Egypt, Aug. 8, 2020. (AP Photo)
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Plants Use Natural Techniques to Adapt to Drought

A dry land that was once fertile and green, in Second Village, Qouta town, Fayoum, Egypt, Aug. 8, 2020. (AP Photo)
A dry land that was once fertile and green, in Second Village, Qouta town, Fayoum, Egypt, Aug. 8, 2020. (AP Photo)

The Earth is getting hotter as a result of climate change and high temperatures lead to unusual fluctuations, most notably prolonged, multi-seasonal droughts, which exacerbate the phenomenon of acute food insecurity in various regions around the world, due to their direct effects on crops.

With increasing periods of drought, plants face a major challenge because they depend on water to perform all their basic functions, including photosynthesis and growth. But when there is not enough water, plants are forced to adapt to survive. Plants have to be flexible to survive environmental changes, and the adaptive methods they deploy must often be as changeable as the shifts in climate and conditions to which they adapt.

Secret in the roots

The roots are one of the most important means used by plants to cope with drought. They produce a water-repellent polymer called suberin that blocks water from flowing up towards the leaves, where it would quickly evaporate. Without suberin, the resulting water loss would be like leaving the tap running.

In some plants, suberin is produced by endodermal cells that line the vessels inside the roots. But in others, like tomatoes, suberin is produced in exodermal cells that sit just below the skin of the root.

The role of exodermal suberin has long been unknown, but a new study by researchers at the University of California, published January 2 in Nature Plants, shows that it serves the same function as endodermal suberin, and that without it, tomato plants are less able to cope with water stress.

In the new study, the researchers tested exodermal suberin's role in drought tolerance by exposing tomato plants to a ten-day drought. They identifyed all of the genes that are actively used by root exodermal cells, and how are these genes affected by the hormones that control the plants’ response to drought.

After disabling these genes in tomato plants, the researchers found that these plants lost their ability to produce suberin and became more prone to drought. The plants also showed unstable response to drought, which indicates that suberin plays a key role in helping plants to adapt to the lack of water.

“Suberin plays an important role in plants’ resistance to drought. It helps prevent water loss by acting as a barrier between root cells and the surrounding environment, to maintain plants’ moisture, help them survive longer, and adapt to drought,” Siobhan Brady, lead author and professor in the University of California’s Department of Plant Biology, told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“Our study showed that tomato root cells have an external barrier that is resistant to drought, unlike other plants, and this discovery provides us with a better understanding of how tomato plants deal with drought,” she added. “Using this knowledge, we can develop new tomato varieties that are more drought-resistant, which is especially important as climate change increases.”

Brady hoped that these results will lead to the development of new technologies to improve tomato production in areas suffering from water shortages, saying the team is currently testing the ability of suberin to resist drought in the field, to try to make tomatoes more able to withstand drought.

Various techniques to preserve water

Research has shed light on the complex mechanisms behind many of the natural means plants use to adapt to drought, most notably reducing transpiration.

Transpiration is the process of losing water through the surfaces of leaves. Despite the importance of this process in regulating the temperature of plants and maintaining water balance, transpiration can be harmful to plants, especially in drought conditions.

During drought, plants reduce transpiration to control the loss of water through the leaves. Smaller leaves, fewer and smaller pores (stomata), and thicker cuticles (waxy layers) reduce evaporation. For example, the aloe vera plant has needle-like leaves that reduce its surface area, while it stores water in its fleshy, thick-skinned leaves to utilize this reserve for as long as possible in long drought periods.

In severe drought conditions, some plants, such as oaks, strategically drop their leaves to greatly reduce water loss.

There are also natural techniques to maximize water absorption through deep roots. Plants such as desert shrubs develop extensive and deep root systems that reach deep into the soil, tapping into hidden water reserves that shallow-rooted plants cannot access. As climate change causes floods and heavy rains, the area of lands vulnerable to severe drought is also expected to increase, according to the United Nations.

Since 2000, the cases and duration of droughts have increased by 29 percent, the agency reports. More than 2.3 billion people already face water stress, while most drought-related deaths have occurred in Africa.

Scientists can use their understanding of drought adaptation to improve the ability of plants to tolerate dry conditions, and this could lead to the development of more drought-resistant crops, as well as helping ensure the sustainability of food security in the future.



Bezos-backed Methane-tracking Satellite Lost in Space

US Amazon's founder Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sanchez Bezos leave the Aman Hotel for lunch a day after their wedding in Venice on June 28, 2025. (Photo by ANDREA PATTARO / AFP)
US Amazon's founder Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sanchez Bezos leave the Aman Hotel for lunch a day after their wedding in Venice on June 28, 2025. (Photo by ANDREA PATTARO / AFP)
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Bezos-backed Methane-tracking Satellite Lost in Space

US Amazon's founder Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sanchez Bezos leave the Aman Hotel for lunch a day after their wedding in Venice on June 28, 2025. (Photo by ANDREA PATTARO / AFP)
US Amazon's founder Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sanchez Bezos leave the Aman Hotel for lunch a day after their wedding in Venice on June 28, 2025. (Photo by ANDREA PATTARO / AFP)

A satellite backed by billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has been lost in space while carrying out an important climate change mission, New Zealand officials said Wednesday.

Designed to measure greenhouse gas emissions with "unprecedented resolution", the MethaneSAT space probe was also funded by Wellington and the US-based Environmental Defense Fund.

Plagued with technical problems, the satellite recently stopped responding to its Earth-bound controllers.

"Clearly, this is a disappointing development," said Andrew Johnson, a senior official at the New Zealand Space Agency.

"As those who work in the space sector know, space is inherently challenging, and every attempt -- successful or not -- pushes the boundaries of what we know and what we're capable of."

The Environmental Defense Fund, which led the project, said it was "difficult news" but would not be the end of its methane-tracking efforts.

MethaneSAT was designed to measure emissions of the potent greenhouse gas, which fuels climate change by trapping heat in the planet's atmosphere.

It has proven notoriously difficult to get accurate estimates of the methane emissions belched out by oil and gas projects around the globe.

"It was one of the most advanced methane tracking satellites in space, measuring methane emissions in oil and gas producing regions across the world," the MethaneSAT team said.

Project lead Steven Hamburg said initial data gleaned by the satellite was "remarkable".
"Recent measurements in the Permian Basin of Texas and New Mexico revealed emissions three to five times higher than estimated by the US Environmental Protection Agency, while emissions observed in the South Caspian region are over 10 times higher than reported," Hamburg wrote on LinkedIn.

MethaneSAT was launched into space in March 2024 on the back of a SpaceX rocket fired from California.

Controllers first lost contact with the satellite on June 20, the MethaneSAT team said in a statement.

They confirmed it had lost all power on Monday this week and was "likely not recoverable".

"The engineering team is conducting a thorough investigation into the loss of communication," MethaneSAT said, according to AFP.

"This is expected to take time. We will share what we learn."

Despite its shorter-than-expected lifespan, MethaneSAT hailed the mission as a "remarkable success in terms of scientific and technological accomplishment".

Amazon founder Bezos pumped more than US$100 million into the project through his philanthropic Earth Fund.

The satellite eventually succumbed after overcoming a string of technical glitches.
It repeatedly entered a sleep, or stand-by, mode without prompting -- forcing engineers to perform a lengthy reset each time.

One of its three thrusters also failed.