HONG KONG -- Two researchers at the University of Hong Kong have separately developed ways to genetically engineer plants that grow faster and are more resistant to drought. The modifications could significantly increase the yields of various crops and allow them to be grown on land with dry, poor-quality soil, helping farmers to adapt to global warming and strengthening food security.
Mee Len Chye (Courtesy of the University of Hong Kong)
Agragen, an agribusiness based in Cincinnati in the U.S, is the first company to license the technology, which it plans to apply to an oilseed crop called camelina. Also known as gold-of-pleasure or false flax, Camelina sativa is grown in Asia, Australia, Europe and the Americas.
