Salk Institute Scientists Develop Deeper-Rooted Soybeans to Combat Climate Change and Enhance Carbon Storage
Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies are developing deeper-rooted soybean plants designed to withstand climate extremes and store more carbon underground. This initiative, supported by an $18 million grant from the Bezos Earth Fund, aims to leverage genetic information to create plants with root systems that penetrate further into the soil. The research, led by Wolfgang Busch, director of the institute’s Harnessing Plants Initiative, involves identifying 347 genes related to carbon storage and root growth across various plant genomes. By editing the plants' DNA, scientists have successfully created soybean varieties with roots that grow steeply downwards, rather than spreading horizontally. The goal is for these deeper roots to access water during droughts and sequester carbon more effectively in the soil, where it is less likely to be released through tilling. Researchers are also working to increase the size of root systems and the amount of suberin, a carbon-rich substance in roots th...
