ERC Consolidator Grant · 2016
Surviving salinity: How do plants sense Na+?
A major gap in our knowledge of how plants respond to soil salinity is their initial perception of sodium (Na+) ions. Salt is detrimental to plants and soil salinization is an increasing threat to global food security; 6% of the world’s total land area and 20% of irrigated land is affected by salinity. I recently discovered Na+-specific root growth responses of plants and will now exploit these to identify the elusive sodium sensing mechanism of plants. I will use an innovative approach combining genome-wide genetic screens in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana with dedicated biochemical assays. I will identify candidate Na+-sensor genes through a natural genetic variation screen for the…
From the public funding record at EU CORDIS. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.