Chinese scientists makes achievement in drought-resistance wheat

Scientists from Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science (CAAS) have obtained some achievement in breeding new wheat cultivars with drought-resistance and water saving traits. Through over-expressing regulator genes DREB, scientist found these transgenic lines can increase water use efficiency by 15%, and production yield by 10%, which leads to great potential in application.
  

Plant drought-resistance is a complex trait controlled by multiple genes, bringing tremendous difficulties in breeding (e.g. very long breeding duration and unavailability of molecular-marker technology). However, over-expression of regulator gene like DREB, which control multiple drought related genes, can significantly enhance plant drought-resistance.  
        

These scientists had inserted DREB regulator gene in 19 conventional wheat cultivars, and they found out that16 of these19 parent lines showed significant  drought-resistance trait compared with control lines, based on field trials results.