A scientist prepares to scan roots for a gene inside a laboratory at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Banos, Laguna, south of Manila. A team of scientists from the IRRI, led by Sigrid Heuer, say that they have discovered a gene called PSTOL1, or Phosphorous Starvation Tolerance, which increases grain production by 20 percent by enabling rice plants to grow stronger root systems for better intake of phosphorus, an important but limited plant nutrient. The discovery will help poor rice farmers grow more rice for sale, even while working on phosphorus-deficient land, according to Heuer.
REUTERS