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In a Death Valley Shrub, Scientists See a Blueprint for Heat-Proof Crops

In the searing heat of Death Valley, California, a small shrub known as the Arizona honeysweet is able to thrive in temperatures upwards of 120 degrees F (roughly 50 degrees C). A new study reveals how the plant, Tidestromia oblongifolia, can endure in such harsh conditions, findings that could prove useful in engineering crops to endure more extreme heat.

For the study, scientists recreated the withering heat and intense sunlight of Death Valley summers in the lab, subjecting the seeds of T. oblongifolia and other plants to the brutal conditions. They found that while other desert plants stopped growing, T. oblongifolia actually grew faster, tripling its mass in just 10 days.

“When we first brought these seeds back to the lab, we were fighting just to get them to grow,” said Karine Prado of Michigan State University. “But once we managed to mimic Death Valley conditions in our growth chambers, they took off.”

Taking a close look at T. oblongifolia, Prado and her colleagues recorded changes at the cellular level that allowed the plant to not only protect against heat damage, but also use more carbon dioxide and produce more energy. Within two weeks, its optimal temperature for photosynthesis had risen to 113 degrees F (35 degrees C).

Researchers say T. oblongifolia is the most heat-tolerant plant ever documented, and they believe their findings, published in Current Biology, could someday help in engineering crops that can better withstand extreme heat fueled by warming.

“Desert plants have spent millions of years solving the challenges we’re only beginning to face,” said Seung Yon Rhee of Michigan State University. “If we can learn how to replicate those mechanisms in crops, it could transform agriculture in a hotter world.”