Rooting for more phosphorus

摘要

Phosphorus is probably the most limiting mineral nutrient for plants. Many of our planet's soils are low in the mineral, and this includes approximately half of the worlds agricultural lands. Hence, there is considerable interest in developing plant varieties that are more phosphorus efficient - that is, crops that can produce higher yields while using less soil phosphorus. On page 535 of this issue, Gamuyao et al. report the identification of the first phosphorus-efficiency gene in plants. The gene encodes a protein kinase enzyme that significantly enhances grain yield from rice plants grown on phosphorus-deficient soils.