Principal Investigator: José Luis Micol.
Investigators: Antonio Martínez Laborda and Víctor Quesada Pérez.
División de Genética. Universidad de Alicante.

Isolation and study of genes involved in the control of salt tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana

Most crop species show limited productivity as a legacy of centuries of extensive agricultural explotation. Changes in soil chemical composition, appearance of resistances in weeds, pathogens and pests are examples of those significant problems. Among them, soil salinity is one the major constraints limiting crop productivity, a serious problem affecting some of the most important productive agricultural areas in our planet.

Our ultimate goal is to identify genes involved in the control of salt tolerance in plants. Our objectives include (a) to isolate and characterize mutations affecting genes involved in salt tolerance, (b) to isolate osmotically responsive gene regulatory domains and promoters, and (c) to undergo their molecular analyses, to contribute to elucidation of molecular mechanisms underlying salt tolerance in plants.

Due to its advantage for genetic and molecular analysis Arabidopsis thaliana has been elected for the induction of mutants and the isolation and study of genes and regulatory domains putatively controlling salt tolerance.