{{B}}? ? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? "Salty"
Rice Plant Boosts Harvests{{/B}} ? ?British scientists are breeding a
new generation of rice plants that will be able to grow in soil containing salt
water. Their work may enable abandoned farms to become productive once
more. ? ?Tim Flowers and Tony Yeo, from Sussex University’s School
of Biological Sciences, have spent several years researching how crops, such as
rice, could be made to grow in water that has become salty. ? ?The
pair have recently begun a three-year programme, funded by the Biotechnology and
Biological Sciences Research Council, to establish which genes enable some
plants to survive salty conditions. The aim is to breed this capability into
crops, starting with rice. ? ?It is estimated that each year more
than 1Om hectares (公顷) of agricultural land are lost because salt gets into the
soil and stunts (妨碍生长) plants. The problem is caused by several factors. In the
tropics, mangroves (红树林) that create swamps (沼泽) and traditionally formed
barriers to sea water have been cut down. In the Mediterranean, a series of
droughts have caused the water table to drop, allowing sea water to seep (渗透)
in. In Latin America, irrigation often causes problems when water is evaporated
(蒸发) by the heat, leaving salt deposits behind. ? ?Excess salt then
enters the plants and prevents them functioning normally. Heavy concentrations
of minerals in the plants stop them drawing up the water they need to
survive. ? ?To overcome these problems, Flowers and Yeo decided to
breed rice plants that take in very little salt and store what they do absorb in
cells that do not affect the plants’ growth. They ’have started to breed these
characteristics into a new rice crop, but it will take about eight harvests
before’ the resulting seeds are ready to be considered for commercial
use. ? ?Once the characteristics for surviving salty soil are
known, Flowers and Yeo will try to breed the appropriate genes into all manners
of crops and plants. Land that has been abandoned to nature will then be able to
bloom again, providing much needed food in the poorer countries of the
world.
{{B}}? ? ? ? ? ? ?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? "Salty"
Rice Plant Boosts Harvests{{/B}} ? ?British scientists are breeding a
new generation of rice plants that will be able to grow in soil containing salt
water. Their work may enable abandoned farms to become productive once
more. ? ?Tim Flowers and Tony Yeo, from Sussex University’s School
of Biological Sciences, have spent several years researching how crops, such as
rice, could be made to grow in water that has become salty. ? ?The
pair have recently begun a three-year programme, funded by the Biotechnology and
Biological Sciences Research Council, to establish which genes enable some
plants to survive salty conditions. The aim is to breed this capability into
crops, starting with rice. ? ?It is estimated that each year more
than 1Om hectares (公顷) of agricultural land are lost because salt gets into the
soil and stunts (妨碍生长) plants. The problem is caused by several factors. In the
tropics, mangroves (红树林) that create swamps (沼泽) and traditionally formed
barriers to sea water have been cut down. In the Mediterranean, a series of
droughts have caused the water table to drop, allowing sea water to seep (渗透)
in. In Latin America, irrigation often causes problems when water is evaporated
(蒸发) by the heat, leaving salt deposits behind. ? ?Excess salt then
enters the plants and prevents them functioning normally. Heavy concentrations
of minerals in the plants stop them drawing up the water they need to
survive. ? ?To overcome these problems, Flowers and Yeo decided to
breed rice plants that take in very little salt and store what they do absorb in
cells that do not affect the plants’ growth. They ’have started to breed these
characteristics into a new rice crop, but it will take about eight harvests
before’ the resulting seeds are ready to be considered for commercial
use. ? ?Once the characteristics for surviving salty soil are
known, Flowers and Yeo will try to breed the appropriate genes into all manners
of crops and plants. Land that has been abandoned to nature will then be able to
bloom again, providing much needed food in the poorer countries of the
world.
Flowers and Yeo have started a programme
A.to find ways to prevent water pollution. B.to identify genes that promote growth in salty soil. C.to breed rice plants that taste salty. D.to find ways to remove excessive salt from soil.
单选集
