东京大学森敏教授领导的植物分子生物学研究室最近培育出耐盐碱转基因水稻,目前已在温室里收获了第三代种子。据森敏教授提供的资料说,铁是稻科植物生长发育所必需的元素,在盐碱性土壤中,铁多以不溶于水的氧化铁形式存在,因此难以被植物吸收。稻科植物通过根感知缺铁时,便会在根的周围分泌麦根酸。这种物质与铁相结合,会产生水溶性化合物,从而使铁能够被稻科植物的根所吸收。 Plant Molecular Biology, led by Professor Min Min at the University of Tokyo, recently developed a salinity-tolerant transgenic rice that has now been harvested for the third generation in the greenhouse. According to the information provided by Professor Sen Min, iron is an essential element for the growth and development of paddy plants. In salinized soils, iron is mostly present in the form of water-insoluble iron oxide and is therefore hard to be absorbed by plants. When rice plants sense iron deficiency through their roots, they produce ghrelin around the root. This material, combined with iron, produces water-soluble compounds that allow iron to be absorbed by the roots of paddy plants.