Molecular strategies for improving waterlogging tolerance in plants

Plants, like animals, are obligate aerobes, but due to their inability to m ove, have evolved adaptation mechanisms that enable them to survive short p eriods of low oxygen supply, such as those occurring after heavy rain or fl ooding, Crop plants are often grown on soils subject to waterlogging and ma ny are sensitive to waterlogging of the root zone. The combination of unfav ourable weather conditions and suboptimal soil and irrigation techniques ca n result in severe yield losses, The molecular basis of the adaptation to t ransient low oxygen conditions has not been completely characterized, but p rogress has been made towards identifying genes and gene products induced d uring low oxygen conditions. Promoter elements and transcription factors in volved in the regulation of anaerobically induced genes have been character ized. In this paper an account is presented of the molecular strategies tha t have been used in an attempt to increase flooding tolerance of crop plant s.