LITTLE ROCK, Ark.—A team of scientists is developing a tomato plant hearty enough to grow in space and capable of surviving down-to-earth droughts and disease.
Researchers at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Arkansas State University and University of Central Arkansas are preparing to patent their new and effective ways to increase production of antioxidants in plants and make them more tolerant to stresses such as drought and disease.
“We are working now on tomatoes, but we are identifying mechanisms and genes that are responsible for other traits and can be used for other crops more important in countries that have droughts,” one researcher said. “It has implications for earth agriculture as well as space agriculture, which is why the project has been funded for three years by Arkansas Space Grant Consortium.”
