The UF Genetics Institute has discovered a way for some types of corn to grow in acidic soil.
UF School of Forest Resources & Conservation associate professor Matias Kirst and his team studied a genetic variation in corn and found some strains of corn have three copies of a gene that can help the plant tolerate aluminum.
Aluminum, an element abundant in acidic soil, is detrimental to root growth, which makes it difficult for the plants to absorb nutrients and water. The studied gene stops the plant from absorbing the aluminum.
Kirst said this discovery could help find a solution to worldwide hunger. Farmers who are unable to grow corn in areas with acidic soil would now be able to, he said.
With a growing population, there is not enough food to feed the world, said Don McCarty, associate director of the Genetics Institute. The solution for this problem is to increase the productivity of agriculture.
“Corn is sort of a super crop,” McCarty said.
Thomas Burley, a 22-year-old UF agricultural and biological engineering senior, said he thinks it’s great genetic research is revolutionizing agriculture.
“This discovery will open up new possibilities for growth that will feed humans directly,” Burley said.
