Dunaliella, a unicellular green algae, was discovered in an area
where it was earlier thought no organism could grow. However,
this algae produces a special protein which helps it withstand those
extreme temperatures. Also, this algae was able to withstand a living
environment that had a large salt content. This also enabled the algae
to live in the Dead Sea which contains a massive amount of salt.
This interested agricultural scientists who thought that this protein
could help plants grow in extremely hot weather or, possibly, during a
drought. Eventually, the enzymes, that make living in
such extreme environments possible, were found. Currently the
Weizmann Institute (more specifically Ada Zamir) is trying to implant
the DNA sequence coding for these enzymes and proteins into common
Israeli crops. This would make these crops almost unaffected by the
harsh summer sun or the absence of water in their environment. This
could dramatically help the Israeli Agricultural industry, and will soon be available to farmers.
For more infromation about upcomming Israeli Technologies in Agriculture goto:
The Link News Letter's Agritechnology Section