An institute in Australia is opening
its doors to gene transfer advances desired by researchers in other nations.
One recent result is a salt-tolerant
rice variety for Saudi Arabia.
The Plant Accelerator
is a state-of-the-art research facility in Adelaide, South Australia, which
studies the physical and biochemical traits of various plants.
It claims to be the largest institute of its kind to allow
outside access for international organisations and its automated processes
speed up studies, monitoring thousands of plants a day.
The rice for Saudi Arabia involved testing hundreds of rice
crosses the identify the gene for salt tolerance.
A team of researchers led by King Abdullah University of
Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia used the Plant Accelerator for
its work.
A number of researchers from the University of
Adelaide and University of
South Australia were also involved in the study.
