Create plants that are resistant to freezing and water stress.

Keywords: plants, water shortage, flooding, low temperature, freezing, drought, genetic analysis

Plant growth is easily influenced by environmental conditions, and every year there are reports of poor crop growth and damage due to droughts and floods caused by abnormal weather, as well as extreme temperatures. On the other hand, various plants in nature endure and grow in stress environments such as deserts, wetlands, and polar regions, and understanding the mechanisms of these plants' environmental resilience is important for future crop breeding and environmental conservation. We aim to clarify the roles of plant hormones involved in controlling these phenomena and the mechanisms of plant environmental sensing through basic research using genetic modification and genome editing. Recently, research on the molecular mechanisms involved in plant water sensing has revealed that osmotic sensing proteins, which are activated when plants are dry, are also involved in the regulation of flood responses. We are currently working on analyzing the genes that are regulated downstream of this process.

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