Agave, the cactus-like plant used to make tequila, can survive the driest of conditions by ‘breathing’ at night, say scientists who hope to harness the plant’s reverse ‘body clock’ to engineer drought-resistant crops that can adapt to changing climate.

Researchers found for the first time that the stomata — or ’breathing’ pores — on the Agave’s leaves are kept shut during the day to minimise water loss. The process is opposite to that of most plants which keep their stomata open during the day so they can take in carbondioxide (CO2) and use the sunlight for photosynthesis. However, this also means they lose water rapidly through evaporation........Read more

Source: BusinessLine