Vinegar—A New Way for Crops to Fight Drought?.
We all know vinegar is a home and garden all-star.
Normally, plants like to break down sugars, but in times of drought, they switch to acetate.
But a team of researchers from RIKEN, a research institute in Japan, have just published a study that indicates vinegar could add another serve another purpose: drought-fighter.
Vinegar, the study finds, might actually help plants survive in drought-like conditions.
This led them to a discovery: plants have a switch that decides how they produce energy.
Normally, plants like to break down sugars, but in times of drought, they switch to acetate.
And plants that produce more acetate are able to deal with drought more easily.
The researchers set up an experiment, growing plants in simulated drought conditions and treating them with either vinegar or water.
To battle droughts, some scientists have experimented with naturally drought-resistant plants like pomegranate, while others are genetically modifying existing crops to stand up in times of less water.