Aspirin precursor defends acacia plants from drought

A trial to develop drought-resistant acacia shrubs to combat荒漠化在沙特阿拉伯，产生的植物可以生存到一升18beplay官网 a month.

The desert trial, which ended last month, showed that acacia plants treated with the plant hormone salicylic acid — a precursor of thedrug阿司匹林 - 在干旱条件下的存活率高于常规植物。每月不到一升水的激素治疗的幼苗中，约有40％的幼苗幸存下来，而只有3％的未经处理的幼苗才能生存。

该测试在利雅得附近的干旱图玛自然公园进行。该试验是一个更广泛项目的一部分，旨在解决由beplay足球体育的微博过度放牧它的合作伙伴说，同时还探索了在干旱环境中种植植物以逆转荒漠化的方法。beplay足球体育的微博

“It’s not a silver bullet, but will assist plants where only low amounts of water are available.”

Jason Stevens, Kings Park

该工作背后的团队 - 来自沙特阿拉伯阿里亚德发展局的代表和来自西澳大利亚州城市花园的国王公园的科学家 - 旨在在图玛玛自然公园建立一个地区，以生产在地方当局之间分发的种子。

“This will allow locals to collect sufficient seed to begin restoring the deserts of Saudi Arabia, something that was previously not feasible,” says Jason Stevens, a plant physiologist from Kings Park, referring to areas that have become deserts due to human activity.

To treat the plants, salicylic acid was coated on the seeds or sprayed onto the leaves of grown plants. The acid helps suppress a reactive form of oxygen molecule. Plants that do not get enough water overproduce these molecules, which damage cells and ultimately kill the plant. In addition, the chemical helps to shrink the stomata: the tiny leaf pores through which oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged and through which water vapour also inadvertently escapes.

“By limiting water loss, or allowing the plants to become more water efficient, salicylic acid protects the plants under severe stress conditions,” says Stevens. “It’s not a silver bullet, but will assist plants where only low amounts of water are available.”

荒漠化是海湾国家（如沙特阿拉伯）的日益严重的问题，这是由于人口的大量增加以及沿海地区沿海地区造成的繁荣繁荣。2009年，将近三百万平方公里的土地用于耕种和牲畜农业were at risk of desertification, according to the阿拉伯环境与发展论坛beplay足球体育的微博。

该领域的其他科学家注意到了沙特阿拉伯的审判，包括美国佐治亚大学植物中心主任春县。她说，水杨酸的作用可以在沙漠条件下实现更多水有效的种植策略。她说：“很高兴看到这在现场尺度上进行了测试。”

While the desert restoration project will continue, Stevens is confident that the knowledge gained so far can help guide programmes to restore arid areas across the globe. The results are already helping to inform similar restoration projects the ArRiyadh Development Authority has launched in the Thumama Nature Park and the Al Hayer region south of Riyadh.

Around 40,000 acacia seedlings have already been planted as part of these projects, according to the Saudi Arabian government.

本文首先在Scidev.net的阿拉伯版上发表