Research led by UNAB reveals how plants "decide" during drought

A study recently published in the prestigious scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) reveals how plants make a key decision for their survival: prioritize growth when nutrients are available or activate defense mechanisms when facing water scarcity. The research, led by Dr. José Miguel Álvarez, a researcher at the Center for Plant Biotechnology at Universidad Andrés Bello and director of the Millennium Nucleus in Data Science and Plant Resilience (PhytoLearning), addresses a central challenge for agriculture in the context of climate change.

The work identifies a molecular mechanism that allows plants to integrate opposing environmental signals, such as the availability of nitrogen—an essential nutrient that stimulates growth—and water deficit stress, which demands conservation and survival responses. Until now, it was known that both signals influenced plant development, but not how the plant reconciled them at the molecular level.

The research team discovered that a protein called NLP7 plays a key role in this process. This regulator acts as a control center: when nitrogen is available, it activates genes associated with growth, promoting plant development. However, that same drive can become counterproductive under drought conditions, as it keeps growth active when what the plant needs is to conserve water.

"By analyzing plants in which this regulator was deactivated, we observed a clear effect: the plants close their stomata—small pores in the leaves—earlier, lose less water, and tolerate drought better. This demonstrates that NLP7 not only promotes growth but also defines when that growth must be halted to ensure survival under adverse conditions," explains Dr. José Miguel Álvarez, corresponding author of the study.

In a scenario where water scarcity will become increasingly frequent, understanding how plants make decisions between growing or saving water is key to adapting agriculture to more extreme conditions.

Milestone for national science

The study describes this mechanism as a true "biological switch," which opens new opportunities for developing more resilient crops. "This knowledge allows us to consider strategies that optimize nitrogen use without losing drought resistance, whether through genetic editing, selection of more resilient varieties, or adjustments in fertilization strategies," adds Álvarez.

droughtIn concrete terms, this knowledge can translate into direct benefits for society: more efficient food production, reduced losses during droughts, and more sustainable agricultural systems. "In the long term, this translates into greater stability in food production and agriculture better prepared to face a future with less water," notes Dr. Elena Vidal, a researcher at the Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics at Universidad Mayor and alternate director of the Millennium Nucleus.

The publication in the PNAS journal also represents a milestone for national science. "Publishing in a journal of this caliber positions Chile as a relevant player in research on climate change adaptation and food security," highlights the director of the Millennium Nucleus PhytoLearning.

This publication constitutes one of the main scientific milestones of the first year of PhytoLearning's execution, consolidating its international projection in the study of plant resilience to drought.