The Relevance of ATW1124 to Plant Establishment on a Changing Planet.

Worldwide environmental degradation resulting from soil loss, infertility, dry land salinity, desertification and climate change are resulting in increasing stress on the planet's flora, ecosystems and food quantity and quality. Unless plant capability can be enhanced world food production and natural ecosystem survival are at risk. How can we improve plant tolerance to changing conditions?

Genetic engineering is seen by many as a high risk and costly means of enhancing plant potential. Simple and more natural solutions must be found to increase food quantity and also to enhance food quality.

Plant evolution over millions of years appears to have resulted in important plant response characteristics being present in the genome but not fully expressed in many plant groups. What is the extent of this potential in key crops and how can we activate this potential naturally?

In this context, ATW 1124 appears to be the tip of a very large 'iceberg' that hints at a far greater role of natural plant compounds which, when used at threshold concentrations, may activate un- or under-expressed survival, growth and reproductive potential in plants resulting in enhanced yield and food quality.