b'Golden light on maturing soybean pods highlights the final stage of a season-long stress study. Photo: Ron MittlerHis lab is now evaluating thousandswithin five years well have better chances. Its of soybean genotypes, including parentalsort of a race, because climate change hap-introduction lines, to identify those withpens, and scientists and companies are trying more effective differential transpiration. Atto catch up.the same time, theyre testing geneticallyFor Mittler, this discovery ranks among modified soybean plants in the greenhousethe most exciting in his career. to validate targeted changes to stomatalAfter we published our papers in soy-function. bean, very quickly Chinese groups described We can alter the genes that controlthis in tomato, he says. I think most annual the number of stomata on the reproductiveplants will probably do that.tissues, Mittler says. Also, we can playHes also seeing growing recognition from around with the regulationfor example,the crop science community. keep them open longer. So there are twoI was invited to give talks at big crop ways: one based on anatomy and develop- conferences, and people told me this was ment, and one based on regulation. really exciting. I think we found something important.From Lab Bench to Breeder Bench And while the science is exciting, the Mittlers hope is that once these markersurgency is real. are better defined, commercial breedingResearchers use a portable gasInitially it was really hard to convince programs will pick up the work and acceler- exchange system to measuregranting agencies and journals to get funding ate delivery to the market. But, he says, thedifferential transpiration infor this, Mittler says. Now climate change scale of industry involvement will be critical. soybean leaves, providing insightis causing these stress combinationsIf a big company takes it on, itll gointo how plants regulate water lossdrought and heat, even flooding and heatfaster, he says. Even with them, I hopeunder stress. Photo: Ron Mittler and people are realizing we need solutions. JANUARY 2026SEEDWORLD.COM/CANADA 25'