Jason Del Rey

Innovation: A Plant That Can Handle Salt

Ceres has developed a genetic trait that allows certain plants to tolerate high levels of salt.

Good Genes These genetically modified switchgrass plants are growing in a solution containing seawater from the Pacific Ocean.

Bartholomew Cooke

Good GenesThese genetically modified switchgrass plants are growing in a solution containing seawater from the Pacific Ocean.

 

Millions of acres of farmland worldwide are underused because of high salt levels. Ceres, a company in Thousand Oaks, California, has developed a genetic trait that allows certain plants to tolerate high levels of salt. Ceres uses genetic engineering to embed the salt-tolerance trait in switchgrass, a plant that has shown promise as a source of biofuel such as ethanol. The company, which received a $5 million grant from the Department of Energy in 2009, has been testing the plants in greenhouses in California. Next, it plans to conduct field trials in natural settings, with the goal of bringing the seeds to market by 2015. Ceres also plans to conduct field trials of salt-tolerant rice plants in Asia this spring.

Senior reporter Jason Del Rey covers technology, branding, and company culture for Inc. magazine and contributes to the From the Reporters daily blog. Before joining Inc., his work appeared in Newsday, The (Newark) Star-Ledger, and the Staten Island Advance, and on ESPN.com. He lives in New York City. @DelRey