We will improve canola's drought tolerance, by using engineered Arthrobacter globiformis to deliver siRNA targeting bHLH61, a gene shown to increase drought resilience in plants like Arabidopsis.

In Alberta, more than 14 000 farmers grow over 6.6 million acres of canola every year. Canola is Canada’s most valuable crop, as it contributes over $29.9 billion annually to the economy. However, increasing challenges with climate change threaten the productivity of this sector. Conditions such as persistent drought have become a great concern to canola producers. Drought-resistant canola can be engineered through a collective approach combining plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria and RNA interference (RNAi) to silence negative regulators of drought tolerance. A 2020 study using the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, showed that overexpression of bHLH61 impaired plant drought tolerance. However, when this gene was mutated the plants showed increased drought tolerance. There is a homologous gene found in canola and we predict that by knocking down expression of bHLH61 in canola, we can improve the drought tolerance of the crop. We will engineer Arthrobacter globiformis to express siRNA targeting the bHLH61 gene and incorporate the bacteria as part of the seed coating. The engineered bacteria can colonize the canola roots, delivering dsRNA to silence the bHLH61 gene while concurrently activating host stress response pathways to improve drought tolerance.