Study finds hybrids grow more in daytime

AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- Hybrid plants are growing bigger and more vigorously than their parents because they're more active during the day, U.S. researchers reported.

University of Texas-Austin researchers said their study could mean new methods to increase biomass for biofuels and seed production for both animal and human consumption, the researchers said in university news release.

Researchers said it's long been known that hybrid plants are more vigorous than their parents because they have more biomass and bigger seeds. The same is true for plants that are polyploid, or having two or more sets of chromosomes.

"Before this discovery, no one really knew how hybridization and polyploidy led to increased vigor," said lead author Jeffrey Chen, D. J. Sibley Centennial Professor of Plant Molecular Genetics at the university. "This is certainly not the only mechanism behind this phenomenon, but it is a big step forward."

Chen and his colleagues found the increased presence of genes involved in photosynthesis and starch metabolism in hybrids and polyploids was the key. Compared with their parents, genes in hybrid plants were expressed at high levels during the day.

With this knowledge, Chen says they can develop genomic and biotechnological tools to develop better hybrids and polyploids.