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Mendel has identified several genes that confer greatly
improved freezing tolerance on a wide variety of plants.
Transgenic plants carrying one of these genes have greatly
enhanced ability to withstand freezing without experiencing
the same deleterious effects that occur in unmodified plants.
Estimates of annual crop losses in the US due to frost
damage range from $200 million to $1 billion per year.
In the images at left, canola plants were frozen at -6°C
for two days. The control plants were killed whereas the
transgenic plants at right were undamaged.
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