The researchers used a gene believed to be responsible for controlling the salt content in plants and that was isolated more than 10 years ago from an ancient wheat variety. The gene makes a protein that is present in the roots of wheat and it helps block salt from travelling up the plant, Gilliham said in a telephone interview. Salt lowers yields and eventually kills the plant.

The researchers grew the new, improved wheat variety in soil with high salt content and found that it produced yields up to 25% more than strains without the ancient gene.