ort

"Previous models have shown that if you have lower chlorophyll levels before you have a dense canopy, it is detrimental to plant growth," Ort said.

"Ethanol-inducible promoters are very convenient and important research tools. However, farmers will not want to spray an entire field with ethanol, so we need to look at other promoters that respond to the intensity or the color of light," Ort said.

"We found that even when chlorophyll synthesis decreased 70%, there was no inhibition of growth," said Young Cho, a postdoctoral researcher in the Ort lab and the study's lead author.

"We had also expected an increase in yield because as you get more light into the canopy, you would expect it to be used more efficiently," Ort said.

He took over the management of the Sibneft oil company, the national airline Aeroflot and gained control of Russia’s biggest TV channel, then known as ORT.