Yang Zhao, Perdue University (IMAGE) Purdue University Caption Yang Zhao, Purdue University horticultural researcher, found that engineering rice to produce high levels of the protein PYL9 can improve the crop's drought survival rate by 40 percent. Credit (Purdue University/Tom Campbell) Usage Restrictions Credit (Purdue University/Tom Campbell) License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.