A research article published this past summer examined the capability of Echinochloa crus-galli (barnyard grass) to recover after severe water deprivation. This species is considered to be the wild precursor of E. esculenta, a cultivated millet known in the US as Japanese millet, and also as Japanese barnyard millet. This plant is apparently able to reverse "embolism," which is an intracellular condition induced in plants experiencing severe water deprivation. An article about the research summarizes this dynamic and research on it: "Resurrection Millet - A Plant that Revives After Severe Drought," USDA Agricultural Research Service Research news, 3 June 2025 https://www.ars.usda.gov/news-events/news/research-news/2025/resurrection-mi... Here's a link to the research article itself followed by its statement on the significance of the study reported: J.J. Stewart, B.S. Allen, S.K. Polutchko, T.W. Ocheltree, & S.M. Gleason, "Xylem embolism refilling revealed in stems of a weedy grass," *Proceedings of the. National Academy of Sciences* (U.S.A.) 122 (13) e2420618122, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2420618122 (2025). "Significance "Water transport through the xylem tissue of plants is critical for supporting growth and, consequently, terrestrial primary productivity. This process can fail due to the formation of gas bubbles, or embolism, which can be caused by extreme stress events. Xylem functionality is thought to be restored by the active removal of these gas bubbles, or “refilling,” but the existence of this process has been debated for decades. We provide evidence of complete and functional xylem embolism refilling in intact plants through direct and repeated observation. These results highlight a need to study this phenomenon in other species and identify underlying mechanisms, which could be leveraged to increase agricultural productivity and food security in the face of climate change." FYI, additional notes and Collab archive references: E. crus-galli is generally considered a weed, and is noted in rice fields. However, varieties of it apparently were cultivated among at least two Native American communities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. See (in reverse chronological order): * Echinochloa spp., rice-farming, & provenance of what the Mojave & Yuma grew. (31 Aug 2025) https://lists.millets2023.space/archives/list/collab@lists.millets2023.space... (the broken links to old Collab archive urls are to posts in the thread linked below) * Ankee or 'anki, a Mojave barnyard millet? (13 Jul 2024; thread) https://lists.millets2023.space/archives/list/collab@lists.millets2023.space... Don Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance