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Matthews ML, Burgess SJ. How much could improving photosynthesis increase crop yields? A call for systems-level perspectives to guide engineering strategies. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2024; 88:103144. [PMID: 38815490 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2024.103144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2024] [Revised: 05/05/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
Global yield gaps can be reduced through breeding and improved agronomy. However, signs of yield plateaus from wheat and rice grown in intensively farmed systems indicate a need for new strategies if output is to continue to increase. Approaches to improve photosynthesis are suggested as a solution. Empirical evidence supporting this approach comes from small-scale free-CO2 air enrichment and transgenic studies. However, the likely achievable gains from improving photosynthesis are less understood. Models predict maximum increases in yield of 5.3-19.1% from genetic manipulation depending on crop, environment, and approach, but uncertainty remains in the presence of stress. This review seeks to provide context to the rationale for improving photosynthesis, highlight areas of uncertainty, and identify the steps required to create more accurate projections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan L Matthews
- Carl R Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, United States; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, United States.
| | - Steven J Burgess
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, United States; Carl R Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, United States.
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2
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Yang X, Zhang K, Qi Z, Shaghaleh H, Gao C, Chang T, Zhang J, Hamoud YA. Field Examinations on the Application of Novel Biochar-Based Microbial Fertilizer on Degraded Soils and Growth Response of Flue-Cured Tobacco ( Nicotiana tabacum L.). PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 13:1328. [PMID: 38794400 PMCID: PMC11125685 DOI: 10.3390/plants13101328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2024] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
Southwestern China is receiving excessive chemical fertilizers to meet the challenges of continuous cropping. These practices are deteriorating the soil environment and affecting tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) yield and quality adversely. A novel microbially enriched biochar-based fertilizer was synthesized using effective microorganisms, tobacco stalk biochar and basal fertilizer. A field-scale study was conducted to evaluate the yield response of tobacco grown on degraded soil amended with our novel biochar-based microbial fertilizer (BF). Four treatments of BF (0%, 1.5%, 2.5% and 5%) were applied in the contaminated field to grow tobacco. The application of BF1.5, BF2.5 and BF5.0 increased the available water contents by 9.47%, 1.18% and 2.19% compared to that with BF0 respectively. Maximum growth of tobacco in terms of plant height and leaf area was recorded for BF1.5 compared to BF0. BF1.5, BF2.5 and BF5.0 increased SPAD by 13.18-40.53%, net photosynthetic rate by 5.44-60.42%, stomatal conductance by 8.33-44.44%, instantaneous water use efficiency by 55.41-93.24% and intrinsic water use efficiency by 0.09-24.11%, while they decreased the intercellular CO2 concentration and transpiration rate by 3.85-6.84% and 0.29-47.18% relative to BF0, respectively (p < 0.05). The maximum increase in tobacco yield was recorded with BF1.5 (23.81%) compared to that with BF0. The present study concludes that the application of BF1.5 improves and restores the degraded soil by improving the hydraulic conductivity and by increasing the tobacco yield.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xu Yang
- College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing 210024, China; (X.Y.); (Y.A.H.)
- The National Key Laboratory of Water Disaster Prevention, Hohai University, Nanjing 210024, China
- China Meteorological Administration Hydro-Meteorology Key Laboratory, Hohai University, Nanjing 210024, China
| | - Ke Zhang
- College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing 210024, China; (X.Y.); (Y.A.H.)
- The National Key Laboratory of Water Disaster Prevention, Hohai University, Nanjing 210024, China
- China Meteorological Administration Hydro-Meteorology Key Laboratory, Hohai University, Nanjing 210024, China
- Yangtze Institute for Conservation and Development, Hohai University, Nanjing 210024, China
- Key Laboratory of Water Big Data Technology of Ministry of Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing 210024, China
| | - Zhiming Qi
- Department of Bioresource Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC H9X 3V9, Canada;
| | - Hiba Shaghaleh
- College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210024, China;
| | - Chao Gao
- Institute of Geographical Sciences, Henan Academy of Sciences, Zhengzhou 450052, China;
| | - Tingting Chang
- College of Agricultural Science and Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 211100, China; (T.C.); (J.Z.)
| | - Jie Zhang
- College of Agricultural Science and Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 211100, China; (T.C.); (J.Z.)
| | - Yousef Alhaj Hamoud
- College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing 210024, China; (X.Y.); (Y.A.H.)
- The National Key Laboratory of Water Disaster Prevention, Hohai University, Nanjing 210024, China
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Keller B, Soto J, Steier A, Portilla-Benavides AE, Raatz B, Studer B, Walter A, Muller O, Urban MO. Linking photosynthesis and yield reveals a strategy to improve light use efficiency in a climbing bean breeding population. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2024; 75:901-916. [PMID: 37878015 PMCID: PMC10837016 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erad416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023]
Abstract
Photosynthesis drives plant physiology, biomass accumulation, and yield. Photosynthetic efficiency, specifically the operating efficiency of PSII (Fq'/Fm'), is highly responsive to actual growth conditions, especially to fluctuating photosynthetic photon fluence rate (PPFR). Under field conditions, plants constantly balance energy uptake to optimize growth. The dynamic regulation complicates the quantification of cumulative photochemical energy uptake based on the intercepted solar energy, its transduction into biomass, and the identification of efficient breeding lines. Here, we show significant effects on biomass related to genetic variation in photosynthetic efficiency of 178 climbing bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) lines. Under fluctuating conditions, the Fq'/Fm' was monitored throughout the growing period using hand-held and automated chlorophyll fluorescence phenotyping. The seasonal response of Fq'/Fm' to PPFR (ResponseG:PPFR) achieved significant correlations with biomass and yield, ranging from 0.33 to 0.35 and from 0.22 to 0.31 in two glasshouse and three field trials, respectively. Phenomic yield prediction outperformed genomic predictions for new environments in four trials under different growing conditions. Investigating genetic control over photosynthesis, one single nucleotide polymorphism (Chr09_37766289_13052) on chromosome 9 was significantly associated with ResponseG:PPFR in proximity to a candidate gene controlling chloroplast thylakoid formation. In conclusion, photosynthetic screening facilitates and accelerates selection for high yield potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beat Keller
- Crop Science, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Molecular Plant Breeding, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jonatan Soto
- Bean Program, Crops for nutrition and health, International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Cali, Colombia
| | - Angelina Steier
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, IBG-2: Plant Sciences, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
| | | | - Bodo Raatz
- Bean Program, Crops for nutrition and health, International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Cali, Colombia
| | - Bruno Studer
- Molecular Plant Breeding, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Achim Walter
- Crop Science, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Onno Muller
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, IBG-2: Plant Sciences, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
| | - Milan O Urban
- Bean Program, Crops for nutrition and health, International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Cali, Colombia
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Yang K, Huang Y, Yang J, Lv C, Sun W, Hu Z, You C, Yu L. Do rice growth and yield respond similarly to abrupt and gradual increase in atmospheric CO 2? THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 906:167658. [PMID: 37813261 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Revised: 09/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
Crops have been well studied at abruptly elevated CO2 (e[CO2]). In fact, atmospheric CO2 concentration is rising gradually, but its ecological effect is little known. Thus, rice growth and yield were investigated under gradual e[CO2] (GE) and abrupt e[CO2] (AE) using open-top chambers. Gradual e[CO2] involved an ambient CO2 (a[CO2]) + 40 μmol mol-1 per year in 2016 until a[CO2] + 200 μmol mol-1 in 2020, while AE maintained a[CO2] + 200 μmol mol-1 from 2016 to 2020. We found that steady-state photosynthetic rates responded similarly and increased significantly under GE and AE, however, photosynthetic induction time in dynamic photosynthesis was reduced by AE. Gradual e[CO2] had little effect on biomass before the grain filling stage, while AE significantly stimulated biomass because of the stronger tillering ability and faster photosynthetic induction rate. Neither e[CO2] increased biomass at maturity, however, a significant increase in panicle density was observed under AE. Surprisingly, rice yield was not promoted by both e[CO2], possibly resulting from the reduced carbon assimilation caused by accelerated phenology from grain filling to maturity. These results promote a new understanding of the CO2 fertilization effect with small and slow increases in CO2 concentration, closer to what happens in nature. This may partly challenge the classic view of elevated CO2 fertilization effects from AE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Yang
- School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Chuzhou University, Chuzhou, China; State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yao Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jingrui Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Chunhua Lv
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wenjuan Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhenghua Hu
- Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters, School of Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, China
| | - Chunyan You
- Forestry Station of Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Pukou District, Nanjing, China
| | - Lingfei Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; College of Life Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding, China.
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Vicente MH, MacLeod K, Zhu F, Rafael DD, Figueira A, Fernie AR, Mohareb F, Kevei Z, Thompson AJ, Zsögön A, Peres LEP. The ORGAN SIZE (ORG) locus modulates both vegetative and reproductive gigantism in domesticated tomato. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2023; 132:1233-1248. [PMID: 37818893 PMCID: PMC10902882 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcad150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Gigantism is a key component of the domestication syndrome, a suite of traits that differentiates crops from their wild relatives. Allometric gigantism is strongly marked in horticultural crops, causing disproportionate increases in the size of edible parts such as stems, leaves or fruits. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) has attracted attention as a model for fruit gigantism, and many genes have been described controlling this trait. However, the genetic basis of a corresponding increase in size of vegetative organs contributing to isometric gigantism has remained relatively unexplored. METHODS Here, we identified a 0.4-Mb region on chromosome 7 in introgression lines (ILs) from the wild species Solanum pennellii in two different tomato genetic backgrounds (cv. 'M82' and cv. 'Micro-Tom') that controls vegetative and reproductive organ size in tomato. The locus, named ORGAN SIZE (ORG), was fine-mapped using genotype-by-sequencing. A survey of the literature revealed that ORG overlaps with previously mapped quantitative trait loci controlling tomato fruit weight during domestication. KEY RESULTS Alleles from the wild species led to lower cell number in different organs, which was partially compensated by greater cell expansion in leaves, but not in fruits. The result was a proportional reduction in leaf, flower and fruit size in the ILs harbouring the alleles from the wild species. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that selection for large fruit during domestication also tends to select for increases in leaf size by influencing cell division. Since leaf size is relevant for both source-sink balance and crop adaptation to different environments, the discovery of ORG could allow fine-tuning of these parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mateus Henrique Vicente
- Laboratory of Plant Developmental Genetics, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Escola Superior de Agricultura ‘Luiz de Queiroz’, Universidade de São Paulo, CP 09, 13418-900, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil
| | - Kyle MacLeod
- Cranfield Soil and AgriFood Institute, Cranfield University, Cranfield, MK43 0AL, UK
| | - Feng Zhu
- Max-Planck-Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
- National R&D Center for Citrus Preservation, Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology, Ministry of Education, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, China
| | - Diego D Rafael
- Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, 36570-900, Viçosa, MG, Brazil
| | - Antonio Figueira
- Laboratory of Plant Breeding, Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA), USP, Av. Centenário, 303, 13400-970, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil
| | - Alisdair R Fernie
- Max-Planck-Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Fady Mohareb
- Cranfield Soil and AgriFood Institute, Cranfield University, Cranfield, MK43 0AL, UK
| | - Zoltan Kevei
- Cranfield Soil and AgriFood Institute, Cranfield University, Cranfield, MK43 0AL, UK
| | - Andrew J Thompson
- Cranfield Soil and AgriFood Institute, Cranfield University, Cranfield, MK43 0AL, UK
| | - Agustin Zsögön
- Max-Planck-Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
- Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, 36570-900, Viçosa, MG, Brazil
| | - Lázaro Eustáquio Pereira Peres
- Laboratory of Plant Developmental Genetics, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Escola Superior de Agricultura ‘Luiz de Queiroz’, Universidade de São Paulo, CP 09, 13418-900, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil
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6
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Lebedev VG, Korobova AV, Shendel GV, Shestibratov KA. Hormonal Status of Transgenic Birch with a Pine Glutamine Synthetase Gene during Rooting In Vitro and Budburst Outdoors. Biomolecules 2023; 13:1734. [PMID: 38136605 PMCID: PMC10741575 DOI: 10.3390/biom13121734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Improving nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) is one of the main ways of increasing plant productivity through genetic engineering. The modification of nitrogen (N) metabolism can affect the hormonal content, but in transgenic plants, this aspect has not been sufficiently studied. Transgenic birch (Betula pubescens) plants with the pine glutamine synthetase gene GS1 were evaluated for hormone levels during rooting in vitro and budburst under outdoor conditions. In the shoots of the transgenic lines, the content of indoleacetic acid (IAA) was 1.5-3 times higher than in the wild type. The addition of phosphinothricin (PPT), a glutamine synthetase (GS) inhibitor, to the medium reduced the IAA content in transgenic plants, but it did not change in the control. In the roots of birch plants, PPT had the opposite effect. PPT decreased the content of free amino acids in the leaves of nontransgenic birch, but their content increased in GS-overexpressing plants. A three-year pot experiment with different N availability showed that the productivity of the transgenic birch line was significantly higher than in the control under N deficiency, but not excess, conditions. Nitrogen availability did not affect budburst in the spring of the fourth year; however, bud breaking in transgenic plants was delayed compared to the control. The IAA and abscisic acid (ABA) contents in the buds of birch plants at dormancy and budburst depended both on N availability and the transgenic status. These results enable a better understanding of the interaction between phytohormones and nutrients in woody plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vadim G. Lebedev
- Branch of the Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 142290 Pushchino, Russia;
| | - Alla V. Korobova
- Ufa Institute of Biology of the Ufa Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 450054 Ufa, Russia; (A.V.K.); (G.V.S.)
| | - Galina V. Shendel
- Ufa Institute of Biology of the Ufa Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 450054 Ufa, Russia; (A.V.K.); (G.V.S.)
| | - Konstantin A. Shestibratov
- Branch of the Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 142290 Pushchino, Russia;
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Lee C, Harvey JT, Nagila A, Qin K, Leskovar DI. Thermotolerance of tomato plants grafted onto wild relative rootstocks. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1252456. [PMID: 38053760 PMCID: PMC10694270 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1252456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
Heat stress is a major environmental constraint limiting tomato production. Tomato wild relatives Solanum pennellii and S. peruvianum are known for their drought tolerance but their heat stress responses have been less investigated, especially when used as rootstocks for grafting. This study aimed to evaluate the physiological and biochemical heat stress responses of tomato seedlings grafted onto a commercial 'Maxifort' and wild relative S. pennellii and S. peruvianum rootstocks. 'Celebrity' and 'Arkansas Traveler' tomato scion cultivars, previously characterized as heat-tolerant and heat-sensitive, respectively, were grafted onto the rootstocks or self-grafted as controls. Grafted seedlings were transplanted into 10-cm pots and placed in growth chambers set at high (38/30°C, day/night) and optimal (26/19°C) temperatures for 21 days during the vegetative stage. Under heat stress, S. peruvianum-grafted tomato seedlings had an increased leaf proline content and total non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity in both leaves and roots. Additionally, S. peruvianum-grafted plants showed more heat-tolerant responses, evidenced by their increase in multiple leaf antioxidant enzyme activities (superoxide dismutase, catalase and peroxidase) compared to self-grafted and 'Maxifort'-grafted plants. S. pennellii-grafted plants had similar or higher activities in all antioxidant enzymes than other treatments at optimal temperature conditions but significantly lower activities under heat stress conditions, an indication of heat sensitivity. Both S. pennellii and S. peruvianum-grafted plants had higher leaf chlorophyll content, chlorophyll fluorescence and net photosynthetic rate under heat stress, while their plant growth was significantly lower than self-grafted and 'Maxifort'-grafted plants possibly from graft incompatibility. Root abscisic acid (ABA) contents were higher in 'Maxifort' and S. peruvianum rootstocks, but no ABA-induced antioxidant activities were detected in either leaves or roots. In conclusion, the wild relative rootstock S. peruvianum was effective in enhancing the thermotolerance of scion tomato seedlings, showing potential as a breeding material for the introgression of heat-tolerant traits in interspecific tomato rootstocks.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Daniel I. Leskovar
- Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center, Texas A&M University, Uvalde, TX, United States
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Yang W, Yuan Y, Yang P, Li S, Ma S, Liu X, Zhou X, Chen R. ZmGluTR1 is involved in chlorophyll biosynthesis and is essential for maize development. JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 290:154115. [PMID: 37864879 DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2023.154115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/23/2023]
Abstract
Chlorophyll is the most important carrier of photosynthesis in plants and is therefore vital for plant growth and development. Synthesis of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is initiated and catalyzed by glutamyl-tRNA reductase (GluTR) and is the rate-limiting step in chlorophyll biosynthesis. GluTR is controlled by several regulating factors. Although many studies have investigated the structure and function of GluTR in plants, the maize (Zea mays L.) GluTR has not yet been reported. Here, we isolated and identified the first loss-of-function mutant of GluTR in plants from a maize mutagenic population. The stop-gain mutation in ZmGluTR1 resulted in leaf etiolation throughout the growing season. The level of intermediates of chlorophyll biosynthesis and photosynthetic pigments decreased markedly and abnormal chloroplast structure was also observed in the mutants. Further analysis revealed that the deletion of carboxyl terminal (C-terminal) led to premature transcription termination and this hindered the interaction with FLUORESCENT (FLU), thereby influencing the stability of mutated ZmGluTR1 and leading to abolish interaction with GluTR-binding protein (GluBP). Moreover, mutations in the catalytic domain or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) binding domain were lethal under normal growth conditions. These results indicate that ZmGluTR1 plays a fundamental role in chlorophyll biosynthesis and maize development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenzhu Yang
- Crop Functional Genome Research Center, Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Yuhan Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Biorheological Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, China
| | - Pengjuan Yang
- College of Agriculture, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471023, China
| | - Suzhen Li
- Crop Functional Genome Research Center, Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Shuai Ma
- Crop Functional Genome Research Center, Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Xiaoqing Liu
- Crop Functional Genome Research Center, Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Xiaojin Zhou
- Crop Functional Genome Research Center, Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Rumei Chen
- Crop Functional Genome Research Center, Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China.
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9
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Liang XG, Gao Z, Fu XX, Chen XM, Shen S, Zhou SL. Coordination of carbon assimilation, allocation, and utilization for systemic improvement of cereal yield. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1206829. [PMID: 37731984 PMCID: PMC10508850 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1206829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
The growth of yield outputs is dwindling after the first green revolution, which cannot meet the demand for the projected population increase by the mid-century, especially with the constant threat from extreme climates. Cereal yield requires carbon (C) assimilation in the source for subsequent allocation and utilization in the sink. However, whether the source or sink limits yield improvement, a crucial question for strategic orientation in future breeding and cultivation, is still under debate. To narrow the knowledge gap and capture the progress, we focus on maize, rice, and wheat by briefly reviewing recent advances in yield improvement by modulation of i) leaf photosynthesis; ii) primary C allocation, phloem loading, and unloading; iii) C utilization and grain storage; and iv) systemic sugar signals (e.g., trehalose 6-phosphate). We highlight strategies for optimizing C allocation and utilization to coordinate the source-sink relationships and promote yields. Finally, based on the understanding of these physiological mechanisms, we envisage a future scenery of "smart crop" consisting of flexible coordination of plant C economy, with the goal of yield improvement and resilience in the field population of cereals crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Gui Liang
- Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology, Ecology and Genetic Breeding, Ministry of Education and Jiangxi Province/The Laboratory for Phytochemistry and Botanical Pesticides, College of Agriculture, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, China
- College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and Regulation, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, Hebei, China
| | - Zhen Gao
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and Regulation, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, Hebei, China
| | - Xiao-Xiang Fu
- Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology, Ecology and Genetic Breeding, Ministry of Education and Jiangxi Province/The Laboratory for Phytochemistry and Botanical Pesticides, College of Agriculture, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, China
| | - Xian-Min Chen
- College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Si Shen
- College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Shun-Li Zhou
- College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
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10
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Chen B, Wang Z, Jiao M, Zhang J, Liu J, Zhang D, Li Y, Wang G, Ke H, Cui Q, Yang J, Sun Z, Gu Q, Wang X, Wu J, Wu L, Zhang G, Wang X, Ma Z, Zhang Y. Lysine 2-Hydroxyisobutyrylation- and Succinylation-Based Pathways Act Inside Chloroplasts to Modulate Plant Photosynthesis and Immunity. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2023; 10:e2301803. [PMID: 37492013 PMCID: PMC10520639 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202301803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 06/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023]
Abstract
Crops must efficiently allocate their limited energy resources to survival, growth and reproduction, including balancing growth and defense. Thus, investigating the underlying molecular mechanism of crop under stress is crucial for breeding. Chloroplasts immunity is an important facet involving in plant resistance and growth, however, whether and how crop immunity modulated by chloroplast is influenced by epigenetic regulation remains unclear. Here, the cotton lysine 2-hydroxyisobutyrylation (Khib) and succinylation (Ksuc) modifications are firstly identified and characterized, and discover that the chloroplast proteins are hit most. Both modifications are strongly associated with plant resistance to Verticillium dahliae, reflected by Khib specifically modulating PR and salicylic acid (SA) signal pathway and the identified GhHDA15 and GhSRT1 negatively regulating Verticillium wilt (VW) resistance via removing Khib and Ksuc. Further investigation uncovers that photosystem repair protein GhPSB27 situates in the core hub of both Khib- and Ksuc-modified proteins network. The acylated GhPSB27 regulated by GhHDA15 and GhSRT1 can raise the D1 protein content, further enhancing plant biomass- and seed-yield and disease resistance via increasing photosynthesis and by-products of chloroplast-derived reactive oxygen species (cROS). Therefore, this study reveals a mechanism balancing high disease resistance and high yield through epigenetic regulation of chloroplast protein, providing a novel strategy to crop improvements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Chen
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationNorth China Key Laboratory for Germplasm Resources of Education MinistryHebei Agricultural UniversityBaoding071001China
| | - Zhicheng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationNorth China Key Laboratory for Germplasm Resources of Education MinistryHebei Agricultural UniversityBaoding071001China
| | - Mengjia Jiao
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationNorth China Key Laboratory for Germplasm Resources of Education MinistryHebei Agricultural UniversityBaoding071001China
| | - Jin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationNorth China Key Laboratory for Germplasm Resources of Education MinistryHebei Agricultural UniversityBaoding071001China
| | - Jie Liu
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationNorth China Key Laboratory for Germplasm Resources of Education MinistryHebei Agricultural UniversityBaoding071001China
| | - Dongmei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationNorth China Key Laboratory for Germplasm Resources of Education MinistryHebei Agricultural UniversityBaoding071001China
| | - Yanbin Li
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationNorth China Key Laboratory for Germplasm Resources of Education MinistryHebei Agricultural UniversityBaoding071001China
| | - Guoning Wang
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationNorth China Key Laboratory for Germplasm Resources of Education MinistryHebei Agricultural UniversityBaoding071001China
| | - Huifeng Ke
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationNorth China Key Laboratory for Germplasm Resources of Education MinistryHebei Agricultural UniversityBaoding071001China
| | - Qiuxia Cui
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationNorth China Key Laboratory for Germplasm Resources of Education MinistryHebei Agricultural UniversityBaoding071001China
| | - Jun Yang
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationNorth China Key Laboratory for Germplasm Resources of Education MinistryHebei Agricultural UniversityBaoding071001China
| | - Zhengwen Sun
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationNorth China Key Laboratory for Germplasm Resources of Education MinistryHebei Agricultural UniversityBaoding071001China
| | - Qishen Gu
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationNorth China Key Laboratory for Germplasm Resources of Education MinistryHebei Agricultural UniversityBaoding071001China
| | - Xingyi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationNorth China Key Laboratory for Germplasm Resources of Education MinistryHebei Agricultural UniversityBaoding071001China
| | - Jinhua Wu
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationNorth China Key Laboratory for Germplasm Resources of Education MinistryHebei Agricultural UniversityBaoding071001China
| | - Liqiang Wu
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationNorth China Key Laboratory for Germplasm Resources of Education MinistryHebei Agricultural UniversityBaoding071001China
| | - Guiyin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationNorth China Key Laboratory for Germplasm Resources of Education MinistryHebei Agricultural UniversityBaoding071001China
| | - Xingfen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationNorth China Key Laboratory for Germplasm Resources of Education MinistryHebei Agricultural UniversityBaoding071001China
| | - Zhiying Ma
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationNorth China Key Laboratory for Germplasm Resources of Education MinistryHebei Agricultural UniversityBaoding071001China
| | - Yan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and RegulationNorth China Key Laboratory for Germplasm Resources of Education MinistryHebei Agricultural UniversityBaoding071001China
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11
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Wu A. Modelling plants across scales of biological organisation for guiding crop improvement. FUNCTIONAL PLANT BIOLOGY : FPB 2023; 50:435-454. [PMID: 37105931 DOI: 10.1071/fp23010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Grain yield improvement in globally important staple crops is critical in the coming decades if production is to keep pace with growing demand; so there is increasing interest in understanding and manipulating plant growth and developmental traits for better crop productivity. However, this is confounded by complex cross-scale feedback regulations and a limited ability to evaluate the consequences of manipulation on crop production. Plant/crop modelling could hold the key to deepening our understanding of dynamic trait-crop-environment interactions and predictive capabilities for supporting genetic manipulation. Using photosynthesis and crop growth as an example, this review summarises past and present experimental and modelling work, bringing about a model-guided crop improvement thrust, encompassing research into: (1) advancing cross-scale plant/crop modelling that connects across biological scales of organisation using a trait dissection-integration modelling principle; (2) improving the reliability of predicted molecular-trait-crop-environment system dynamics with experimental validation; and (3) innovative model application in synergy with cross-scale experimentation to evaluate G×M×E and predict yield outcomes of genetic intervention (or lack of it) for strategising further molecular and breeding efforts. The possible future roles of cross-scale plant/crop modelling in maximising crop improvement are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Wu
- Centre for Crop Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia
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12
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Doddrell NH, Lawson T, Raines CA, Wagstaff C, Simkin AJ. Feeding the world: impacts of elevated [CO 2] on nutrient content of greenhouse grown fruit crops and options for future yield gains. HORTICULTURE RESEARCH 2023; 10:uhad026. [PMID: 37090096 PMCID: PMC10116952 DOI: 10.1093/hr/uhad026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Several long-term studies have provided strong support demonstrating that growing crops under elevated [CO2] can increase photosynthesis and result in an increase in yield, flavour and nutritional content (including but not limited to Vitamins C, E and pro-vitamin A). In the case of tomato, increases in yield by as much as 80% are observed when plants are cultivated at 1000 ppm [CO2], which is consistent with current commercial greenhouse production methods in the tomato fruit industry. These results provide a clear demonstration of the potential for elevating [CO2] for improving yield and quality in greenhouse crops. The major focus of this review is to bring together 50 years of observations evaluating the impact of elevated [CO2] on fruit yield and fruit nutritional quality. In the final section, we consider the need to engineer improvements to photosynthesis and nitrogen assimilation to allow plants to take greater advantage of elevated CO2 growth conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas H Doddrell
- NIAB, New Road, East Malling, Kent, ME19 6BJ UK
- Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading, Berkshire RG6 6DZ, UK
| | - Tracy Lawson
- School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester CO4 4SQ, UK
| | | | - Carol Wagstaff
- Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading, Berkshire RG6 6DZ, UK
| | - Andrew J Simkin
- NIAB, New Road, East Malling, Kent, ME19 6BJ UK
- School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom CT2 7NJ, UK
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13
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Park H, Wang W, Min SH, Ren Y, Shin K, Han X. Artificial organelles for sustainable chemical energy conversion and production in artificial cells: Artificial mitochondrion and chloroplasts. BIOPHYSICS REVIEWS 2023; 4:011311. [PMID: 38510162 PMCID: PMC10903398 DOI: 10.1063/5.0131071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
Sustainable energy conversion modules are the main challenges for building complex reaction cascades in artificial cells. Recent advances in biotechnology have enabled this sustainable energy supply, especially the adenosine triphosphate (ATP), by mimicking the organelles, which are the core structures for energy conversion in living cells. Three components are mainly shared by the artificial organelles: the membrane compartment separating the inner and outer parts, membrane proteins for proton translocation, and the molecular rotary machine for ATP synthesis. Depending on the initiation factors, they are further categorized into artificial mitochondrion and artificial chloroplasts, which use chemical nutrients for oxidative phosphorylation and light for photosynthesis, respectively. In this review, we summarize the essential components needed for artificial organelles and then review the recent progress on two different artificial organelles. Recent strategies, purified and identified proteins, and working principles are discussed. With more study on the artificial mitochondrion and artificial chloroplasts, they are expected to be very powerful tools, allowing us to achieve complex cascading reactions in artificial cells, like the ones that happen in real cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyun Park
- Department of Chemistry and Institute of Biological Interfaces, Sogang University, South Korea
| | - Weichen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
| | - Seo Hyeon Min
- Department of Chemistry and Institute of Biological Interfaces, Sogang University, South Korea
| | - Yongshuo Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
| | - Kwanwoo Shin
- Department of Chemistry and Institute of Biological Interfaces, Sogang University, South Korea
| | - Xiaojun Han
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
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14
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Sinclair T, Specht J, Cassman K, Purcell L, Rufty T. Comment on "Soybean photosynthesis and crop yield are improved by accelerating recovery from photoprotection". Science 2023; 379:eade8506. [PMID: 36821665 DOI: 10.1126/science.ade8506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/25/2023]
Abstract
De Souza et al. (Research Articles, 19 Aug 2022, adc9831) recently claimed major soybean yield increases resulting from transformation of the nonphotochemical quenching mechanism of photosynthesis. However, there is little basis for the premise that such a transformation would result in yield increase. The field experiment was flawed and does not provide evidence for increases in crop yield.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - James Specht
- Dep Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE
| | - Kenneth Cassman
- Dep Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE
| | - Larry Purcell
- Crop Science Research Center, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
| | - Thomas Rufty
- Crop and Soil Sciences Dep, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
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15
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Hafeez MB, Zahra N, Ahmad N, Shi Z, Raza A, Wang X, Li J. Growth, physiological, biochemical and molecular changes in plants induced by magnetic fields: A review. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2023; 25:8-23. [PMID: 35929950 DOI: 10.1111/plb.13459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The Earth's geomagnetic field (GMF) is an inescapable environmental factor for plants that affects all growth and yield parameters. Both strong and weak magnetic fields (MF), as compared to the GMF, have specific roles in plant growth and development. MF technology is an eco-friendly technique that does not emit waste or generate harmful radiation, nor require any external power supply, so it can be used in sustainable modern agriculture. Thus, exposure of plants to MF is a potential affordable, reusable and safe practice for enhancing crop productivity by changing physiological and biochemical processes. However, the effect of MF on plant physiological and biochemical processes is not yet well understood. This review describes the effects of altering MF conditions (higher or lower values than the GMF) on physiological and biochemical processes of plants. The current contradictory and inconsistent outcomes from studies on varying effects of MF on plants could be related to species and/or MF exposure time and intensity. The reviewed literature suggests MF have a role in changing physiological processes, such as respiration, photosynthesis, nutrient uptake, water relations and biochemical attributes, including genes involved in ROS, antioxidants, enzymes, proteins and secondary metabolites. MF application might efficiently increase growth and yield of many crops, and as such, should be the focus for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- M B Hafeez
- College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - N Zahra
- Department of Botany, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - N Ahmad
- College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Z Shi
- College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - A Raza
- College of Agriculture, Oil Crops Research Institute, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (FAFU), Fuzhou, China
| | - X Wang
- College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - J Li
- College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
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16
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Wu A, Brider J, Busch FA, Chen M, Chenu K, Clarke VC, Collins B, Ermakova M, Evans JR, Farquhar GD, Forster B, Furbank RT, Groszmann M, Hernandez‐Prieto MA, Long BM, Mclean G, Potgieter A, Price GD, Sharwood RE, Stower M, van Oosterom E, von Caemmerer S, Whitney SM, Hammer GL. A cross-scale analysis to understand and quantify the effects of photosynthetic enhancement on crop growth and yield across environments. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2023; 46:23-44. [PMID: 36200623 PMCID: PMC10091820 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Photosynthetic manipulation provides new opportunities for enhancing crop yield. However, understanding and quantifying the importance of individual and multiple manipulations on the seasonal biomass growth and yield performance of target crops across variable production environments is limited. Using a state-of-the-art cross-scale model in the APSIM platform we predicted the impact of altering photosynthesis on the enzyme-limited (Ac ) and electron transport-limited (Aj ) rates, seasonal dynamics in canopy photosynthesis, biomass growth, and yield formation via large multiyear-by-location crop growth simulations. A broad list of promising strategies to improve photosynthesis for C3 wheat and C4 sorghum were simulated. In the top decile of seasonal outcomes, yield gains were predicted to be modest, ranging between 0% and 8%, depending on the manipulation and crop type. We report how photosynthetic enhancement can affect the timing and severity of water and nitrogen stress on the growing crop, resulting in nonintuitive seasonal crop dynamics and yield outcomes. We predicted that strategies enhancing Ac alone generate more consistent but smaller yield gains across all water and nitrogen environments, Aj enhancement alone generates larger gains but is undesirable in more marginal environments. Large increases in both Ac and Aj generate the highest gains across all environments. Yield outcomes of the tested manipulation strategies were predicted and compared for realistic Australian wheat and sorghum production. This study uniquely unpacks complex cross-scale interactions between photosynthesis and seasonal crop dynamics and improves understanding and quantification of the potential impact of photosynthesis traits (or lack of it) for crop improvement research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Wu
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Centre for Crop Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food InnovationThe University of QueenslandBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
| | - Jason Brider
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Centre for Crop Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food InnovationThe University of QueenslandBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
| | - Florian A. Busch
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Division of Plant Science, Research School of BiologyThe Australian National UniversityCanberraAustralian Capital TerritoryAustralia
- School of BiosciencesUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUK
- Birmingham Institute of Forest ResearchUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUK
| | - Min Chen
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, School of Life and Environmental Science, Faculty of ScienceUniversity of SydneySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Karine Chenu
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Centre for Crop Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food InnovationThe University of QueenslandBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
| | - Victoria C. Clarke
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Division of Plant Science, Research School of BiologyThe Australian National UniversityCanberraAustralian Capital TerritoryAustralia
| | - Brian Collins
- College of Science and EngineeringJames Cook UniversityTownsvilleQueenslandAustralia
| | - Maria Ermakova
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Division of Plant Science, Research School of BiologyThe Australian National UniversityCanberraAustralian Capital TerritoryAustralia
| | - John R. Evans
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Division of Plant Science, Research School of BiologyThe Australian National UniversityCanberraAustralian Capital TerritoryAustralia
| | - Graham D. Farquhar
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Division of Plant Science, Research School of BiologyThe Australian National UniversityCanberraAustralian Capital TerritoryAustralia
| | - Britta Forster
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Division of Plant Science, Research School of BiologyThe Australian National UniversityCanberraAustralian Capital TerritoryAustralia
| | - Robert T. Furbank
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Division of Plant Science, Research School of BiologyThe Australian National UniversityCanberraAustralian Capital TerritoryAustralia
| | - Michael Groszmann
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Division of Plant Science, Research School of BiologyThe Australian National UniversityCanberraAustralian Capital TerritoryAustralia
| | - Miguel A. Hernandez‐Prieto
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, School of Life and Environmental Science, Faculty of ScienceUniversity of SydneySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Benedict M. Long
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Division of Plant Science, Research School of BiologyThe Australian National UniversityCanberraAustralian Capital TerritoryAustralia
| | - Greg Mclean
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Centre for Crop Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food InnovationThe University of QueenslandBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
| | - Andries Potgieter
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Centre for Crop Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food InnovationThe University of QueenslandBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
| | - G. Dean Price
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Division of Plant Science, Research School of BiologyThe Australian National UniversityCanberraAustralian Capital TerritoryAustralia
| | - Robert E. Sharwood
- Hawkesbury Institute for the EnvironmentWestern Sydney UniversityRichmondNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Michael Stower
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Centre for Crop Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food InnovationThe University of QueenslandBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
| | - Erik van Oosterom
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Centre for Crop Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food InnovationThe University of QueenslandBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
| | - Susanne von Caemmerer
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Division of Plant Science, Research School of BiologyThe Australian National UniversityCanberraAustralian Capital TerritoryAustralia
| | - Spencer M. Whitney
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Division of Plant Science, Research School of BiologyThe Australian National UniversityCanberraAustralian Capital TerritoryAustralia
| | - Graeme L. Hammer
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Centre for Crop Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food InnovationThe University of QueenslandBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
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17
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Kasemsap P, Bloom AJ. Breeding for Higher Yields of Wheat and Rice through Modifying Nitrogen Metabolism. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 12:85. [PMID: 36616214 PMCID: PMC9823454 DOI: 10.3390/plants12010085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Wheat and rice produce nutritious grains that provide 32% of the protein in the human diet globally. Here, we examine how genetic modifications to improve assimilation of the inorganic nitrogen forms ammonium and nitrate into protein influence grain yield of these crops. Successful breeding for modified nitrogen metabolism has focused on genes that coordinate nitrogen and carbon metabolism, including those that regulate tillering, heading date, and ammonium assimilation. Gaps in our current understanding include (1) species differences among candidate genes in nitrogen metabolism pathways, (2) the extent to which relative abundance of these nitrogen forms across natural soil environments shape crop responses, and (3) natural variation and genetic architecture of nitrogen-mediated yield improvement. Despite extensive research on the genetics of nitrogen metabolism since the rise of synthetic fertilizers, only a few projects targeting nitrogen pathways have resulted in development of cultivars with higher yields. To continue improving grain yield and quality, breeding strategies need to focus concurrently on both carbon and nitrogen assimilation and consider manipulating genes with smaller effects or that underlie regulatory networks as well as genes directly associated with nitrogen metabolism.
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18
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Burgess AJ, Masclaux‐Daubresse C, Strittmatter G, Weber APM, Taylor SH, Harbinson J, Yin X, Long S, Paul MJ, Westhoff P, Loreto F, Ceriotti A, Saltenis VLR, Pribil M, Nacry P, Scharff LB, Jensen PE, Muller B, Cohan J, Foulkes J, Rogowsky P, Debaeke P, Meyer C, Nelissen H, Inzé D, Klein Lankhorst R, Parry MAJ, Murchie EH, Baekelandt A. Improving crop yield potential: Underlying biological processes and future prospects. Food Energy Secur 2022; 12:e435. [PMID: 37035025 PMCID: PMC10078444 DOI: 10.1002/fes3.435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The growing world population and global increases in the standard of living both result in an increasing demand for food, feed and other plant-derived products. In the coming years, plant-based research will be among the major drivers ensuring food security and the expansion of the bio-based economy. Crop productivity is determined by several factors, including the available physical and agricultural resources, crop management, and the resource use efficiency, quality and intrinsic yield potential of the chosen crop. This review focuses on intrinsic yield potential, since understanding its determinants and their biological basis will allow to maximize the plant's potential in food and energy production. Yield potential is determined by a variety of complex traits that integrate strictly regulated processes and their underlying gene regulatory networks. Due to this inherent complexity, numerous potential targets have been identified that could be exploited to increase crop yield. These encompass diverse metabolic and physical processes at the cellular, organ and canopy level. We present an overview of some of the distinct biological processes considered to be crucial for yield determination that could further be exploited to improve future crop productivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra J. Burgess
- School of Biosciences University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington campus Loughborough UK
| | | | - Günter Strittmatter
- Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS) Heinrich‐Heine‐Universität Düsseldorf Düsseldorf Germany
| | - Andreas P. M. Weber
- Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS) Heinrich‐Heine‐Universität Düsseldorf Düsseldorf Germany
| | | | - Jeremy Harbinson
- Laboratory for Biophysics Wageningen University and Research Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Xinyou Yin
- Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Department of Plant Sciences Wageningen University & Research Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Stephen Long
- Lancaster Environment Centre Lancaster University Lancaster UK
- Plant Biology and Crop Sciences University of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign Urbana Illinois USA
| | | | - Peter Westhoff
- Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS) Heinrich‐Heine‐Universität Düsseldorf Düsseldorf Germany
| | - Francesco Loreto
- Department of Biology, Agriculture and Food Sciences, National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Rome, Italy and University of Naples Federico II Napoli Italy
| | - Aldo Ceriotti
- Institute of Agricultural Biology and Biotechnology National Research Council (CNR) Milan Italy
| | - Vandasue L. R. Saltenis
- Copenhagen Plant Science Centre, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences University of Copenhagen Copenhagen Denmark
| | - Mathias Pribil
- Copenhagen Plant Science Centre, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences University of Copenhagen Copenhagen Denmark
| | - Philippe Nacry
- BPMP, Univ Montpellier, INRAE, CNRS Institut Agro Montpellier France
| | - Lars B. Scharff
- Copenhagen Plant Science Centre, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences University of Copenhagen Copenhagen Denmark
| | - Poul Erik Jensen
- Department of Food Science University of Copenhagen Copenhagen Denmark
| | - Bertrand Muller
- Université de Montpellier ‐ LEPSE – INRAE Institut Agro Montpellier France
| | | | - John Foulkes
- School of Biosciences University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington campus Loughborough UK
| | - Peter Rogowsky
- INRAE UMR Plant Reproduction and Development Lyon France
| | | | - Christian Meyer
- IJPB UMR1318 INRAE‐AgroParisTech‐Université Paris Saclay Versailles France
| | - Hilde Nelissen
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics Ghent University Ghent Belgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology Ghent Belgium
| | - Dirk Inzé
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics Ghent University Ghent Belgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology Ghent Belgium
| | - René Klein Lankhorst
- Wageningen Plant Research Wageningen University & Research Wageningen The Netherlands
| | | | - Erik H. Murchie
- School of Biosciences University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington campus Loughborough UK
| | - Alexandra Baekelandt
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics Ghent University Ghent Belgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology Ghent Belgium
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19
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Makino A, Suzuki Y, Ishiyama K. Enhancing photosynthesis and yield in rice with improved N use efficiency. PLANT SCIENCE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2022; 325:111475. [PMID: 36167261 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2022.111475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 08/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The success of the dwarf breeding of rice, called the Green Revolution in Asia, resulted from increased source and sink capacities depending on significant inputs of N fertilizer. Although N fertilization is essential for increasing cereal production, large inputs of N application have significantly impacted the environment. Transgenic rice overproducing Rubisco has demonstrated increased yields with improved N use efficiency for increasing biomass production under high N fertilization in a paddy field. A large grain cultivar, Akita 63, had a high yield by enlarging the sink capacity without photosynthesis improvement. However, source capacity strongly limited the yield potential under high N fertilization. Enhancing photosynthesis is important for further increasing the yield of current high-yielding cultivars. Developing innovative rice plants with both high photosynthesis and large sink capacity is essential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amane Makino
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, 468-1 Aramaki-Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8572, Japan.
| | - Yuji Suzuki
- Faculty of Agriculture, Iwate University, Morioka, Iwate 020-8550, Japan
| | - Keiki Ishiyama
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, 468-1 Aramaki-Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8572, Japan
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20
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Improving
C
3
photosynthesis by exploiting natural genetic variation:
Hirschfeldia incana
as a model species. Food Energy Secur 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/fes3.420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
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21
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Barreto P, Koltun A, Nonato J, Yassitepe J, Maia IDG, Arruda P. Metabolism and Signaling of Plant Mitochondria in Adaptation to Environmental Stresses. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231911176. [PMID: 36232478 PMCID: PMC9570015 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231911176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The interaction of mitochondria with cellular components evolved differently in plants and mammals; in plants, the organelle contains proteins such as ALTERNATIVE OXIDASES (AOXs), which, in conjunction with internal and external ALTERNATIVE NAD(P)H DEHYDROGENASES, allow canonical oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) to be bypassed. Plant mitochondria also contain UNCOUPLING PROTEINS (UCPs) that bypass OXPHOS. Recent work revealed that OXPHOS bypass performed by AOXs and UCPs is linked with new mechanisms of mitochondrial retrograde signaling. AOX is functionally associated with the NO APICAL MERISTEM transcription factors, which mediate mitochondrial retrograde signaling, while UCP1 can regulate the plant oxygen-sensing mechanism via the PRT6 N-Degron. Here, we discuss the crosstalk or the independent action of AOXs and UCPs on mitochondrial retrograde signaling associated with abiotic stress responses. We also discuss how mitochondrial function and retrograde signaling mechanisms affect chloroplast function. Additionally, we discuss how mitochondrial inner membrane transporters can mediate mitochondrial communication with other organelles. Lastly, we review how mitochondrial metabolism can be used to improve crop resilience to environmental stresses. In this respect, we particularly focus on the contribution of Brazilian research groups to advances in the topic of mitochondrial metabolism and signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Barreto
- Departamento de Ciências Químicas e Biológicas, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu 18618-970, Brazil
| | - Alessandra Koltun
- Genomics for Climate Change Research Center, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas 13083-875, Brazil
- Departamento de Genética e Evolução, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas 13083-862, Brazil
| | - Juliana Nonato
- Genomics for Climate Change Research Center, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas 13083-875, Brazil
- Departamento de Genética e Evolução, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas 13083-862, Brazil
| | - Juliana Yassitepe
- Genomics for Climate Change Research Center, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas 13083-875, Brazil
- Departamento de Genética e Evolução, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas 13083-862, Brazil
- Embrapa Agricultura Digital, Campinas 13083-886, Brazil
| | - Ivan de Godoy Maia
- Departamento de Ciências Químicas e Biológicas, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu 18618-970, Brazil
| | - Paulo Arruda
- Genomics for Climate Change Research Center, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas 13083-875, Brazil
- Departamento de Genética e Evolução, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas 13083-862, Brazil
- Centro de Biologia Molecular e Engenharia Genética, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas 13083-875, Brazil
- Correspondence:
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22
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Aphalo PJ, Sadras VO. Explaining pre-emptive acclimation by linking information to plant phenotype. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2022; 73:5213-5234. [PMID: 34915559 PMCID: PMC9440433 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erab537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2018] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
We review mechanisms for pre-emptive acclimation in plants and propose a conceptual model linking developmental and evolutionary ecology with the acquisition of information through sensing of cues and signals. The idea is that plants acquire much of the information in the environment not from individual cues and signals but instead from their joint multivariate properties such as correlations. If molecular signalling has evolved to extract such information, the joint multivariate properties of the environment must be encoded in the genome, epigenome, and phenome. We contend that multivariate complexity explains why extrapolating from experiments done in artificial contexts into natural or agricultural systems almost never works for characters under complex environmental regulation: biased relationships among the state variables in both time and space create a mismatch between the evolutionary history reflected in the genotype and the artificial growing conditions in which the phenotype is expressed. Our model can generate testable hypotheses bridging levels of organization. We describe the model and its theoretical bases, and discuss its implications. We illustrate the hypotheses that can be derived from the model in two cases of pre-emptive acclimation based on correlations in the environment: the shade avoidance response and acclimation to drought.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Victor O Sadras
- South Australian Research and Development Institute, and School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, Australia
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23
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De Souza AP, Burgess SJ, Doran L, Hansen J, Manukyan L, Maryn N, Gotarkar D, Leonelli L, Niyogi KK, Long SP. Soybean photosynthesis and crop yield are improved by accelerating recovery from photoprotection. Science 2022; 377:851-854. [PMID: 35981033 DOI: 10.1126/science.adc9831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Crop leaves in full sunlight dissipate damaging excess absorbed light energy as heat. This protective dissipation continues after the leaf transitions to shade, reducing crop photosynthesis. A bioengineered acceleration of this adjustment increased photosynthetic efficiency and biomass in tobacco in the field. But could that also translate to increased yield in a food crop? Here we bioengineered the same change into soybean. In replicated field trials, photosynthetic efficiency in fluctuating light was higher and seed yield in five independent transformation events increased by up to 33%. Despite increased seed quantity, seed protein and oil content were unaltered. This validates increasing photosynthetic efficiency as a much needed strategy toward sustainably increasing crop yield in support of future global food security.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda P De Souza
- Carl R Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Steven J Burgess
- Carl R Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.,Department of Plant Biology, Morrill Hall, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Lynn Doran
- Carl R Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Jeffrey Hansen
- Carl R Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Lusya Manukyan
- Carl R Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Nina Maryn
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Dhananjay Gotarkar
- Department of Plant Biology, Morrill Hall, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Lauriebeth Leonelli
- Carl R Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.,Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Krishna K Niyogi
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Stephen P Long
- Carl R Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.,Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
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24
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Castorena M, Olson ME, Enquist BJ, Fajardo A. Toward a general theory of plant carbon economics. Trends Ecol Evol 2022; 37:829-837. [PMID: 35717415 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Revised: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Plant life-history variation reflects different outcomes of natural selection given the strictures of resource allocation trade-offs. However, there is limited theory of selection predicting how leaves, stems, roots, and reproductive organs should evolve in concert across environments. Here, we synthesize two optimality theories to offer a general theory of plant carbon economics, named as Gmax theory, that shows how life-history variation is limited to phenotypes that have an approximately similar lifetime net carbon gain per body mass. In consequence, fast-slow economics spectra are the result of trait combinations obtaining similar lifetime net carbon gains from leaves and similar net carbon investment costs in stems, roots, and reproductive organs. Gmax theory also helps explain ecosystem and crop productivity and even helps guide carbon conservation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matiss Castorena
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA.
| | - Mark E Olson
- Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México 04510, México
| | - Brian J Enquist
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA; Santa Fe Institute, 1399 Hyde Park Road, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
| | - Alex Fajardo
- Instituto de Investigación Interdisciplinario (I3), Universidad de Talca, Campus Lircay, Talca 3460000, Chile.
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25
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Mathematical Modeling to Estimate Photosynthesis: A State of the Art. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/app12115537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Photosynthesis is a process that indicates the productivity of crops. The estimation of this variable can be achieved through methods based on mathematical models. Mathematical models are usually classified as empirical, mechanistic, and hybrid. To mathematically model photosynthesis, it is essential to know: the input/output variables and their units; the modeling to be used based on its classification (empirical, mechanistic, or hybrid); existing measurement methods and their invasiveness; the validation shapes and the plant species required for experimentation. Until now, a collection of such information in a single reference has not been found in the literature, so the objective of this manuscript is to analyze the most relevant mathematical models for the photosynthesis estimation and discuss their formulation, complexity, validation, number of samples, units of the input/output variables, and invasiveness in the estimation method. According to the state of the art reviewed here, 67% of the photosynthesis measurement models are mechanistic, 13% are empirical and 20% hybrid. These models estimate gross photosynthesis, net photosynthesis, photosynthesis rate, biomass, or carbon assimilation. Therefore, this review provides an update on the state of research and mathematical modeling of photosynthesis.
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26
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Yin X, Gu J, Dingkuhn M, Struik PC. A model-guided holistic review of exploiting natural variation of photosynthesis traits in crop improvement. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2022; 73:3173-3188. [PMID: 35323898 PMCID: PMC9126731 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erac109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Breeding for improved leaf photosynthesis is considered as a viable approach to increase crop yield. Whether it should be improved in combination with other traits has not been assessed critically. Based on the quantitative crop model GECROS that interconnects various traits to crop productivity, we review natural variation in relevant traits, from biochemical aspects of leaf photosynthesis to morpho-physiological crop characteristics. While large phenotypic variations (sometimes >2-fold) for leaf photosynthesis and its underlying biochemical parameters were reported, few quantitative trait loci (QTL) were identified, accounting for a small percentage of phenotypic variation. More QTL were reported for sink size (that feeds back on photosynthesis) or morpho-physiological traits (that affect canopy productivity and duration), together explaining a much greater percentage of their phenotypic variation. Traits for both photosynthetic rate and sustaining it during grain filling were strongly related to nitrogen-related traits. Much of the molecular basis of known photosynthesis QTL thus resides in genes controlling photosynthesis indirectly. Simulation using GECROS demonstrated the overwhelming importance of electron transport parameters, compared with the maximum Rubisco activity that largely determines the commonly studied light-saturated photosynthetic rate. Exploiting photosynthetic natural variation might significantly improve crop yield if nitrogen uptake, sink capacity, and other morpho-physiological traits are co-selected synergistically.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyou Yin
- Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Wageningen University & Research, PO Box 430, 6700 AK Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Correspondence:
| | - Junfei Gu
- College of Agriculture, Yangzhou University, 48 Wenhui East Road, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China
| | | | - Paul C Struik
- Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Wageningen University & Research, PO Box 430, 6700 AK Wageningen, The Netherlands
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27
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Long SP, Taylor SH, Burgess SJ, Carmo-Silva E, Lawson T, De Souza AP, Leonelli L, Wang Y. Into the Shadows and Back into Sunlight: Photosynthesis in Fluctuating Light. ANNUAL REVIEW OF PLANT BIOLOGY 2022; 73:617-648. [PMID: 35595290 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-arplant-070221-024745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Photosynthesis is an important remaining opportunity for further improvement in the genetic yield potential of our major crops. Measurement, analysis, and improvement of leaf CO2 assimilation (A) have focused largely on photosynthetic rates under light-saturated steady-state conditions. However, in modern crop canopies of several leaf layers, light is rarely constant, and the majority of leaves experience marked light fluctuations throughout the day. It takes several minutes for photosynthesis to regain efficiency in both sun-shade and shade-sun transitions, costing a calculated 10-40% of potential crop CO2 assimilation. Transgenic manipulations to accelerate the adjustment in sun-shade transitions have already shown a substantial productivity increase in field trials. Here, we explore means to further accelerate these adjustments and minimize these losses through transgenic manipulation, gene editing, and exploitation of natural variation. Measurement andanalysis of photosynthesis in sun-shade and shade-sun transitions are explained. Factors limiting speeds of adjustment and how they could be modified to effect improved efficiency are reviewed, specifically nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ), Rubisco activation, and stomatal responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen P Long
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA;
- Departments of Plant Biology and Crop Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - Samuel H Taylor
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - Steven J Burgess
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA;
| | | | - Tracy Lawson
- School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, United Kingdom
| | - Amanda P De Souza
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA;
| | - Lauriebeth Leonelli
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA;
- Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Yu Wang
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA;
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28
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Salvatori N, Alberti G, Muller O, Peressotti A. Does Fluctuating Light Affect Crop Yield? A Focus on the Dynamic Photosynthesis of Two Soybean Varieties. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:862275. [PMID: 35557734 PMCID: PMC9085482 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.862275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
In natural environments, plants are exposed to variable light conditions, but photosynthesis has been mainly studied at steady state and this might overestimate carbon (C) uptake at the canopy scale. To better elucidate the role of light fluctuations on canopy photosynthesis, we investigated how the chlorophyll content, and therefore the different absorbance of light, would affect the quantum yield in fluctuating light conditions. For this purpose, we grew a commercial variety (Eiko) and a chlorophyll deficient mutant (MinnGold) either in fluctuating (F) or non-fluctuating (NF) light conditions with sinusoidal changes in irradiance. Two different light treatments were also applied: a low light treatment (LL; max 650 μmol m-2 s-1) and a high light treatment (HL; max 1,000 μmol m-2 s-1). Canopy gas exchanges were continuously measured throughout the experiment. We found no differences in C uptake in LL treatment, either under F or NF. Light fluctuations were instead detrimental for the chlorophyll deficient mutant in HL conditions only, while the green variety seemed to be well-adapted to them. Varieties adapted to fluctuating light might be identified to target the molecular mechanisms responsible for such adaptations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Salvatori
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
- Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental, and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Giorgio Alberti
- Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental, and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bolzano, South Tyrol, Italy
| | - Onno Muller
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences Plant Sciences (IBG-2), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
| | - Alessandro Peressotti
- Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental, and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
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29
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Gojon A. Nitrogen acquisition in arbuscular mycorrhizal symbioses: A step into the real world. JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 271:153646. [PMID: 35202980 DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2022.153646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Alain Gojon
- BPMP, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, INRAE, Institut Agro, Montpellier, France.
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30
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Keeley M, Rowland D, Vincent C. Citrus photosynthesis and morphology acclimate to phloem-affecting huanglongbing disease at the leaf and shoot levels. PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM 2022; 174:e13662. [PMID: 35253914 DOI: 10.1111/ppl.13662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2021] [Revised: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Huanglongbing (HLB) is a phloem-affecting disease in citrus that reduces growth and impacts global citrus production. HLB is caused by a phloem-limited bacterium (Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus). By inhibiting phloem function, HLB stunts sink growth, including the production of new shoots and leaves, and induces hyperaccumulation of foliar starch. HLB induces feedback inhibition of photosynthesis by reducing foliar carbohydrate export. Here, we assessed the relationship of bacterial distribution within the foliage, foliar starch accumulation, and net CO2 assimilation (Anet ). Because HLB impacts canopy morphology, we developed a chamber to measure whole-shoot Anet to test the effects of HLB at both the leaf and shoot level. Whole-shoot level Anet saturated at high irradiance, and green stems had high photosynthetic rates compared to leaves. Starch accumulation was correlated with bacterial population, and starch was negatively correlated with Anet at the leaf but not at the shoot level. Starch increased initially after infection, then decreased progressively with increasing length of infection. HLB infection reduced Anet at the leaf level but increased it at the whole-shoot level, in association with reduced leaf size and greater relative contribution of stems to the photosynthetic surface area. Although HLB-increased photosynthetic efficiency, total carbon fixed per shoot decreased because photosynthetic surface area was reduced. We conclude that the localized effects of infection on photosynthesis are mitigated by whole-shoot morphological acclimation over time. Stems contribute important proportions of whole-shoot Anet , and these contributions are likely increased by the morphological acclimation induced by HLB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Keeley
- Agronomy Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Diane Rowland
- Agronomy Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Christopher Vincent
- Horticultural Sciences Department, Citrus Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Lake Alfred, Florida, USA
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31
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Tanaka M, Keira M, Yoon DK, Mae T, Ishida H, Makino A, Ishiyama K. Photosynthetic Enhancement, Lifespan Extension, and Leaf Area Enlargement in Flag Leaves Increased the Yield of Transgenic Rice Plants Overproducing Rubisco Under Sufficient N Fertilization. RICE (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2022; 15:10. [PMID: 35138458 PMCID: PMC8828814 DOI: 10.1186/s12284-022-00557-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Improvement in photosynthesis is one of the most promising approaches to increase grain yields. Transgenic rice plants overproducing Rubisco by 30% (RBCS-sense rice plants) showed up to 28% increase in grain yields under sufficient nitrogen (N) fertilization using an isolated experimental paddy field (Yoon et al. in Nat Food 1:134-139, 2020). The plant N contents above-ground sections and Rubisco contents of the flag leaves were higher in the RBCS-sense plants than in the wild-type rice plants during the ripening period, which may be reasons for the increased yields. However, some imprecise points were left in the previous research, such as contributions of photosynthesis of leaves below the flag leaves to the yield, and maintenance duration of high photosynthesis of RBCS-sense rice plants during ripening periods. RESULT In this research, the photosynthetic capacity and canopy architecture were analyzed to explore factors for the increased yields of RBCS-sense rice plants. It was found that N had already been preferentially distributed into the flag leaves at the early ripening stage, contributing to maintaining higher Rubisco content levels in the enlarged flag leaves and extending the lifespan of the flag leaves of RBCS-sense rice plants throughout ripening periods under sufficient N fertilization. The higher amounts of Rubisco also improved the photosynthetic activity in the flag leaves throughout the ripening period. Although the enlarged flag leaves of the RBCS-sense rice plants occupied large spatial areas of the uppermost layer in the canopy, no significant prevention of light penetration to leaves below the flag leaves was observed. Additionally, since the CO2 assimilation rates of lower leaves between wild-type and RBCS-sense rice plants were the same at the early ripening stage, the lower leaves did not contribute to an increase in yields of the RBCS-sense rice plants. CONCLUSION We concluded that improvements in the photosynthetic capacity by higher leaf N and Rubisco contents, enlarged leaf area and extended lifespan of flag leaves led to an increase in grain yields of RBCS-sense rice plants grown under sufficient N fertilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marin Tanaka
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, 468-1 Aramaki-Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8572, Japan
| | - Mamoru Keira
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, 468-1 Aramaki-Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8572, Japan
| | - Dong-Kyung Yoon
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, 468-1 Aramaki-Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8572, Japan
| | - Tadahiko Mae
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, 468-1 Aramaki-Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8572, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Ishida
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, 468-1 Aramaki-Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8572, Japan
| | - Amane Makino
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, 468-1 Aramaki-Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8572, Japan
| | - Keiki Ishiyama
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, 468-1 Aramaki-Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8572, Japan.
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32
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Keller B, Zimmermann L, Rascher U, Matsubara S, Steier A, Muller O. Toward predicting photosynthetic efficiency and biomass gain in crop genotypes over a field season. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 188:301-317. [PMID: 34662428 PMCID: PMC8774793 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiab483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Photosynthesis acclimates quickly to the fluctuating environment in order to optimize the absorption of sunlight energy, specifically the photosynthetic photon fluence rate (PPFR), to fuel plant growth. The conversion efficiency of intercepted PPFR to photochemical energy (ɛe) and to biomass (ɛc) are critical parameters to describe plant productivity over time. However, they mask the link of instantaneous photochemical energy uptake under specific conditions, that is, the operating efficiency of photosystem II (Fq'/Fm'), and biomass accumulation. Therefore, the identification of energy- and thus resource-efficient genotypes under changing environmental conditions is impeded. We long-term monitored Fq'/Fm' at the canopy level for 21 soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) and maize (Zea mays) genotypes under greenhouse and field conditions using automated chlorophyll fluorescence and spectral scans. Fq'/Fm' derived under incident sunlight during the entire growing season was modeled based on genotypic interactions with different environmental variables. This allowed us to cumulate the photochemical energy uptake and thus estimate ɛe noninvasively. ɛe ranged from 48% to 62%, depending on the genotype, and up to 9% of photochemical energy was transduced into biomass in the most efficient C4 maize genotype. Most strikingly, ɛe correlated with shoot biomass in seven independent experiments under varying conditions with up to r = 0.68. Thus, we estimated biomass production by integrating photosynthetic response to environmental stresses over the growing season and identified energy-efficient genotypes. This has great potential to improve crop growth models and to estimate the productivity of breeding lines or whole ecosystems at any time point using autonomous measuring systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beat Keller
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, IBG-2: Plant Sciences, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich 52425, Germany
| | - Lars Zimmermann
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, IBG-2: Plant Sciences, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich 52425, Germany
- Field Lab Campus Klein-Altendorf, University of Bonn, Rheinbach 53359, Germany
| | - Uwe Rascher
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, IBG-2: Plant Sciences, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich 52425, Germany
| | - Shizue Matsubara
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, IBG-2: Plant Sciences, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich 52425, Germany
| | - Angelina Steier
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, IBG-2: Plant Sciences, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich 52425, Germany
| | - Onno Muller
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, IBG-2: Plant Sciences, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich 52425, Germany
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33
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Gómez-Fernández A, Osborne CP, Rees M, Palomino J, Ingala C, Gómez G, Milla R. Disparities among crop species in the evolution of growth rates: the role of distinct origins and domestication histories. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 233:995-1010. [PMID: 34726792 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Growth rates vary widely among plants with different strategies. For crops, evolution under predictable and high-resource environments might favour rapid resource acquisition and growth, but whether this strategy has consistently evolved during domestication and improvement remains unclear. Here we report a comprehensive study of the evolution of growth rates based on comparisons among wild, landrace, and improved accessions of 19 herbaceous crops grown under common conditions. We also examined the underlying growth components and the influence of crop origin and history on growth evolution. Domestication and improvement did not affect growth consistently, that is growth rates increased or decreased or remained unchanged in different crops. Crops selected for fruits increased the physiological component of growth (net assimilation rate), whereas leaf and seed crops showed larger domestication effects on morphology (leaf mass ratio and specific leaf area). Moreover, climate and phylogeny contributed to explaining the effects of domestication and changes in growth. Crop-specific responses to domestication and improvement suggest that selection for high yield has not consistently changed growth rates. The trade-offs between morpho-physiological traits and the distinct origins and histories of crops accounted for the variability in growth changes. These findings have far-reaching implications for our understanding of crop performance and adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia Gómez-Fernández
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, C/Tulipán s/n, Móstoles, 28933, Spain
| | - Colin P Osborne
- Plants, Photosynthesis and Soil, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Mark Rees
- Plants, Photosynthesis and Soil, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Javier Palomino
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, C/Tulipán s/n, Móstoles, 28933, Spain
| | - Carlos Ingala
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, C/Tulipán s/n, Móstoles, 28933, Spain
| | - Guillermo Gómez
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, C/Tulipán s/n, Móstoles, 28933, Spain
| | - Rubén Milla
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, C/Tulipán s/n, Móstoles, 28933, Spain
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Yan Y, Hou P, Duan F, Niu L, Dai T, Wang K, Zhao M, Li S, Zhou W. Improving photosynthesis to increase grain yield potential: an analysis of maize hybrids released in different years in China. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2021; 150:295-311. [PMID: 34032983 PMCID: PMC8556214 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-021-00847-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
In this work, we sought to understand how breeding has affected photosynthesis and to identify key photosynthetic indices that are important for increasing maize yield in the field. Our 2-year (2017-2018) field experiment used five high-yielding hybrid maize cultivars (generated in the 1970s, 2000s, and 2010s) and was conducted in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China. We investigated the effects of planting density on maize grain yield, photosynthetic parameters, respiration, and chlorophyll content, under three planting density regimens: 75,000, 105,000, and 135,000 plants ha-1. Our results showed that increasing planting density to the medium level (105,000 plants ha-1) significantly increased grain yield (Y) up to 20.32% compared to the low level (75,000 plants ha-1). However, further increasing planting density to 135,000 plants ha-1 did not lead to an additional increase in yield, with some cultivars actually exhibiting an opposite trend. Interestingly, no significant changes in photosynthetic rate, dark respiration, stomatal density, and aperture were observed upon increasing planting density. Moreover, our experiments revealed a positive correlation between grain yield and the net photosynthetic rate (Pn) upon the hybrid release year. Compared to other cultivars, the higher grain yield obtained in DH618 resulted from a higher 1000-kernel weight (TKW), which can be explained by a longer photosynthetic duration, a higher chlorophyll content, and a lower ratio of chlorophyll a/b. Moreover, we found that a higher leaf area per plant and the leaf area index (HI) do not necessarily result in an improvement in maize yield. Taken together, we demonstrated that higher photosynthetic capacity, longer photosynthetic duration, suitable LAI, and higher chlorophyll content with lower chlorophyll a/b ratio are important factors for obtaining high-yielding maize cultivars and can be used for the improvement of maize crop yield.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanyan Yan
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
- Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology Ecology and Production Management of Ministry of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Peng Hou
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Fengying Duan
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Li Niu
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Tingbo Dai
- Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology Ecology and Production Management of Ministry of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Keru Wang
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Ming Zhao
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Shaokun Li
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Wenbin Zhou
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China.
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35
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Yan Y, Hou P, Duan F, Niu L, Dai T, Wang K, Zhao M, Li S, Zhou W. Improving photosynthesis to increase grain yield potential: an analysis of maize hybrids released in different years in China. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2021. [PMID: 34032983 DOI: 10.100/s11120-021-00847-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
In this work, we sought to understand how breeding has affected photosynthesis and to identify key photosynthetic indices that are important for increasing maize yield in the field. Our 2-year (2017-2018) field experiment used five high-yielding hybrid maize cultivars (generated in the 1970s, 2000s, and 2010s) and was conducted in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China. We investigated the effects of planting density on maize grain yield, photosynthetic parameters, respiration, and chlorophyll content, under three planting density regimens: 75,000, 105,000, and 135,000 plants ha-1. Our results showed that increasing planting density to the medium level (105,000 plants ha-1) significantly increased grain yield (Y) up to 20.32% compared to the low level (75,000 plants ha-1). However, further increasing planting density to 135,000 plants ha-1 did not lead to an additional increase in yield, with some cultivars actually exhibiting an opposite trend. Interestingly, no significant changes in photosynthetic rate, dark respiration, stomatal density, and aperture were observed upon increasing planting density. Moreover, our experiments revealed a positive correlation between grain yield and the net photosynthetic rate (Pn) upon the hybrid release year. Compared to other cultivars, the higher grain yield obtained in DH618 resulted from a higher 1000-kernel weight (TKW), which can be explained by a longer photosynthetic duration, a higher chlorophyll content, and a lower ratio of chlorophyll a/b. Moreover, we found that a higher leaf area per plant and the leaf area index (HI) do not necessarily result in an improvement in maize yield. Taken together, we demonstrated that higher photosynthetic capacity, longer photosynthetic duration, suitable LAI, and higher chlorophyll content with lower chlorophyll a/b ratio are important factors for obtaining high-yielding maize cultivars and can be used for the improvement of maize crop yield.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanyan Yan
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
- Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology Ecology and Production Management of Ministry of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Peng Hou
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Fengying Duan
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Li Niu
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Tingbo Dai
- Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology Ecology and Production Management of Ministry of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Keru Wang
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Ming Zhao
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Shaokun Li
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Wenbin Zhou
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China.
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Hussain S, Ulhassan Z, Brestic M, Zivcak M, Allakhverdiev SI, Yang X, Safdar ME, Yang W, Liu W. Photosynthesis research under climate change. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2021; 150:5-19. [PMID: 34235625 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-021-00861-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Increasing global population and climate change uncertainties have compelled increased photosynthetic efficiency and yields to ensure food security over the coming decades. Potentially, genetic manipulation and minimization of carbon or energy losses can be ideal to boost photosynthetic efficiency or crop productivity. Despite significant efforts, limited success has been achieved. There is a need for thorough improvement in key photosynthetic limiting factors, such as stomatal conductance, mesophyll conductance, biochemical capacity combined with Rubisco, the Calvin-Benson cycle, thylakoid membrane electron transport, nonphotochemical quenching, and carbon metabolism or fixation pathways. In addition, the mechanistic basis for the enhancement in photosynthetic adaptation to environmental variables such as light intensity, temperature and elevated CO2 requires further investigation. This review sheds light on strategies to improve plant photosynthesis by targeting these intrinsic photosynthetic limitations and external environmental factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sajad Hussain
- College of Agronomy, Sichuan Agricultural University, 211-Huimin Road, Wenjiang District, Chengdu, 611130, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Crop Ecophysiology and Farming System in Southwest China (Ministry of Agriculture), Sichuan Engineering Research Center for Crop Strip Intercropping System, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, People's Republic of China
| | - Zaid Ulhassan
- Institute of Crop Science, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Laboratory of Spectroscopy Sensing, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, People's Republic of China
| | - Marian Brestic
- Department of Plant Physiology, Slovak University of Agriculture, 94976, Nitra, Slovakia
| | - Marek Zivcak
- Department of Plant Physiology, Slovak University of Agriculture, 94976, Nitra, Slovakia
| | - Suleyman I Allakhverdiev
- К.A. Timiryazev Institute of Plant Physiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Botanicheskaya St. 35, Moscow, Russia, 127276
| | - Xinghong Yang
- Department of Plant Physiology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Daizong Road No. 61, 271018, Taian, People's Republic of China
| | | | - Wenyu Yang
- College of Agronomy, Sichuan Agricultural University, 211-Huimin Road, Wenjiang District, Chengdu, 611130, People's Republic of China.
- Key Laboratory of Crop Ecophysiology and Farming System in Southwest China (Ministry of Agriculture), Sichuan Engineering Research Center for Crop Strip Intercropping System, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, People's Republic of China.
| | - Weiguo Liu
- College of Agronomy, Sichuan Agricultural University, 211-Huimin Road, Wenjiang District, Chengdu, 611130, People's Republic of China.
- Key Laboratory of Crop Ecophysiology and Farming System in Southwest China (Ministry of Agriculture), Sichuan Engineering Research Center for Crop Strip Intercropping System, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, People's Republic of China.
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Paul MJ. What are the regulatory targets for intervention in assimilate partitioning to improve crop yield and resilience? JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 266:153537. [PMID: 34619557 DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2021.153537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Sucrose utilisation for the synthesis of cellular components involved in growth and development and the accumulation of biomass determines diversity in the plant kingdom; sucrose utilisation and partitioning also underpin crop yields. As a complex process the use of sucrose for the partitioning of plant products for yield is decided by the interaction of several regulatory hubs and the integration of metabolism and development. Understanding the regulation of assimilate partitioning has been a grand challenge in plant and crop science. There are emerging examples of genes and processes that appear important for assimilate partitioning that underpin yield in crops and which are amenable to intervention. Enzymes of carbon metabolism were some of the first targets in attempts to modify assimilate partitioning at the beginning (source) and end (sink) of the whole plant assimilate partitioning process. Metabolic enzymes are subject to regulatory and homeostatic mechanisms, a key factor to consider in modifying assimilate partitioning. Trehalose 6-phosphate, as a sucrose signal, may represent a special case in its ability to regulate and coordinate source and sink processes. This review summarises recent progress in understanding the underlying regulators of assimilate partitioning and the current and potentially most promising routes to crop yield enhancement with a main focus on cereals. A framework for how source-sink may regulate whole plant assimilate partitioning involving a few key elements and the central importance of reproductive development is presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Paul
- Plant Science, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 2JQ, UK.
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38
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Paul MJ. Improving Photosynthetic Metabolism for Crop Yields: What Is Going to Work? FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:743862. [PMID: 34621287 PMCID: PMC8490674 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.743862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J. Paul
- Plant Science, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, United Kingdom
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Abstract
Technologies, from molecular genetics to precision agriculture, are outpacing theory, which is becoming a bottleneck for crop improvement. Here, we outline theoretical insights on the wheat phenotype from the perspective of three evolutionary and ecologically important relations-mother-offspring, plant-insect and plant-plant. The correlation between yield and grain number has been misinterpreted as cause-and-effect; an evolutionary perspective shows a striking similarity between crop and fishes. Both respond to environmental variation through offspring number; seed and egg size are conserved. The offspring of annual plants and semelparous fishes, lacking parental care, are subject to mother-offspring conflict and stabilizing selection. Labile reserve carbohydrates do not fit the current model of wheat yield; they can stabilize grain size, but involve trade-offs with root growth and grain number, and are at best neutral for yield. Shifting the focus from the carbon balance to an ecological role, we suggest that labile carbohydrates may disrupt aphid osmoregulation, and thus contribute to wheat agronomic adaptation. The tight association between high yield and low competitive ability justifies the view of crop yield as a population attribute whereby the behaviour of the plant becomes subordinated within that of the population, with implications for genotyping, phenotyping and plant breeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor O Sadras
- South Australian Research and Development Institute, and School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, Australia
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40
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Song Y, Alyafei MS, Masmoudi K, Jaleel A, Ren M. Contributions of TOR Signaling on Photosynthesis. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22168959. [PMID: 34445664 PMCID: PMC8396432 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22168959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The target of rapamycin (TOR) protein kinase is an atypical Ser/Thr protein kinase and evolutionally conserved among yeasts, plants, and mammals. TOR has been established as a central hub for integrating nutrient, energy, hormone, and environmental signals in all the eukaryotes. Despite the conserved functions across eukaryotes, recent research has shed light on the multifaceted roles of TOR signaling in plant-specific functional and mechanistic features. One of the most specific features is the involvement of TOR in plant photosynthesis. The recent development of tools for the functional analysis of plant TOR has helped to uncover the involvement of TOR signaling in several steps preceding photoautotrophy and maintenance of photosynthesis. Here, we present recent novel findings relating to TOR signaling and its roles in regulating plant photosynthesis, including carbon nutrient sense, light absorptions, and leaf and chloroplast development. We also provide some gaps in our understanding of TOR function in photosynthesis that need to be addressed in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Song
- School of Life Sciences, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China;
| | - Mohammed Salem Alyafei
- Department of Integrative Agriculture, College of Food and Agriculture, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain 15551, United Arab Emirates; (M.S.A.); (K.M.); (A.J.)
| | - Khaled Masmoudi
- Department of Integrative Agriculture, College of Food and Agriculture, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain 15551, United Arab Emirates; (M.S.A.); (K.M.); (A.J.)
| | - Abdul Jaleel
- Department of Integrative Agriculture, College of Food and Agriculture, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain 15551, United Arab Emirates; (M.S.A.); (K.M.); (A.J.)
| | - Maozhi Ren
- Institute of Urban Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chengdu 610213, China
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-13527313471
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Buzdin AV, Patrushev MV, Sverdlov ED. Will Plant Genome Editing Play a Decisive Role in "Quantum-Leap" Improvements in Crop Yield to Feed an Increasing Global Human Population? PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 10:1667. [PMID: 34451712 PMCID: PMC8398637 DOI: 10.3390/plants10081667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Revised: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Growing scientific evidence demonstrates unprecedented planetary-scale human impacts on the Earth's system with a predicted threat to the existence of the terrestrial biosphere due to population increase, resource depletion, and pollution. Food systems account for 21-34% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Over the past half-century, water and land-use changes have significantly impacted ecosystems, biogeochemical cycles, biodiversity, and climate. At the same time, food production is falling behind consumption, and global grain reserves are shrinking. Some predictions suggest that crop yields must approximately double by 2050 to adequately feed an increasing global population without a large expansion of crop area. To achieve this, "quantum-leap" improvements in crop cultivar productivity are needed within very narrow planetary boundaries of permissible environmental perturbations. Strategies for such a "quantum-leap" include mutation breeding and genetic engineering of known crop genome sequences. Synthetic biology makes it possible to synthesize DNA fragments of any desired sequence, and modern bioinformatics tools may hopefully provide an efficient way to identify targets for directed modification of selected genes responsible for known important agronomic traits. CRISPR/Cas9 is a new technology for incorporating seamless directed modifications into genomes; it is being widely investigated for its potential to enhance the efficiency of crop production. We consider the optimism associated with the new genetic technologies in terms of the complexity of most agronomic traits, especially crop yield potential (Yp) limits. We also discuss the possible directions of overcoming these limits and alternative ways of providing humanity with food without transgressing planetary boundaries. In conclusion, we support the long-debated idea that new technologies are unlikely to provide a rapidly growing population with significantly increased crop yield. Instead, we suggest that delicately balanced humane measures to limit its growth and the amount of food consumed per capita are highly desirable for the foreseeable future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anton V Buzdin
- The Laboratory of Clinical and Genomic Bioinformatics, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, 119991 Moscow, Russia
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region, 141701 Moscow, Russia
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia
| | - Maxim V Patrushev
- Kurchatov Center for Genome Research, National Research Center Kurchatov Institute, 123182 Moscow, Russia
| | - Eugene D Sverdlov
- Kurchatov Center for Genome Research, National Research Center Kurchatov Institute, 123182 Moscow, Russia
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, National Research Center Kurchatov Institute, 123182 Moscow, Russia
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42
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Cossani CM, Sadras VO. Symmetric response to competition in binary mixtures of cultivars associates with genetic gain in wheat yield. Evol Appl 2021; 14:2064-2078. [PMID: 34429749 PMCID: PMC8372091 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolution in the definition of crop yield-from the ratio of seed harvested to seed sown to the contemporary measure of mass of seed per unit land area-has favoured less competitive phenotypes. Here we use binary mixtures of cultivars spanning five decades of selection for yield and agronomic adaptation to ask three questions. First, what is the degree of symmetry in the response of yield to neighbour; this is, if an older, more competitive cultivar increases yield by 10% with a less competitive neighbour in comparison to pure stands, would the newer, less competitive cultivar reduce yield by 10% when grown with older neighbour. Lack of symmetry would indicate factors other than competitive ability underly yield improvement. Second, what are the yield components underlying competitive interactions. Third, to what extent are the responses to neighbour mediated by radiation, water and nitrogen. A focus on yield components and resources can help the interpretation of shifts in the crop phenotype in response to selection for yield. The rate of genetic gain in yield over five decades was 24 kg ha-1 year-1 or 0.61% year-1. A strongly symmetrical yield response to neighbour indicates that yield improvement closely associates with a reduction in competitive ability. Response to neighbour was larger for grain number and biomass than for grain weight and allocation of biomass to grain. Under our experimental conditions, competition for radiation was dominant compared to competition of water and nitrogen. High-yielding phenotypes had lower competitive ability for radiation but compensated with higher radiation use efficiency, a measure of canopy photosynthetic efficiency. Genetic and agronomic manipulation of the crop phenotype to reduce competitive ability could further improve wheat yield to meet the challenge of global food security.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. Mariano Cossani
- South Australian Research Institute, and School of Agriculture, Food and WineThe University of AdelaideUrrbraeSAAustralia
| | - Victor O. Sadras
- South Australian Research Institute, and School of Agriculture, Food and WineThe University of AdelaideUrrbraeSAAustralia
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43
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Quezada-Martinez D, Addo Nyarko CP, Schiessl SV, Mason AS. Using wild relatives and related species to build climate resilience in Brassica crops. TAG. THEORETICAL AND APPLIED GENETICS. THEORETISCHE UND ANGEWANDTE GENETIK 2021; 134:1711-1728. [PMID: 33730183 PMCID: PMC8205867 DOI: 10.1007/s00122-021-03793-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 02/12/2021] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Climate change will have major impacts on crop production: not just increasing drought and heat stress, but also increasing insect and disease loads and the chance of extreme weather events and further adverse conditions. Often, wild relatives show increased tolerances to biotic and abiotic stresses, due to reduced stringency of selection for yield and yield-related traits under optimum conditions. One possible strategy to improve resilience in our modern-day crop cultivars is to utilize wild relative germplasm in breeding, and attempt to introgress genetic factors contributing to greater environmental tolerances from these wild relatives into elite crop types. However, this approach can be difficult, as it relies on factors such as ease of hybridization and genetic distance between the source and target, crossover frequencies and distributions in the hybrid, and ability to select for desirable introgressions while minimizing linkage drag. In this review, we outline the possible effects that climate change may have on crop production, introduce the Brassica crop species and their wild relatives, and provide an index of useful traits that are known to be present in each of these species that may be exploitable through interspecific hybridization-based approaches. Subsequently, we outline how introgression breeding works, what factors affect the success of this approach, and how this approach can be optimized so as to increase the chance of recovering the desired introgression lines. Our review provides a working guide to the use of wild relatives and related crop germplasm to improve biotic and abiotic resistances in Brassica crop species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Quezada-Martinez
- Plant Breeding Department, Justus Liebig University, 35392, Giessen, Germany
- Plant Breeding Department, The University of Bonn, Katzenburgweg 5, 53115, Bonn, Germany
| | - Charles P Addo Nyarko
- Plant Breeding Department, Justus Liebig University, 35392, Giessen, Germany
- Plant Breeding Department, The University of Bonn, Katzenburgweg 5, 53115, Bonn, Germany
| | - Sarah V Schiessl
- Plant Breeding Department, Justus Liebig University, 35392, Giessen, Germany
| | - Annaliese S Mason
- Plant Breeding Department, Justus Liebig University, 35392, Giessen, Germany.
- Plant Breeding Department, The University of Bonn, Katzenburgweg 5, 53115, Bonn, Germany.
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44
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Quezada-Martinez D, Addo Nyarko CP, Schiessl SV, Mason AS. Using wild relatives and related species to build climate resilience in Brassica crops. TAG. THEORETICAL AND APPLIED GENETICS. THEORETISCHE UND ANGEWANDTE GENETIK 2021; 134:1711-1728. [PMID: 33730183 DOI: 10.1007/s00122-021-03793-3.pdf] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 02/12/2021] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Climate change will have major impacts on crop production: not just increasing drought and heat stress, but also increasing insect and disease loads and the chance of extreme weather events and further adverse conditions. Often, wild relatives show increased tolerances to biotic and abiotic stresses, due to reduced stringency of selection for yield and yield-related traits under optimum conditions. One possible strategy to improve resilience in our modern-day crop cultivars is to utilize wild relative germplasm in breeding, and attempt to introgress genetic factors contributing to greater environmental tolerances from these wild relatives into elite crop types. However, this approach can be difficult, as it relies on factors such as ease of hybridization and genetic distance between the source and target, crossover frequencies and distributions in the hybrid, and ability to select for desirable introgressions while minimizing linkage drag. In this review, we outline the possible effects that climate change may have on crop production, introduce the Brassica crop species and their wild relatives, and provide an index of useful traits that are known to be present in each of these species that may be exploitable through interspecific hybridization-based approaches. Subsequently, we outline how introgression breeding works, what factors affect the success of this approach, and how this approach can be optimized so as to increase the chance of recovering the desired introgression lines. Our review provides a working guide to the use of wild relatives and related crop germplasm to improve biotic and abiotic resistances in Brassica crop species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Quezada-Martinez
- Plant Breeding Department, Justus Liebig University, 35392, Giessen, Germany
- Plant Breeding Department, The University of Bonn, Katzenburgweg 5, 53115, Bonn, Germany
| | - Charles P Addo Nyarko
- Plant Breeding Department, Justus Liebig University, 35392, Giessen, Germany
- Plant Breeding Department, The University of Bonn, Katzenburgweg 5, 53115, Bonn, Germany
| | - Sarah V Schiessl
- Plant Breeding Department, Justus Liebig University, 35392, Giessen, Germany
| | - Annaliese S Mason
- Plant Breeding Department, Justus Liebig University, 35392, Giessen, Germany.
- Plant Breeding Department, The University of Bonn, Katzenburgweg 5, 53115, Bonn, Germany.
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45
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Araus JL, Sanchez-Bragado R, Vicente R. Improving crop yield and resilience through optimization of photosynthesis: panacea or pipe dream? JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2021; 72:3936-3955. [PMID: 33640973 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erab097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Increasing the speed of breeding to enhance crop productivity and adaptation to abiotic stresses is urgently needed. The perception that a second Green Revolution should be implemented is widely established within the scientific community and among stakeholders. In recent decades, different alternatives have been proposed for increasing crop yield through manipulation of leaf photosynthetic efficiency. However, none of these has delivered practical or relevant outputs. Indeed, the actual increases in photosynthetic rates are not expected to translate into yield increases beyond 10-15%. Furthermore, instantaneous rates of leaf photosynthesis are not necessarily the reference target for research. Yield is the result of canopy photosynthesis, understood as the contribution of laminar and non-laminar organs over time, within which concepts such as canopy architecture, stay-green, or non-laminar photosynthesis need to be taken into account. Moreover, retrospective studies show that photosynthetic improvements have been more common at the canopy level. Nevertheless, it is crucial to place canopy photosynthesis in the context of whole-plant functioning, which includes sink-source balance and transport of photoassimilates, and the availability and uptake of nutrients, such as nitrogen in particular. Overcoming this challenge will only be feasible if a multiscale crop focus combined with a multidisciplinary scientific approach is adopted.
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Affiliation(s)
- José L Araus
- Integrative Crop Ecophysiology Group, Plant Physiology Section, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, and AGROTECNIO Center, Lleida, Spain
| | - Ruth Sanchez-Bragado
- Integrative Crop Ecophysiology Group, Plant Physiology Section, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, and AGROTECNIO Center, Lleida, Spain
| | - Rubén Vicente
- Plant Ecophysiology and Metabolism Group, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
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46
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Abstract
Since 1893, when the word "photosynthesis" was first coined by Charles Reid Barnes and Conway MacMillan, our understanding of the elements and regulation of this complex process is far from being entirely understood. We aim to review the most relevant advances in photosynthesis research from the last few years and to provide a perspective on the forthcoming research in this field. Recent discoveries related to light sensing, harvesting, and dissipation; kinetics of CO2 fixation; components and regulators of CO2 diffusion through stomata and mesophyll; and genetic engineering for improving photosynthetic and production capacities of crops are addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia V Perera-Castro
- Department of Biology, Universitat de les Illes Balears, INAGEA, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
| | - Jaume Flexas
- Department of Biology, Universitat de les Illes Balears, INAGEA, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
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48
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Shao L, Liu Z, Li H, Zhang Y, Dong M, Guo X, Zhang H, Huang B, Ni R, Li G, Cai C, Chen W, Luo W, Yin X. The impact of global dimming on crop yields is determined by the source-sink imbalance of carbon during grain filling. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:689-708. [PMID: 33216414 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2020] [Revised: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Global dimming reduces incident global radiation but increases the fraction of diffuse radiation, and thus affects crop yields; however, the underlying mechanisms of such an effect have not been revealed. We hypothesized that crop source-sink imbalance of either carbon (C) or nitrogen (N) during grain filling is a key factor underlying the effect of global dimming on yields. We presented a practical framework to assess both C and N source-sink relationships, using data of biomass and N accumulation from periodical sampling conducted in field experiments for wheat and rice from 2013 to 2016. We found a fertilization effect of the increased diffuse radiation fraction under global dimming, which alleviated the negative impact of decreased global radiation on source supply and sink growth, but the source supply and sink growth were still decreased by dimming, for both C and N. In wheat, the C source supply decreased more than the C sink demand, and as a result, crops remobilized more pre-heading C reserves, in response to dimming. However, these responses were converse in rice, which presumably stemmed from the more increment in radiation use efficiency and the more limited sink size in rice than wheat. The global dimming affected source supply and sink growth of C more significantly than that of N. Therefore, yields in both crops were dependent more on the source-sink imbalance of C than that of N during grain filling. Our revealed source-sink relationships, and their differences and similarities between wheat and rice, provide a basis for designing strategies to alleviate the impact of global dimming on crop productivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liping Shao
- College of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Zijuan Liu
- College of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Haozheng Li
- College of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yaling Zhang
- College of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Mingming Dong
- College of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xuanhe Guo
- College of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Han Zhang
- College of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Baowei Huang
- College of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Rongbing Ni
- College of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Gang Li
- College of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Chuang Cai
- College of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Weiping Chen
- College of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Weihong Luo
- College of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xinyou Yin
- Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
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Li G, Chen T, Feng B, Peng S, Tao L, Fu G. Respiration, Rather Than Photosynthesis, Determines Rice Yield Loss Under Moderate High-Temperature Conditions. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:678653. [PMID: 34249047 PMCID: PMC8264589 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.678653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Photosynthesis is an important biophysical and biochemical reaction that provides food and oxygen to maintain aerobic life on earth. Recently, increasing photosynthesis has been revisited as an approach for reducing rice yield losses caused by high temperatures. We found that moderate high temperature causes less damage to photosynthesis but significantly increases respiration. In this case, the energy production efficiency is enhanced, but most of this energy is allocated to maintenance respiration, resulting in an overall decrease in the energy utilization efficiency. In this perspective, respiration, rather than photosynthesis, may be the primary contributor to yield losses in a high-temperature climate. Indeed, the dry matter weight and yield could be enhanced if the energy was mainly allocated to the growth respiration. Therefore, we proposed that engineering smart rice cultivars with a highly efficient system of energy production, allocation, and utilization could effectively solve the world food crisis under high-temperature conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangyan Li
- National Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou, China
- Crop Production and Physiology Center (CPPC), College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Tingting Chen
- National Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou, China
| | - Baohua Feng
- National Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou, China
| | - Shaobing Peng
- Crop Production and Physiology Center (CPPC), College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Longxing Tao
- National Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Longxing Tao,
| | - Guanfu Fu
- National Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou, China
- Guanfu Fu,
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Sandhu N, Sethi M, Kumar A, Dang D, Singh J, Chhuneja P. Biochemical and Genetic Approaches Improving Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Cereal Crops: A Review. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:657629. [PMID: 34149755 PMCID: PMC8213353 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.657629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Nitrogen is an essential nutrient required in large quantities for the proper growth and development of plants. Nitrogen is the most limiting macronutrient for crop production in most of the world's agricultural areas. The dynamic nature of nitrogen and its tendency to lose soil and environment systems create a unique and challenging environment for its proper management. Exploiting genetic diversity, developing nutrient efficient novel varieties with better agronomy and crop management practices combined with improved crop genetics have been significant factors behind increased crop production. In this review, we highlight the various biochemical, genetic factors and the regulatory mechanisms controlling the plant nitrogen economy necessary for reducing fertilizer cost and improving nitrogen use efficiency while maintaining an acceptable grain yield.
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