1
|
Santos TDO, Amaral Junior ATD, Bispo RB, Bernado WDP, Simão BR, de Lima VJ, Freitas MSM, Mora-Poblete F, Trindade RDS, Kamphorst SH, Pereira Rodrigues W, Campostrini E, Nicácio Viana F, Cruz CD. Exploring the Potential of Heterosis to Improve Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Popcorn Plants. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:plants12112135. [PMID: 37299114 DOI: 10.3390/plants12112135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Revised: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Nitrogen is crucial for plant growth and development, and improving nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) is a viable strategy for reducing dependence on nitrogen inputs and promoting sustainability. While the benefits of heterosis in corn are well known, the physiological mechanisms underlying this phenomenon in popcorn are less understood. We aimed to investigate the effects of heterosis on growth and physiological traits in four popcorn lines and their hybrids under two contrasting nitrogen conditions. We evaluated morpho-agronomic and physiological traits such as leaf pigments, the maximum photochemical efficiency of PSII, and leaf gas exchange. Components associated with NUE were also evaluated. N deprivation caused reductions of up to 65% in terms of plant architecture, 37% in terms of leaf pigments, and 42% in terms of photosynthesis-related traits. Heterosis had significant effects on growth traits, NUE, and foliar pigments, particularly under low soil nitrogen conditions. N-utilization efficiency was found to be the mechanism favoring superior hybrid performance for NUE. Non-additive genetic effects were predominant in controlling the studied traits, indicating that exploring heterosis is the most effective strategy for obtaining superior hybrids to promote NUE. The findings are relevant and beneficial for agro farmers seeking sustainable agricultural practices and improved crop productivity through the optimization of nitrogen utilization.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Talles de Oliveira Santos
- Center for Plant Science Innovation, Department of Biochemistry, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0664, USA
- Laboratory of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Center for Agricultural Sciences and Technologies (CCTA), Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes 28013-602, RJ, Brazil
| | - Antônio Teixeira do Amaral Junior
- Laboratory of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Center for Agricultural Sciences and Technologies (CCTA), Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes 28013-602, RJ, Brazil
| | - Rosimeire Barboza Bispo
- Laboratory of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Center for Agricultural Sciences and Technologies (CCTA), Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes 28013-602, RJ, Brazil
- Proteomics and Metabolomics Facilities, Nebraska Center for Biotechnology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0664, USA
| | - Wallace de Paula Bernado
- Laboratory of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Center for Agricultural Sciences and Technologies (CCTA), Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes 28013-602, RJ, Brazil
| | - Bruna Rohem Simão
- Laboratory of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Center for Agricultural Sciences and Technologies (CCTA), Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes 28013-602, RJ, Brazil
| | - Valter Jário de Lima
- Laboratory of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Center for Agricultural Sciences and Technologies (CCTA), Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes 28013-602, RJ, Brazil
| | - Marta Simone Mendonça Freitas
- Plant Science Laboratory, Center for Agricultural Science and Technologies, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes 28013-602, RJ, Brazil
| | - Freddy Mora-Poblete
- Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Talca, 1 Poniente 1141, Talca 3460000, Chile
| | - Roberto Dos Santos Trindade
- National Research Center for Maize and Sorghum, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, MG-424 Highway, Km 45, Sete Lagoas 35701-970, MG, Brazil
| | - Samuel Henrique Kamphorst
- Laboratory of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Center for Agricultural Sciences and Technologies (CCTA), Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes 28013-602, RJ, Brazil
| | - Weverton Pereira Rodrigues
- Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Naturais e Letras, Universidade Estadual da Região Tocantina do Maranhão (UEMASUL), Estreito 65975-000, MA, Brazil
| | - Eliemar Campostrini
- Laboratory of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Center for Agricultural Sciences and Technologies (CCTA), Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes 28013-602, RJ, Brazil
| | - Flávia Nicácio Viana
- Laboratory of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Center for Agricultural Sciences and Technologies (CCTA), Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes 28013-602, RJ, Brazil
| | - Cosme Damião Cruz
- Laboratory of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Center for Agricultural Sciences and Technologies (CCTA), Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes 28013-602, RJ, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Sharma N, Jaiswal DK, Kumari S, Dash GK, Panda S, Anandan A, Raghuram N. Genome-Wide Urea Response in Rice Genotypes Contrasting for Nitrogen Use Efficiency. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:6080. [PMID: 37047052 PMCID: PMC10093866 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24076080] [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: 10/13/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Rice is an ideal crop for improvement of nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), especially with urea, its predominant fertilizer. There is a paucity of studies on rice genotypes contrasting for NUE. We compared low urea-responsive transcriptomes of contrasting rice genotypes, namely Nidhi (low NUE) and Panvel1 (high NUE). Transcriptomes of whole plants grown with media containing normal (15 mM) and low urea (1.5 mM) revealed 1497 and 2819 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in Nidhi and Panvel1, respectively, of which 271 were common. Though 1226 DEGs were genotype-specific in Nidhi and 2548 in Panvel1, there was far higher commonality in underlying processes. High NUE is associated with the urea-responsive regulation of other nutrient transporters, miRNAs, transcription factors (TFs) and better photosynthesis, water use efficiency and post-translational modifications. Many of their genes co-localized to NUE-QTLs on chromosomes 1, 3 and 9. A field evaluation under different doses of urea revealed better agronomic performance including grain yield, transport/uptake efficiencies and NUE of Panvel1. Comparison of our urea-based transcriptomes with our previous nitrate-based transcriptomes revealed many common processes despite large differences in their expression profiles. Our model proposes that differential involvement of transporters and TFs, among others, contributes to better urea uptake, translocation, utilization, flower development and yield for high NUE.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Narendra Sharma
- Centre for Sustainable Nitrogen and Nutrient Management, University School of Biotechnology, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Sector 16C, Dwarka, New Delhi 110078, India
| | - Dinesh Kumar Jaiswal
- Centre for Sustainable Nitrogen and Nutrient Management, University School of Biotechnology, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Sector 16C, Dwarka, New Delhi 110078, India
| | - Supriya Kumari
- Centre for Sustainable Nitrogen and Nutrient Management, University School of Biotechnology, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Sector 16C, Dwarka, New Delhi 110078, India
| | - Goutam Kumar Dash
- Crop Improvement Division, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-National Rice Research Institute (NRRI), Cuttack 753006, India
| | - Siddharth Panda
- Crop Improvement Division, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-National Rice Research Institute (NRRI), Cuttack 753006, India
- Institute of Agricultural Sciences, SOA (DU), Bhubaneswar 751003, India
| | - Annamalai Anandan
- Crop Improvement Division, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-National Rice Research Institute (NRRI), Cuttack 753006, India
- Regional Station, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-Indian Institute of Seed Science, Bengaluru 560065, India
| | - Nandula Raghuram
- Centre for Sustainable Nitrogen and Nutrient Management, University School of Biotechnology, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Sector 16C, Dwarka, New Delhi 110078, India
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Mauceri A, Aci MM, Toppino L, Panda S, Meir S, Mercati F, Araniti F, Lupini A, Panuccio MR, Rotino GL, Aharoni A, Abenavoli MR, Sunseri F. Uncovering Pathways Highly Correlated to NUE through a Combined Metabolomics and Transcriptomics Approach in Eggplant. PLANTS 2022; 11:plants11050700. [PMID: 35270170 PMCID: PMC8912549 DOI: 10.3390/plants11050700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Revised: 02/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Nitrogen (N) fertilization is one of the main inputs to increase crop yield and food production. However, crops utilize only 30–40% of N applied; the remainder is leached into the soil, causing environmental and health damage. In this scenario, the improvement of nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE) will be an essential strategy for sustainable agriculture. Here, we compared two pairs of NUE-contrasting eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) genotypes, employing GC-MS and UPLC-qTOF-MS-based technologies to determine the differential profiles of primary and secondary metabolites in root and shoot tissues, under N starvation as well as at short- and long-term N-limiting resupply. Firstly, differences in the primary metabolism pathways of shoots related to alanine, aspartate and glutamate; starch, sucrose and glycine; serine and threonine; and in secondary metabolites biosynthesis were detected. An integrated analysis between differentially accumulated metabolites and expressed transcripts highlighted a key role of glycine accumulation and the related glyA transcript in the N-use-efficient genotypes to cope with N-limiting stress. Interestingly, a correlation between both sucrose synthase (SUS)- and fructokinase (scrK)-transcript abundances, as well as D-glucose and D-fructose accumulation, appeared useful to distinguish the N-use-efficient genotypes. Furthermore, increased levels of L-aspartate and L-asparagine in the N-use-efficient genotypes at short-term low-N exposure were detected. Granule-bound starch synthase (WAXY) and endoglucanase (E3.2.1.4) downregulation at long-term N stress was observed. Therefore, genes and metabolites related to these pathways could be exploited to improve NUE in eggplant.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Mauceri
- Department Agraria, University Mediterranea of Reggio Calabria, 89122 Reggio Calabria, Italy; (M.M.A.); (A.L.); (M.R.P.); (F.S.)
- Correspondence: (A.M.); (M.R.A.)
| | - Meriem Miyassa Aci
- Department Agraria, University Mediterranea of Reggio Calabria, 89122 Reggio Calabria, Italy; (M.M.A.); (A.L.); (M.R.P.); (F.S.)
| | - Laura Toppino
- CREA—Research Centre for Genomics and Bioinformatics, 26836 Montanaso Lombardo, Italy; (L.T.); (G.L.R.)
| | - Sayantan Panda
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel; (S.P.); (S.M.); (A.A.)
| | - Sagit Meir
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel; (S.P.); (S.M.); (A.A.)
| | - Francesco Mercati
- Institute Bioscience and Bioresources—National Research Council CNR, 90129 Palermo, Italy;
| | - Fabrizio Araniti
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences—Production, Territory, Agroenergy, University of Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy;
| | - Antonio Lupini
- Department Agraria, University Mediterranea of Reggio Calabria, 89122 Reggio Calabria, Italy; (M.M.A.); (A.L.); (M.R.P.); (F.S.)
| | - Maria Rosaria Panuccio
- Department Agraria, University Mediterranea of Reggio Calabria, 89122 Reggio Calabria, Italy; (M.M.A.); (A.L.); (M.R.P.); (F.S.)
| | - Giuseppe Leonardo Rotino
- CREA—Research Centre for Genomics and Bioinformatics, 26836 Montanaso Lombardo, Italy; (L.T.); (G.L.R.)
| | - Asaph Aharoni
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel; (S.P.); (S.M.); (A.A.)
| | - Maria Rosa Abenavoli
- Department Agraria, University Mediterranea of Reggio Calabria, 89122 Reggio Calabria, Italy; (M.M.A.); (A.L.); (M.R.P.); (F.S.)
- Correspondence: (A.M.); (M.R.A.)
| | - Francesco Sunseri
- Department Agraria, University Mediterranea of Reggio Calabria, 89122 Reggio Calabria, Italy; (M.M.A.); (A.L.); (M.R.P.); (F.S.)
- Institute Bioscience and Bioresources—National Research Council CNR, 90129 Palermo, Italy;
| |
Collapse
|