1
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Heckman RW, Pereira CG, Aspinwall MJ, Juenger TE. Physiological Responses of C 4 Perennial Bioenergy Grasses to Climate Change: Causes, Consequences, and Constraints. ANNUAL REVIEW OF PLANT BIOLOGY 2024; 75:737-769. [PMID: 38424068 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-arplant-070623-093952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
C4 perennial bioenergy grasses are an economically and ecologically important group whose responses to climate change will be important to the future bioeconomy. These grasses are highly productive and frequently possess large geographic ranges and broad environmental tolerances, which may contribute to the evolution of ecotypes that differ in physiological acclimation capacity and the evolution of distinct functional strategies. C4 perennial bioenergy grasses are predicted to thrive under climate change-C4 photosynthesis likely evolved to enhance photosynthetic efficiency under stressful conditions of low [CO2], high temperature, and drought-although few studies have examined how these species will respond to combined stresses or to extremes of temperature and precipitation. Important targets for C4 perennial bioenergy production in a changing world, such as sustainability and resilience, can benefit from combining knowledge of C4 physiology with recent advances in crop improvement, especially genomic selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert W Heckman
- Rocky Mountain Research Station, US Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Cedar City, Utah, USA;
| | - Caio Guilherme Pereira
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA;
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Thomas E Juenger
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA;
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2
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Patan SSVK, Vallepu S, Shaik KB, Shaik N, Adi Reddy NRY, Terry RG, Sergeant K, Hausman JF. Drought resistance strategies in minor millets: a review. PLANTA 2024; 260:29. [PMID: 38879859 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-024-04427-w] [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: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/03/2024]
Abstract
MAIN CONCLUSION The review discusses growth and drought-response mechanisms in minor millets under three themes: drought escape, drought avoidance and drought tolerance. Drought is one of the most prominent abiotic stresses impacting plant growth, performance, and productivity. In the context of climate change, the prevalence and severity of drought is expected to increase in many agricultural regions worldwide. Millets (coarse grains) are a group of small-seeded grasses cultivated in arid and semi-arid regions throughout the world and are an important source of food and feed for humans and livestock. Although minor millets, i.e., foxtail millet, finger millet, proso millet, barnyard millet, kodo millet and little millet are generally hardier and more drought-resistant than cereals and major millets (sorghum and pearl millet), understanding their responses, processes and strategies in response to drought is more limited. Here, we review drought resistance strategies in minor millets under three themes: drought escape (e.g., short crop cycle, short vegetative period, developmental plasticity and remobilization of assimilates), drought avoidance (e.g., root traits for better water absorption and leaf traits to control water loss), and drought tolerance (e.g., osmotic adjustment, maintenance of photosynthetic ability and antioxidant potential). Data from 'omics' studies are summarized to provide an overview of the molecular mechanisms important in drought tolerance. In addition, the final section highlights knowledge gaps and challenges to improving minor millets. This review is intended to enhance major cereals and millet per se in light of climate-related increases in aridity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Suneetha Vallepu
- Department of Botany, Yogi Vemana University, Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh, 516005, India
| | - Khader Basha Shaik
- Department of Botany, Yogi Vemana University, Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh, 516005, India
| | - Naseem Shaik
- Department of Botany, Yogi Vemana University, Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh, 516005, India
| | | | | | - Kjell Sergeant
- Environmental Research and Innovation Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, (LIST), Avenue Des Hauts Fourneaux 5, Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Jean François Hausman
- Environmental Research and Innovation Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, (LIST), Avenue Des Hauts Fourneaux 5, Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
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3
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Rui M, Chen R, Jing Y, Wu F, Chen ZH, Tissue D, Jiang H, Wang Y. Guard cell and subsidiary cell sizes are key determinants for stomatal kinetics and drought adaptation in cereal crops. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2024; 242:2479-2494. [PMID: 38622763 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19757] [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: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
Climate change-induced drought is a major threat to agriculture. C4 crops have a higher water use efficiency (WUE) and better adaptability to drought than C3 crops due to their smaller stomatal morphology and faster response. However, our understanding of stomatal behaviours in both C3 and C4 Poaceae crops is limited by knowledge gaps in physical traits of guard cell (GC) and subsidiary cell (SC). We employed infrared gas exchange analysis and a stomatal assay to explore the relationship between GC/SC sizes and stomatal kinetics across diverse drought conditions in two C3 (wheat and barley) and three C4 (maize, sorghum and foxtail millet) upland Poaceae crops. Through statistical analyses, we proposed a GCSC-τ model to demonstrate how morphological differences affect stomatal kinetics in C4 Poaceae crops. Our findings reveal that morphological variations specifically correlate with stomatal kinetics in C4 Poaceae crops, but not in C3 ones. Subsequent modelling and experimental validation provide further evidence that GC/SC sizes significantly impact stomatal kinetics, which affects stomatal responses to different drought conditions and thereby WUE in C4 Poaceae crops. These findings emphasize the crucial advantage of GC/SC morphological characteristics and stomatal kinetics for the drought adaptability of C4 Poaceae crops, highlighting their potential as future climate-resilient crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengmeng Rui
- Institute of Crop Science, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Rongjia Chen
- Institute of Crop Science, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Yi Jing
- BGI-Sanya, Sanya, 572025, China
| | - Feibo Wu
- Institute of Crop Science, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Zhong-Hua Chen
- School of Science, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia
| | - David Tissue
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia
- Global Centre for Land-Based Innovation, Western Sydney University, Richmond, NSW, 2753, Australia
| | - Hangjin Jiang
- Center for Data Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Yizhou Wang
- Institute of Crop Science, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
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4
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Zai X, Cordovez V, Zhu F, Zhao M, Diao X, Zhang F, Raaijmakers JM, Song C. C4 cereal and biofuel crop microbiomes. Trends Microbiol 2024:S0966-842X(24)00093-3. [PMID: 38772810 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2024.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024]
Abstract
Microbiomes provide multiple life-support functions for plants, including nutrient acquisition and tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses. Considering the importance of C4 cereal and biofuel crops for food security under climate change conditions, more attention has been given recently to C4 plant microbiome assembly and functions. Here, we review the current status of C4 cereal and biofuel crop microbiome research with a focus on beneficial microbial traits for crop growth and health. We highlight the importance of environmental factors and plant genetics in C4 crop microbiome assembly and pinpoint current knowledge gaps. Finally, we discuss the potential of foxtail millet as a C4 model species and outline future perspectives of C4 plant microbiome research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyu Zai
- State Key Laboratory of Nutrient Use and Management, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China; National Academy of Agriculture Green Development, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China; Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, China Agricultural University, 100193 Beijing, China; National Observation and Research Station of Agriculture Green Development, 057250 Quzhou, Hebei, China
| | - Viviane Cordovez
- Department of Microbial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Feng Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Water Resources, Hebei Laboratory of Agricultural Water-Saving, Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, The Innovative Academy of Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 050021 Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Meicheng Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Water Resources, Hebei Laboratory of Agricultural Water-Saving, Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, The Innovative Academy of Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 050021 Shijiazhuang, China; Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 100081 Beijing, China
| | - Xianmin Diao
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 100081 Beijing, China
| | - Fusuo Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Nutrient Use and Management, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China; National Academy of Agriculture Green Development, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China; Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, China Agricultural University, 100193 Beijing, China; National Observation and Research Station of Agriculture Green Development, 057250 Quzhou, Hebei, China
| | - Jos M Raaijmakers
- Department of Microbial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Wageningen, The Netherlands; Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Chunxu Song
- State Key Laboratory of Nutrient Use and Management, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China; National Academy of Agriculture Green Development, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China; Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, China Agricultural University, 100193 Beijing, China; National Observation and Research Station of Agriculture Green Development, 057250 Quzhou, Hebei, China.
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5
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Jeeva G, Suhasini B, Pramitha L, Jency JP, Joshi P, Ravikesavan R, Elango D. Unlocking the potential of Kodo millet: reviving an indigenous super grain for tomorrow's nutrition. PLANTA 2024; 259:140. [PMID: 38691193 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-024-04414-1] [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: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
Kodo millet (Paspalum scrobiculatum L.) is an underutilized crop that encompasses nutritional benefits and climate resilience, making it a viable option for future crop development with nutraceutical properties. The cultivation of this crop has ancient roots, where it was revered for its ability to thrive in times of famine and was a vital companion crop to rice. Dishes made with Kodo millet are highly palatable and can be easily integrated into mainstream rice-based dishes. Among all cereals, Kodo millet is distinguished by its gluten-free composition, high phosphorus content, and significant antioxidant potential, which contributes to a diet that may reduce cardiovascular disease risk. Often grown in rainfed zones by marginal farmers, Kodo millet is valued for its grain and fodder. This less demanding crop can tolerate both biotic and abiotic stress, allowing it to thrive in soils with low organic matter and with minimal inputs, making it an ideal dual-purpose crop for rainfed areas. Despite its nutritional and agricultural benefits, Kodo millet's popularity is hindered by challenges such as low yield, market demand, lodging at harvest, and poor dehulling recovery, which necessitate the development of high-yielding varieties through the latest breeding advancements. Systematic investment and concerted breeding efforts are essential to harness the full potential of this nutrient-dense crop. The absence of whole genome sequence for Kodo millet poses a barrier to uncovering novel genetic traits. Consequently, there is an imperative to establish a millet-based value chain that elevates these underutilized crops, shaping smart cropping patterns and enhancing nutritional profiles for sustainable diets. Accordingly, this review highlights the significance of Kodo millet and the impact of breeding to establish it as a smart food choice for the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Jeeva
- Scholar in Genetics and Plant Breeding, CPBG, TNAU, Coimbatore, 641003, India
| | - B Suhasini
- KSNUAHS, Shivamogga, 577204, Karnataka, India
| | - Lydia Pramitha
- Genetics and Plant Breeding, School of Agricultural Sciences, Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences, Coimbatore, 641114, India.
| | - J Poornima Jency
- Genetics and Plant Breeding, Vanavarayar Institute of Agriculture, 642001, Pollachi, India
| | - Pabitra Joshi
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, 83843, USA
| | | | - Dinakaran Elango
- Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
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6
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Silva‐Alvim FAL, Alvim JC, Harvey A, Blatt MR. Speedy stomata of a C 4 plant correlate with enhanced K + channel gating. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2024; 47:817-831. [PMID: 38013592 PMCID: PMC10953386 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14775] [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: 07/04/2023] [Revised: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Stomata are microscopic pores at the surface of plant leaves that facilitate gaseous diffusion to support photosynthesis. The guard cells around each stoma regulate the pore aperture. Plants that carry out C4 photosynthesis are usually more resilient than C3 plants to stress, and their stomata operate over a lower dynamic range of CO2 within the leaf. What makes guard cells of C4 plants more responsive than those of C3 plants? We used gas exchange and electrophysiology, comparing stomatal kinetics of the C4 plant Gynandropsis gynandra and the phylogenetically related C3 plant Arabidopsis thaliana. We found, with varying CO2 and light, that Gynandropsis showed faster changes in stomata conductance and greater water use efficiency when compared with Arabidopsis. Electrophysiological analysis of the dominant K+ channels showed that the outward-rectifying channels, responsible for K+ loss during stomatal closing, were characterised by a greater maximum conductance and substantial negative shift in the voltage dependence of gating, indicating a reduced inhibition by extracellular K+ and enhanced capacity for K+ flux. These differences correlated with the accelerated stomata kinetics of Gynandropsis, suggesting that subtle changes in the biophysical properties of a key transporter may prove a target for future efforts to engineer C4 stomatal kinetics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jonas Chaves Alvim
- Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biophysics, Bower BuildingUniversity of GlasgowGlasgowUK
| | - Andy Harvey
- Physics & AstronomyUniversity of GlasgowGlasgowUK
| | - Michael R. Blatt
- Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biophysics, Bower BuildingUniversity of GlasgowGlasgowUK
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7
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Jha DK, Chanwala J, Barla P, Dey N. "Genome-wide identification of bZIP gene family in Pearl millet and transcriptional profiling under abiotic stress, phytohormonal treatments; and functional characterization of PgbZIP9". FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 15:1352040. [PMID: 38469329 PMCID: PMC10925649 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1352040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Abiotic stresses are major constraints in crop production, and are accountable for more than half of the total crop loss. Plants overcome these environmental stresses using coordinated activities of transcription factors and phytohormones. Pearl millet an important C4 cereal plant having high nutritional value and climate resilient features is grown in marginal lands of Africa and South-East Asia including India. Among several transcription factors, the basic leucine zipper (bZIP) is an important TF family associated with diverse biological functions in plants. In this study, we have identified 98 bZIP family members (PgbZIP) in pearl millet. Phylogenetic analysis divided these PgbZIP genes into twelve groups (A-I, S, U and X). Motif analysis has shown that all the PgbZIP proteins possess conserved bZIP domains and the exon-intron organization revealed conserved structural features among the identified genes. Cis-element analysis, RNA-seq data analysis, and real-time expression analysis of PgbZIP genes suggested the potential role of selected PgbZIP genes in growth/development and abiotic stress responses in pearl millet. Expression profiling of selected PgbZIPs under various phytohormones (ABA, SA and MeJA) treatment showed differential expression patterns of PgbZIP genes. Further, PgbZIP9, a homolog of AtABI5 was found to localize in the nucleus and modulate gene expression in pearl millet under stresses. Our present findings provide a better understanding of bZIP genes in pearl millet and lay a good foundation for the further functional characterization of multi-stress tolerant PgbZIP genes, which could become efficient tools for crop improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepak Kumar Jha
- Division of Plant and Microbial Biotechnology, Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar, India
- Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad, India
| | - Jeky Chanwala
- Division of Plant and Microbial Biotechnology, Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar, India
- Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad, India
| | - Preeti Barla
- Division of Plant and Microbial Biotechnology, Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar, India
| | - Nrisingha Dey
- Division of Plant and Microbial Biotechnology, Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar, India
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8
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Hostetler AN, Morais de Sousa Tinoco S, Sparks EE. Root responses to abiotic stress: a comparative look at root system architecture in maize and sorghum. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2024; 75:553-562. [PMID: 37798135 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erad390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
Under all environments, roots are important for plant anchorage and acquiring water and nutrients. However, there is a knowledge gap regarding how root architecture contributes to stress tolerance in a changing climate. Two closely related plant species, maize and sorghum, have distinct root system architectures and different levels of stress tolerance, making comparative analysis between these two species an ideal approach to resolve this knowledge gap. However, current research has focused on shared aspects of the root system that are advantageous under abiotic stress conditions rather than on differences. Here we summarize the current state of knowledge comparing the root system architecture relative to plant performance under water deficit, salt stress, and low phosphorus in maize and sorghum. Under water deficit, steeper root angles and deeper root systems are proposed to be advantageous for both species. In saline soils, a reduction in root length and root number has been described as advantageous, but this work is limited. Under low phosphorus, root systems that are shallow and wider are beneficial for topsoil foraging. Future work investigating the differences between these species will be critical for understanding the role of root system architecture in optimizing plant production for a changing global climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley N Hostetler
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences and the Delaware Biotechnology Institute, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19711, USA
| | | | - Erin E Sparks
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences and the Delaware Biotechnology Institute, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19711, USA
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9
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Bonnot T, Somayanda I, Jagadish SVK, Nagel DH. Time of day and genotype sensitivity adjust molecular responses to temperature stress in sorghum. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2023; 116:1081-1096. [PMID: 37715988 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.16467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/18/2023]
Abstract
Sorghum is one of the four major C4 crops that are considered to be tolerant to environmental extremes. Sorghum shows distinct growth responses to temperature stress depending on the sensitivity of the genetic background. About half of the transcripts in sorghum exhibit diurnal rhythmic expressions emphasizing significant coordination with the environment. However, an understanding of how molecular dynamics contribute to genotype-specific stress responses in the context of the time of day is not known. We examined whether temperature stress and the time of day impact the gene expression dynamics in thermo-sensitive and thermo-tolerant sorghum genotypes. We found that time of day is highly influencing the temperature stress responses, which can be explained by the rhythmic expression of most thermo-responsive genes. This effect is more pronounced in thermo-tolerant genotypes, suggesting a stronger regulation of gene expression by the time of day and/or by the circadian clock. Genotypic differences were mostly observed on average gene expression levels, which may be responsible for contrasting sensitivities to temperature stress in tolerant versus susceptible sorghum varieties. We also identified groups of genes altered by temperature stress in a time-of-day and genotype-specific manner. These include transcriptional regulators and several members of the Ca2+ -binding EF-hand protein family. We hypothesize that expression variation of these genes between genotypes along with time-of-day independent regulation may contribute to genotype-specific fine-tuning of thermo-responsive pathways. These findings offer a new opportunity to selectively target specific genes in efforts to develop climate-resilient crops based on their time-of-day and genotype variation responses to temperature stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Titouan Bonnot
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California, 92507, USA
| | - Impa Somayanda
- Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, 79409-2122, USA
| | - S V Krishna Jagadish
- Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, 79409-2122, USA
| | - Dawn H Nagel
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California, 92507, USA
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10
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Tran KN, Pantha P, Wang G, Kumar N, Wijesinghege C, Oh DH, Wimalagunasekara S, Duppen N, Li H, Hong H, Johnson JC, Kelt R, Matherne MG, Nguyen TT, Garcia JR, Clement A, Tran D, Crain C, Adhikari P, Zhang Y, Foroozani M, Sessa G, Larkin JC, Smith AP, Longstreth D, Finnegan P, Testerink C, Barak S, Dassanayake M. Balancing growth amidst salt stress - lifestyle perspectives from the extremophyte model Schrenkiella parvula. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2023; 116:921-941. [PMID: 37609706 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.16396] [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: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
Schrenkiella parvula, a leading extremophyte model in Brassicaceae, can grow and complete its lifecycle under multiple environmental stresses, including high salinity. Yet, the key physiological and structural traits underlying its stress-adapted lifestyle are unknown along with trade-offs when surviving salt stress at the expense of growth and reproduction. We aimed to identify the influential adaptive trait responses that lead to stress-resilient and uncompromised growth across developmental stages when treated with salt at levels known to inhibit growth in Arabidopsis and most crops. Its resilient growth was promoted by traits that synergistically allowed primary root growth in seedlings, the expansion of xylem vessels across the root-shoot continuum, and a high capacity to maintain tissue water levels by developing thicker succulent leaves while enabling photosynthesis during salt stress. A successful transition from vegetative to reproductive phase was initiated by salt-induced early flowering, resulting in viable seeds. Self-fertilization in salt-induced early flowering was dependent upon filament elongation in flowers otherwise aborted in the absence of salt during comparable plant ages. The maintenance of leaf water status promoting growth, and early flowering to ensure reproductive success in a changing environment, were among the most influential traits that contributed to the extremophytic lifestyle of S. parvula.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kieu-Nga Tran
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70803, USA
| | - Pramod Pantha
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70803, USA
| | - Guannan Wang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70803, USA
| | - Narender Kumar
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70803, USA
| | - Chathura Wijesinghege
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70803, USA
| | - Dong-Ha Oh
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70803, USA
| | - Samadhi Wimalagunasekara
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70803, USA
| | - Nick Duppen
- Albert Katz International School for Desert Studies, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sde Boqer Campus, Beersheba, 8499000, Israel
| | - Hongfei Li
- Laboratory of Plant Physiology, Plant Sciences Group, Wageningen University and Research, 6708PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Hyewon Hong
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, 61801, USA
| | - John C Johnson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70803, USA
| | - Ross Kelt
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70803, USA
| | - Megan G Matherne
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70803, USA
| | - Thu T Nguyen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70803, USA
| | - Jason R Garcia
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70803, USA
| | - Ashley Clement
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70803, USA
| | - David Tran
- Department of Biochemistry & Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, 33146, USA
| | - Colt Crain
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70803, USA
- Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts, Natchitoches, Louisiana, 71457, USA
| | - Prava Adhikari
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70803, USA
| | - Yanxia Zhang
- Laboratory of Plant Physiology, Plant Sciences Group, Wageningen University and Research, 6708PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Maryam Foroozani
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70803, USA
| | - Guido Sessa
- School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - John C Larkin
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70803, USA
| | - Aaron P Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70803, USA
| | - David Longstreth
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70803, USA
| | - Patrick Finnegan
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, 6009, Australia
| | - Christa Testerink
- Laboratory of Plant Physiology, Plant Sciences Group, Wageningen University and Research, 6708PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Simon Barak
- French Associates' Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sde Boqer Campus, Beersheba, 8499000, Israel
| | - Maheshi Dassanayake
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70803, USA
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11
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Heß D, Heise CM, Schubert H, Hess WR, Hagemann M. The impact of salt stress on the physiology and the transcriptome of the model streptophyte green alga Chara braunii. PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM 2023; 175:e14123. [PMID: 38148211 DOI: 10.1111/ppl.14123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023]
Abstract
Chara braunii is a model for early land plant evolution and terrestrialization. Salt stress has a profound effect on water and ion transport activities, thereby interacting with many other processes, including inorganic carbon acquisition for photosynthesis. In this study, we analyzed the impact of salt stress (5 practical salt units, PSU) on the physiology and gene expression in C. braunii. Photosynthesis was only slightly affected 6 h after salt addition and returned to control levels after 48 h. Several organic compounds such as proline, glutamate, sucrose, and 2-aminobutyrate accumulated in salt-treated thalli and might contribute to osmotic potential acclimation, whereas the amount of K+ decreased. We quantified transcript levels for 17,387 genes, of which 95 were up-regulated and 44 down-regulated after salt addition. Genes encoding proteins of the functional groups ion/solute transport and cell wall synthesis/modulation were enriched among the up-regulated genes 24-48 h after salt stress, indicating their role in osmotic acclimation. However, a homolog to land plant ERD4 osmosensors was transiently upregulated after 6 h, and phylogenetic analyses suggested that these sensors evolved in Charophyceae. Down-regulated genes were mainly related to photosynthesis and carbon metabolism/fixation, consistent with the observed lowered growth after extended cultivation. The changed expression of genes encoding proteins for inorganic carbon acquisition might be related to the impact of salt on ionic relations and inorganic carbon uptake. The results indicate that C. braunii can tolerate enhanced salt concentrations in a defined acclimation process, including distinct gene expression changes to achieve new metabolic homeostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Heß
- Genetics and Experimental Bioinformatics Group, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Carolin M Heise
- Plant Physiology Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
- Aquatic Ecology Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Hendrik Schubert
- Aquatic Ecology Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Wolfgang R Hess
- Genetics and Experimental Bioinformatics Group, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Martin Hagemann
- Plant Physiology Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
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12
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Bekele-Alemu A, Ligaba-Osena A. Comprehensive in silico analysis of the underutilized crop tef (Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter) genome reveals drought tolerance signatures. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2023; 23:506. [PMID: 37865758 PMCID: PMC10589971 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-023-04515-1] [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: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tef (Eragrostis tef) is a C4 plant known for its tiny, nutritious, and gluten-free grains. It contains higher levels of protein, vitamins, and essential minerals like calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) than common cereals. Tef is cultivated in diverse ecological zones under diverse climatic conditions. Studies have shown that tef has great diversity in withstanding environmental challenges such as drought. Drought is a major abiotic stress severely affecting crop productivity and becoming a bottleneck to global food security. Here, we used in silico-based functional genomic analysis to identify drought-responsive genes in tef and validated their expression using quantitative RT-PCR. RESULTS We identified about 729 drought-responsive genes so far reported in six crop plants, including rice, wheat, maize, barley, sorghum, pearl millet, and the model plant Arabidopsis, and reported 20 genes having high-level of GO terms related to drought, and significantly enriched in several biological and molecular function categories. These genes were found to play diverse roles, including water and fluid transport, resistance to high salt, cold, and drought stress, abscisic acid (ABA) signaling, de novo DNA methylation, and transcriptional regulation in tef and other crops. Our analysis revealed substantial differences in the conserved domains of some tef genes from well-studied rice orthologs. We further analyzed the expression of sixteen tef orthologs using quantitative RT-PCR in response to PEG-induced osmotic stress. CONCLUSIONS The findings showed differential regulation of some drought-responsive genes in shoots, roots, or both tissues. Hence, the genes identified in this study may be promising candidates for trait improvement in crops via transgenic or gene-editing technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abreham Bekele-Alemu
- Laboratory of Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Department of Biology, University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA
| | - Ayalew Ligaba-Osena
- Laboratory of Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Department of Biology, University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA.
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13
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Li J, Fan Y. Editorial: Nutritional structures, growth and development processes, and responses to stresses in coarse cereals. Front Genet 2023; 14:1273932. [PMID: 37719699 PMCID: PMC10501830 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1273932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jinbo Li
- Luoyang Normal University, Luoyang, China
| | - Yu Fan
- Chengdu University, Chengdu, China
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14
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Zhang A, Yang Z, Zuo Y, Ma L, Zhang H. Geographic distribution of C 4 species and its phylogenetic structure across China. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1214980. [PMID: 37360722 PMCID: PMC10285315 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1214980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
Over the past fifty years, the distribution patterns of C4 species, across large spatial scales, are largely ignored. Here, we endeavored to examine patterns in the taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity of species with C4 photosynthetic pathways across the broad spatial extent of China and relate those to climatic gradients. We built a database of all plants with the C4 photosynthetic pathway in China. We analyzed the geographic distributions, taxonomic diversity, phylogenetic diversity, and phylogenetic structure of all C4 species, as well as the three families with the most C4 species (Poaceae, Amaranthaceae and Cyperaceae), and compared their values along temperature and precipitation gradients at two scales-the level of the province and at the 100 x 100 km grid cell. We found 644 C4 plants (belonging to 23 families 165 genera) in China, with Poaceae (57%), Amaranthaceae (17%), Cyperaceae (13%) accounting for the majority of species. Standardized effect size values of phylogenetic distances were negative overall, indicating that C4 species showed a phylogenetic clustering pattern. Southern China had the highest species richness and the highest degree of phylogenetic clustering. C4 tended to be more phylogenetically over-dispersed in regions with colder and/or drier climates, but more clustered in warmer and/or wetter climates. Patterns within individual families were more nuanced. The distribution of C4 species and its phylogenetic structure across China was constrained by temperature and precipitation. C4 species showed a phylogenetic clustering pattern across China, while different families showed more nuanced responses to climate variation, suggesting a role for evolutionary history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aiying Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhongjie Yang
- College of Life Sciences, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yu Zuo
- College of Life Sciences, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Liang Ma
- Mineral Resources and Geological Survey Center, Shaanxi Institute of Geological Survey, Xi’an, China
| | - Hanyu Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, China
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15
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Pardo J, Wai CM, Harman M, Nguyen A, Kremling KA, Romay MC, Lepak N, Bauerle TL, Buckler ES, Thompson AM, VanBuren R. Cross-species predictive modeling reveals conserved drought responses between maize and sorghum. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2216894120. [PMID: 36848555 PMCID: PMC10013860 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2216894120] [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: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Drought tolerance is a highly complex trait controlled by numerous interconnected pathways with substantial variation within and across plant species. This complexity makes it difficult to distill individual genetic loci underlying tolerance, and to identify core or conserved drought-responsive pathways. Here, we collected drought physiology and gene expression datasets across diverse genotypes of the C4 cereals sorghum and maize and searched for signatures defining water-deficit responses. Differential gene expression identified few overlapping drought-associated genes across sorghum genotypes, but using a predictive modeling approach, we found a shared core drought response across development, genotype, and stress severity. Our model had similar robustness when applied to datasets in maize, reflecting a conserved drought response between sorghum and maize. The top predictors are enriched in functions associated with various abiotic stress-responsive pathways as well as core cellular functions. These conserved drought response genes were less likely to contain deleterious mutations than other gene sets, suggesting that core drought-responsive genes are under evolutionary and functional constraints. Our findings support a broad evolutionary conservation of drought responses in C4 grasses regardless of innate stress tolerance, which could have important implications for developing climate resilient cereals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy Pardo
- Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI48824
- Plant Resilience Institute, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI48824
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI48824
| | - Ching Man Wai
- Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI48824
- Plant Resilience Institute, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI48824
| | - Maxwell Harman
- Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI48824
| | - Annie Nguyen
- Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI48824
- Plant Resilience Institute, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI48824
| | - Karl A. Kremling
- Institute for Genomic Diversity, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY14853
- School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY14853
| | - Maria Cinta Romay
- Institute for Genomic Diversity, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY14853
- School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY14853
| | - Nicholas Lepak
- Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Ithaca, NY14853
| | - Taryn L. Bauerle
- School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY14853
| | - Edward S. Buckler
- Institute for Genomic Diversity, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY14853
- School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY14853
- Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Ithaca, NY14853
| | - Addie M. Thompson
- Plant Resilience Institute, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI48824
- Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI48824
| | - Robert VanBuren
- Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI48824
- Plant Resilience Institute, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI48824
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16
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Gao Y, He X, Lv H, Liu H, Li Y, Hu Y, Liu Y, Huang Y, Zhang J. Epi-Brassinolide Regulates ZmC4 NADP-ME Expression through the Transcription Factors ZmbHLH157 and ZmNF-YC2. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24054614. [PMID: 36902048 PMCID: PMC10002761 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24054614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2022] [Revised: 02/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Maize is a main food and feed crop with great production potential and high economic benefits. Improving its photosynthesis efficiency is crucial for increasing yield. Maize photosynthesis occurs mainly through the C4 pathway, and NADP-ME (NADP-malic enzyme) is a key enzyme in the photosynthetic carbon assimilation pathway of C4 plants. ZmC4-NADP-ME catalyzes the release of CO2 from oxaloacetate into the Calvin cycle in the maize bundle sheath. Brassinosteroid (BL) can improve photosynthesis; however, its molecular mechanism of action remains unclear. In this study, transcriptome sequencing of maize seedlings treated with epi-brassinolide (EBL) showed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were significantly enriched in photosynthetic antenna proteins, porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism, and photosynthesis pathways. The DEGs of C4-NADP-ME and pyruvate phosphate dikinase in the C4 pathway were significantly enriched in EBL treatment. Co-expression analysis showed that the transcription level of ZmNF-YC2 and ZmbHLH157 transcription factors was increased under EBL treatment and moderately positively correlated with ZmC4-NADP-ME. Transient overexpression of protoplasts revealed that ZmNF-YC2 and ZmbHLH157 activate C4-NADP-ME promoters. Further experiments showed ZmNF-YC2 and ZmbHLH157 transcription factor binding sites on the -1616 bp and -1118 bp ZmC4 NADP-ME promoter. ZmNF-YC2 and ZmbHLH157 were screened as candidate transcription factors mediating brassinosteroid hormone regulation of the ZmC4 NADP-ME gene. The results provide a theoretical basis for improving maize yield using BR hormones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanfen Gao
- College of Life Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625000, China
| | - Xuewu He
- College of Life Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625000, China
| | - Huayang Lv
- College of Life Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625000, China
| | - Hanmei Liu
- College of Life Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625000, China
| | - Yangping Li
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Exploration and Utilization in Southwest China, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Yufeng Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Exploration and Utilization in Southwest China, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Yinghong Liu
- Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Yubi Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Exploration and Utilization in Southwest China, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
- Correspondence: (Y.H.); (J.Z.)
| | - Junjie Zhang
- College of Life Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625000, China
- Correspondence: (Y.H.); (J.Z.)
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17
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Chen Z, Arango J, Rao IM, Liang C. Editorial: Physiological, molecular and genetic mechanisms of abiotic stress tolerance in tropical crops. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1150343. [PMID: 36844061 PMCID: PMC9950767 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1150343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Zhijian Chen
- Institute of Tropical Crop Genetic Resources, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, China
| | - Jacobo Arango
- International Center for Tropical Agriculture, Cali, Colombia
| | - Idupulapati M. Rao
- International Center for Tropical Agriculture, Cali, Colombia
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology(icipe), Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Cuiyue Liang
- Root Biology Center, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, College of Natural Resources and Environment, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
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18
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Shrestha N, Hu H, Shrestha K, Doust AN. Pearl millet response to drought: A review. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1059574. [PMID: 36844091 PMCID: PMC9955113 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1059574] [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: 10/01/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The C4 grass pearl millet is one of the most drought tolerant cereals and is primarily grown in marginal areas where annual rainfall is low and intermittent. It was domesticated in sub-Saharan Africa, and several studies have found that it uses a combination of morphological and physiological traits to successfully resist drought. This review explores the short term and long-term responses of pearl millet that enables it to either tolerate, avoid, escape, or recover from drought stress. The response to short term drought reveals fine tuning of osmotic adjustment, stomatal conductance, and ROS scavenging ability, along with ABA and ethylene transduction. Equally important are longer term developmental plasticity in tillering, root development, leaf adaptations and flowering time that can both help avoid the worst water stress and recover some of the yield losses via asynchronous tiller production. We examine genes related to drought resistance that were identified through individual transcriptomic studies and through our combined analysis of previous studies. From the combined analysis, we found 94 genes that were differentially expressed in both vegetative and reproductive stages under drought stress. Among them is a tight cluster of genes that are directly related to biotic and abiotic stress, as well as carbon metabolism, and hormonal pathways. We suggest that knowledge of gene expression patterns in tiller buds, inflorescences and rooting tips will be important for understanding the growth responses of pearl millet and the trade-offs at play in the response of this crop to drought. Much remains to be learnt about how pearl millet's unique combination of genetic and physiological mechanisms allow it to achieve such high drought tolerance, and the answers to be found may well be useful for crops other than just pearl millet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikee Shrestha
- Department of Plant Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, United States
- Center for Plant Science Innovation and Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, United States
| | - Hao Hu
- Department of Plant Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, United States
| | - Kumar Shrestha
- Department of Plant Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, United States
| | - Andrew N. Doust
- Department of Plant Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, United States
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19
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Zhang J, Chai MF, Shabala S, Wang KH, Zhang JL. Editorial: Adaptation mechanisms of grass and forage plants to stressful environments. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1132198. [PMID: 36824208 PMCID: PMC9942521 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1132198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jing Zhang
- College of Agro-grassland Science, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Mao-Feng Chai
- Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Grassland Resources and Ecology in the Yellow River Delta, College of Grassland Science, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
| | - Sergey Shabala
- Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia
| | - Ke-Hua Wang
- Department of Turfgrass Science and Engineering, College of Grassland Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Jin-Lin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems; Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
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20
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Das A, Dedon N, Enders DJ, Fjellheim S, Preston JC. Testing the chilling- before drought-tolerance hypothesis in Pooideae grasses. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:772-785. [PMID: 36420966 PMCID: PMC10107940 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Temperate Pooideae are a large clade of economically important grasses distributed in some of the Earth's coldest and driest terrestrial environments. Previous studies have inferred that Pooideae diversified from their tropical ancestors in a cold montane habitat, suggesting that above-freezing cold (chilling) tolerance evolved early in the subfamily. By contrast, drought tolerance is hypothesized to have evolved multiple times independently in response to global aridification that occurred after the split of Pooideae tribes. To independently test predictions of the chilling-before-drought hypothesis in Pooideae, we assessed conservation of whole plant and gene expression traits in response to chilling vs. drought. We demonstrated that both trait responses are more similar across tribes in cold as compared to drought, suggesting that chilling responses evolved before, and drought responses after, tribe diversification. Moreover, we found significantly more overlap between drought and chilling responsive genes within a species than between drought responsive genes across species, providing evidence that chilling tolerance genes acted as precursors for the novel acquisition of increased drought tolerance multiple times independently, partially through the cooption of chilling responsive genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aayudh Das
- Department of Plant Biology, The University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA
| | - Natalie Dedon
- Department of Plant Biology, The University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA
| | - Daniel J Enders
- Department of Plant Biology, The University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA
| | - Siri Fjellheim
- Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - Jill C Preston
- Department of Plant Biology, The University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA
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21
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Yang Z, Nie G, Feng G, Xu X, Li D, Wang X, Huang L, Zhang X. Genome-wide identification of MADS-box gene family in orchardgrass and the positive role of DgMADS114 and DgMADS115 under different abiotic stress. Int J Biol Macromol 2022; 223:129-142. [PMID: 36356860 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.11.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Revised: 10/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Abiotic stress, a major factor limit growth and productivity of major crops. Orchardgrass is one of the most important cool-season forage grasses in the world, and it is highly tolerant to abiotic stress. The MADS-box transcription factor family is one of the largest families in plants, and it plays vital roles in multiple biological processes. However, MADS-box transcription factors in orchardgrass, especially those involved in abiotic stress, have not yet been elucidated. Here, 123 DgMADS-box members were identified in orchardgrass and a detailed overview has been presented. Syntenic analysis indicated that the expansion of the DgMADS-box genes in orchardgrass is mainly dependent on tandem duplication events. Some DgMADS-box genes were induced by multiple abiotic stresses, indicating that these genes may play critical regulatory roles in orchardgrass response to various abiotic stresses. Heterologous expression showed that DgMADS114 and DgMADS115 could enhance stress tolerance of transgenic Arabidopsis, as revealed by longer root length or higher survival rates under PEG, NaCl, ABA, and heat stress. The results of this study provide a scientific basis for clarifying the functional characterization of MADS-box genes in orchardgrass in response to environmental stress can be further used to improve forages and crops via breeding programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongfu Yang
- College of Grassland Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Gang Nie
- College of Grassland Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Guangyan Feng
- College of Grassland Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Xiaoheng Xu
- College of Grassland Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Dandan Li
- College of Grassland Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Xia Wang
- College of Grassland Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Linkai Huang
- College of Grassland Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China.
| | - Xinquan Zhang
- College of Grassland Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China.
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22
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St. Aubin B, Wai CM, Kenchanmane Raju SK, Niederhuth CE, VanBuren R. Regulatory dynamics distinguishing desiccation tolerance strategies within resurrection grasses. PLANT DIRECT 2022; 6:e457. [PMID: 36523607 PMCID: PMC9748243 DOI: 10.1002/pld3.457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Desiccation tolerance has evolved recurrently in grasses using two unique strategies of either protecting or dismantling the photosynthetic apparatus to minimize photooxidative damage under life without water (anhydrobiosis). Here, we surveyed chromatin architecture and gene expression during desiccation in two closely related grasses with distinguishing desiccation tolerance strategies to identify regulatory dynamics underlying these unique adaptations. In both grasses, we observed a strong association between nearby chromatin accessibility and gene expression in desiccated tissues compared to well-watered, reflecting an unusual chromatin stability under anhydrobiosis. Integration of chromatin accessibility (ATACseq) and expression data (RNAseq) revealed a core desiccation response across these two grasses. This includes many genes with binding sites for the core seed development transcription factor ABI5, supporting the long-standing hypothesis that vegetative desiccation tolerance evolved from rewiring seed pathways. Oropetium thomaeum has a unique set of desiccation induced genes and regulatory elements associated with photoprotection, pigment biosynthesis, and response to high light, reflecting its adaptation of protecting the photosynthetic apparatus under desiccation (homoiochlorophyly). By contrast, Eragrostis nindensis has unique accessible and expressed genes related to chlorophyll catabolism, scavenging of amino acids, and hypoxia, highlighting its poikilochlorophyllous adaptations of dismantling the photosynthetic apparatus and degrading chlorophyll under desiccation. Together, our results highlight the complex regulatory and expression dynamics underlying desiccation tolerance in grasses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian St. Aubin
- Department of HorticultureMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMIUSA
- Plant Resilience InstituteMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMIUSA
| | - Ching Man Wai
- Department of HorticultureMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMIUSA
- Plant Resilience InstituteMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMIUSA
| | | | | | - Robert VanBuren
- Department of HorticultureMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMIUSA
- Plant Resilience InstituteMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMIUSA
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23
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Bublyk OM, Andreev IO, Kunakh VA. Comparative Analysis of Promoters of DREB2B Transcription Factor Genes in Deschampsia antarctica and Other Grasses. CYTOL GENET+ 2022. [DOI: 10.3103/s0095452722050048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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24
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Fenstemaker S, Cho J, McCoy JE, Mercer KL, Francis DM. Selection strategies to introgress water deficit tolerance derived from Solanum galapagense accession LA1141 into cultivated tomato. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:947538. [PMID: 35968091 PMCID: PMC9366722 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.947538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Crop wild relatives have been used as a source of genetic diversity for over one hundred years. The wild tomato relative Solanum galapagense accession LA1141 demonstrates the ability to tolerate deficit irrigation, making it a potential resource for crop improvement. Accessing traits from LA1141 through introgression may improve the response of cultivated tomatoes grown in water-limited environments. Canopy temperature is a proxy for physiological traits which are challenging to measure efficiently and may be related to water deficit tolerance. We optimized phenotypic evaluation based on variance partitioning and further show that objective phenotyping methods coupled with genomic prediction lead to gain under selection for water deficit tolerance. The objectives of this work were to improve phenotyping workflows for measuring canopy temperature, mapping quantitative trait loci (QTLs) from LA1141 that contribute to water deficit tolerance and comparing selection strategies. The phenotypic variance attributed to genetic causes for canopy temperature was higher when estimated from thermal images relative to estimates based on an infrared thermometer. Composite interval mapping using BC2S3 families, genotyped with single nucleotide polymorphisms, suggested that accession LA1141 contributed alleles that lower canopy temperature and increase plant turgor under water deficit. QTLs for lower canopy temperature were mapped to chromosomes 1 and 6 and explained between 6.6 and 9.5% of the total phenotypic variance. QTLs for higher leaf turgor were detected on chromosomes 5 and 7 and explained between 6.8 and 9.1% of the variance. We advanced tolerant BC2S3 families to the BC2S5 generation using selection indices based on phenotypic values and genomic estimated breeding values (GEBVs). Phenotypic, genomic, and combined selection strategies demonstrated gain under selection and improved performance compared to randomly advanced BC2S5 progenies. Leaf turgor, canopy temperature, stomatal conductance, and vapor pressure deficit (VPD) were evaluated and compared in BC2S5 progenies grown under deficit irrigation. Progenies co-selected for phenotypic values and GEBVs wilted less, had significantly lower canopy temperature, higher stomatal conductance, and lower VPD than randomly advanced lines. The fruit size of water deficit tolerant selections was small compared to the recurrent parent. However, lines with acceptable yield, canopy width, and quality parameters were recovered. These results suggest that we can create selection indices to improve water deficit tolerance in a recurrent parent background, and additional crossing and evaluation are warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean Fenstemaker
- Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, The Ohio State University, Wooster, OH, United States
| | - Jin Cho
- Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, The Ohio State University, Wooster, OH, United States
| | - Jack E. McCoy
- Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Kristin L. Mercer
- Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - David M. Francis
- Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, The Ohio State University, Wooster, OH, United States
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Yamamoto N, Tong W, Lv B, Peng Z, Yang Z. The Original Form of C 4-Photosynthetic Phospho enolpyruvate Carboxylase Is Retained in Pooids but Lost in Rice. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:905894. [PMID: 35958195 PMCID: PMC9358456 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.905894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Poaceae is the most prominent monocot family that contains the primary cereal crops wheat, rice, and maize. These cereal species exhibit physiological diversity, such as different photosynthetic systems and environmental stress tolerance. Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) in Poaceae is encoded by a small multigene family and plays a central role in C4-photosynthesis and dicarboxylic acid metabolism. Here, to better understand the molecular basis of the cereal species diversity, we analyzed the PEPC gene family in wheat together with other grass species. We could designate seven plant-type and one bacterial-type grass PEPC groups, ppc1a, ppc1b, ppc2a, ppc2b, ppc3, ppc4, ppcC4, and ppc-b, respectively, among which ppc1b is an uncharacterized type of PEPC. Evolutionary inference revealed that these PEPCs were derived from five types of ancient PEPCs (ppc1, ppc2, ppc3, ppc4, and ppc-b) in three chromosomal blocks of the ancestral Poaceae genome. C4-photosynthetic PEPC (ppcC4 ) had evolved from ppc1b, which seemed to be arisen by a chromosomal duplication event. We observed that ppc1b was lost in many Oryza species but preserved in Pooideae after natural selection. In silico analysis of cereal RNA-Seq data highlighted the preferential expression of ppc1b in upper ground organs, selective up-regulation of ppc1b under osmotic stress conditions, and nitrogen response of ppc1b. Characterization of wheat ppc1b showed high levels of gene expression in young leaves, transcriptional responses under nitrogen and abiotic stress, and the presence of a Dof1 binding site, similar to ppcC4 in maize. Our results indicate the evolving status of Poaceae PEPCs and suggest the functional association of ppc1-derivatives with adaptation to environmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoki Yamamoto
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), College of Life Science, China West Normal University, Nanchong, China
| | - Wurina Tong
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, China West Normal University, Nanchong, China
| | - Bingbing Lv
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), College of Life Science, China West Normal University, Nanchong, China
| | - Zhengsong Peng
- School of Agricultural Science, Xichang College, Xichang, China
| | - Zaijun Yang
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), College of Life Science, China West Normal University, Nanchong, China
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Wilson ML, VanBuren R. Leveraging millets for developing climate resilient agriculture. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2022; 75:102683. [DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2022.102683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Revised: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
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Kumar V, Babu CR. Phenotypic Responses of Some Functional Traits in Four Native Perennial Grass Species Grown on Fly Ash Dump and Native Soil. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:805568. [PMID: 35356107 PMCID: PMC8959834 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.805568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Functional response traits of four perennial grass species (Imperata cylindrica, Cenchrus ciliaris, Sporobolus diander, and Cynodon dactylon) growing on the fly ash dump and referral site having native soil were evaluated with the objective of selecting species suitable for rapid development of vegetation cover on the fly ash dumps. All the four species showed spectacular plastic responses in functional traits of plants grown on the fly ash dump and are induced by habitat and hence are adaptive. The traits associated with the root system such as root length, spread, the volume of the substratum occupied by the root system, and root biomass showed greater plasticity than the traits of the shoot system such as shoot biomass, the mean number of tillers per clump, and mean height of tillers. For instance, for all the grass species, the ratio of root/shoot biomass was higher for fly ash grown plants as compared to that of plants grown in native soil. The highest ratio was recorded for C. dactylon (5.61 ± 2.36) and I. cylindrica (5.37 ± 2.36) whereas the lowest ratio was recorded for C. ciliaris (1.87 ± 0.44). This suggests greater allocation of resources to root than to shoot by the species for space exploitative growth that enables them to acquire nutrients from nutritionally poor and unfavorable substratum like fly ash dump. Such a strategy enables species to establish and regenerate on barren areas that include fly ash dumps. The higher root length, spread, biomass, and root/shoot ratio in plants of all the species grown on fly ash as compared to plants grown on the native soil substantiate that plasticity in functional traits enabled the species to adapt to stressed habitats. The plastic responses observed are specific to the trait, specific to the species, and specific to the environment. This is evident by the quantitative differences in the responses between traits within a species, between species, and between habitats. The phenotypic plasticity induced by the fly ash altered the relationships between functional traits of the plants. This is evident by the marked differences in the r-values for different character associations between plants grown on fly ash dump and native soil. The results suggest that all the four grass species evaluated can be used for the rapid development of vegetation cover on the fly ash dumps to mitigate environmental contamination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vijay Kumar
- Centre for Environmental Management of Degraded Ecosystems, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India
- Department of Botany, Shivaji College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India
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Towards Sustainable Shifts to Healthy Diets and Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa with Climate-Resilient Crops in Bread-Type Products: A Food System Analysis. Foods 2022; 11:foods11020135. [PMID: 35053868 PMCID: PMC8774613 DOI: 10.3390/foods11020135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Revised: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Massive urbanization and increasing disposable incomes favor a rapid transition in diets and lifestyle in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). As a result, the SSA population is becoming increasingly vulnerable to the double burden of malnutrition and obesity. This, combined with the increasing pressure to produce sufficient food and provide employment for this growing population together with the threat of climate change-induced declining crop yields, requires urgent sustainable solutions. Can an increase in the cultivation of climate-resilient crops (CRCs) and their utilization to produce attractive, convenient and nutritious bread products contribute to climate change adaptation and healthy and sustainable diets? A food system analysis of the bread food value chain in SSA indicates that replacement of refined, mostly imported, wheat in attractive bread products could (1) improve food and nutrition security, (2) bring about a shift to more nutritionally balanced diets, (3) increase economic inclusiveness and equitable benefits, and (4) improve sustainability and resilience of the food system. The food system analysis also provided systematic insight into the challenges and hurdles that need to be overcome to increase the availability, affordability and uptake of CRCs. Proposed interventions include improving the agronomic yield of CRCs, food product technology, raising consumer awareness and directing policies. Overall, integrated programs involving all stakeholders in the food system are needed.
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