The impact of modifying photosystem antenna size on canopy photosynthetic efficiency-Development of a new canopy photosynthesis model scaling from metabolism to canopy level processes

Perspectives on improving photosynthesis to increase crop yield

Improving photosynthesis, the fundamental process by which plants convert light energy into chemical energy, is a key area of research with great potential for enhancing sustainable agricultural productivity and addressing global food security challenges. This perspective delves into the latest advancements and approaches aimed at optimizing photosynthetic efficiency. Our discussion encompasses the entire process, beginning with light harvesting and its regulation and progressing through the bottleneck of electron transfer. We then delve into the carbon reactions of photosynthesis, focusing on strategies targeting the enzymes of the Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle. Additionally, we explore methods to increase carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration near the Rubisco, the enzyme responsible for the first step of CBB cycle, drawing inspiration from various photosynthetic organisms, and conclude this section by examining ways to enhance CO2 delivery into leaves. Moving beyond individual processes, we discuss two approaches to identifying key targets for photosynthesis improvement: systems modeling and the study of natural variation. Finally, we revisit some of the strategies mentioned above to provide a holistic view of the improvements, analyzing their impact on nitrogen use efficiency and on canopy photosynthesis.

Vertical distribution and tissue selection of Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) adult oviposition and neonates on soybean with an indeterminate or determinate growth habit

Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) is a polyphagous pest that can cause serious damage to crops, including soybeans (Glycine max L.). In soybeans with both determinate and indeterminate growth habits, H. zea larvae are more commonly found on leaves compared to blooms, stems, and pods. Past research demonstrated that H. zea adults tend to oviposit near the upper part of the plant canopy in soybeans with a determinate growth habit. However, ovipositional selection on soybeans with an indeterminate growth habit is unknown. We hypothesized that H. zea would oviposit more uniformly throughout the canopy on indeterminate soybean growth habits due to more diffuse reproductive tissue. We planted field and greenhouse experiments with varieties sharing a similar relative maturity (2 maturity group [MG] 5.2 varieties and 2 MG 5.4/5.5 varieties) but with different growth habits. To test oviposition selection, adult H. zea females were allowed to oviposit under field and caged conditions. We counted the number of H. zea eggs and neonates on each plant tissue type from each of 3 equal parts in the plant canopy: upper, middle, and lower. In both experiments, eggs and neonates were most common on leaves at the top of the plant regardless of soybean growth habit. Consequently, ovipositional selection is likely independent of reproductive tissue availability, and patterns of oviposition through the canopy are similar in growth habits. An improved understanding of H. zea ecology in soybeans relative to indeterminate growth habits may improve recommendations for managing this significant pest of soybean.

From leaf to multiscale models of photosynthesis: applications and challenges for crop improvement

To keep up with the growth of human population and to circumvent deleterious effects of global climate change, it is essential to enhance crop yield to achieve higher production. Here we review mathematical models of oxygenic photosynthesis that are extensively used, and discuss in depth a subset that accounts for diverse approaches providing solutions to our objective. These include models (1) to study different ways to enhance photosynthesis, such as fine-tuning antenna size, photoprotection and electron transport; (2) to bioengineer carbon metabolism; and (3) to evaluate the interactions between the process of photosynthesis and the seasonal crop dynamics, or those that have included statistical whole-genome prediction methods to quantify the impact of photosynthesis traits on the improvement of crop yield. We conclude by emphasizing that the results obtained in these studies clearly demonstrate that mathematical modelling is a key tool to examine different approaches to improve photosynthesis for better productivity, while effective multiscale crop models, especially those that also include remote sensing data, are indispensable to verify different strategies to obtain maximized crop yields.

Hormetic Response of Photosystem II Function Induced by Nontoxic Calcium Hydroxide Nanoparticles

In recent years, inorganic nanoparticles, including calcium hydroxide nanoparticles [Ca Ca(OH)2 NPs], have attracted significant interest for their ability to impact plant photosynthesis and boost agricultural productivity. In this study, the effects of 15 and 30 mg L-1 oleylamine-coated calcium hydroxide nanoparticles [Ca(OH)2@OAm NPs] on photosystem II (PSII) photochemistry were investigated on tomato plants at their growth irradiance (GI) (580 μmol photons m-2 s-1) and at high irradiance (HI) (1000 μmol photons m-2 s-1). Ca(OH)2@OAm NPs synthesized via a microwave-assisted method revealed a crystallite size of 25 nm with 34% w/w of oleylamine coater, a hydrodynamic size of 145 nm, and a ζ-potential of 4 mV. Compared with the control plants (sprayed with distilled water), PSII efficiency in tomato plants sprayed with Ca(OH)2@OAm NPs declined as soon as 90 min after the spray, accompanied by a higher excess excitation energy at PSII. Nevertheless, after 72 h, the effective quantum yield of PSII electron transport (ΦPSII) in tomato plants sprayed with Ca(OH)2@OAm NPs enhanced due to both an increase in the fraction of open PSII reaction centers (qp) and to the enhancement in the excitation capture efficiency (Fv'/Fm') of these centers. However, the decrease at the same time in non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) resulted in an increased generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). It can be concluded that Ca(OH)2@OAm NPs, by effectively regulating the non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) mechanism, enhanced the electron transport rate (ETR) and decreased the excess excitation energy in tomato leaves. The delay in the enhancement of PSII photochemistry by the calcium hydroxide NPs was less at the GI than at the HI. The enhancement of PSII function by calcium hydroxide NPs is suggested to be triggered by the NPQ mechanism that intensifies ROS generation, which is considered to be beneficial. Calcium hydroxide nanoparticles, in less than 72 h, activated a ROS regulatory network of light energy partitioning signaling that enhanced PSII function. Therefore, synthesized Ca(OH)2@OAm NPs could potentially be used as photosynthetic biostimulants to enhance crop yields, pending further testing on other plant species.

Sub-okra leaf shape conferred via chromosomal introgression from Gossypium barbadense L. improves photosynthetic productivity in short-season cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

Leaf shape is a vital agronomic trait that affects plant and canopy architecture, yield, and other production attributes of upland cotton. Compared with normal leaves, lobed leaves have potential advantages in improving canopy structure and increasing cotton yield. A chromosomal introgression segment from Gossypium barbadense L. conferring sub-okra leaf shape to Gossypium hirsutum L. was identified on chromosome D01. To determine the effects of this transferred sub-okra leaf shape on the leaf anatomical characteristics, photosynthesis-related traits, and yield of short-season cotton, we performed a field experiment with three sets of near-isogenic lines carrying okra, sub-okra, and normal leaf shape in Lu54 (L54) and Shizao 2 (SZ2) backgrounds. Compared with normal leaves, sub-okra leaves exhibited reduced leaf thickness and smaller leaf mass per area; moreover, the deeper lobes of sub-okra leaves improved the plant canopy structure by decreasing leaf area index by 11.24%-22.84%. Similarly, the intercepted PAR rate of lines with sub-okra leaf shape was also reduced. The chlorophyll content of sub-okra leaves was lower than that of okra and normal leaf shapes; however, the net photosynthetic rate of sub-okra leaves was 8.17%-29.81% higher than that of other leaf shapes at most growth stages. Although the biomass of lines with sub-okra leaf shape was less than that of lines with normal leaves, the average first harvest yield and total yield of lines with the sub-okra leaf shape increased by 6.36% and 5.72%, respectively, compared with those with normal leaves. Thus, improvements in the canopy structure and photosynthetic and physiological characteristics contributed to optimizing the light environment, thereby increasing the yield of lines with sub-okra leaf shape. Our results suggest that the sub-okra leaf trait from G. barbadense L. may have practical applications for cultivating short-season varieties with high photosynthetic efficiency, and improving yield, which will be advantageous for short-season varieties.

Mechanistic Insights on Salicylic Acid-Induced Enhancement of Photosystem II Function in Basil Plants under Non-Stress or Mild Drought Stress

Photosystem II (PSII) functions were investigated in basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) plants sprayed with 1 mM salicylic acid (SA) under non-stress (NS) or mild drought-stress (MiDS) conditions. Under MiDS, SA-sprayed leaves retained significantly higher (+36%) chlorophyll content compared to NS, SA-sprayed leaves. PSII efficiency in SA-sprayed leaves under NS conditions, evaluated at both low light (LL, 200 μmol photons m-2 s-1) and high light (HL, 900 μmol photons m-2 s-1), increased significantly with a parallel significant decrease in the excitation pressure at PSII (1-qL) and the excess excitation energy (EXC). This enhancement of PSII efficiency under NS conditions was induced by the mechanism of non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) that reduced singlet oxygen (1O2) production, as indicated by the reduced quantum yield of non-regulated energy loss in PSII (ΦNO). Under MiDS, the thylakoid structure of water-sprayed leaves appeared slightly dilated, and the efficiency of PSII declined, compared to NS conditions. In contrast, the thylakoid structure of SA-sprayed leaves did not change under MiDS, while PSII functionality was retained, similar to NS plants at HL. This was due to the photoprotective heat dissipation by NPQ, which was sufficient to retain the same percentage of open PSII reaction centers (qp), as in NS conditions and HL. We suggest that the redox status of the plastoquinone pool (qp) under MiDS and HL initiated the acclimation response to MiDS in SA-sprayed leaves, which retained the same electron transport rate (ETR) with control plants. Foliar spray of SA could be considered as a method to improve PSII efficiency in basil plants under NS conditions, at both LL and HL, while under MiDS and HL conditions, basil plants could retain PSII efficiency similar to control plants.

Reducing chlorophyll levels in seed-filling stages results in higher seed nitrogen without impacting canopy carbon assimilation

Chlorophyll is the major light-absorbing pigment for plant photosynthesis. While evolution has been selected for high chlorophyll content in leaves, previous work suggests that domesticated crops grown in modern high-density agricultural environments overinvest in chlorophyll production, thereby lowering light use and nitrogen use efficiency. To investigate the potential benefits of reducing chlorophyll levels, we created ethanol-inducible RNAi tobacco mutants that suppress Mg-chelatase subunit I (CHLI) with small RNA within 3 h of induction and reduce chlorophyll within 5 days in field conditions. We initiated chlorophyll reduction later in plant development to avoid the highly sensitive seedling stage and to allow young plants to have full green leaves to maximise light interception before canopy formation. This study demonstrated that leaf chlorophyll reduction >60% during seed-filling stages increased tobacco seed nitrogen concentration by as much as 17% while canopy photosynthesis, biomass and seed yields were maintained. These results indicate that time-specific reduction of chlorophyll could be a novel strategy that decouples the inverse relationship between yield and seed nitrogen by utilising saved nitrogen from the reduction of chlorophyll while maintaining full carbon assimilation capacity.

Crop/Plant Modeling Supports Plant Breeding: II. Guidance of Functional Plant Phenotyping for Trait Discovery

Observable morphological traits are widely employed in plant phenotyping for breeding use, which are often the external phenotypes driven by a chain of functional actions in plants. Identifying and phenotyping inherently functional traits for crop improvement toward high yields or adaptation to harsh environments remains a major challenge. Prediction of whole-plant performance in functional-structural plant models (FSPMs) is driven by plant growth algorithms based on organ scale wrapped up with micro-environments. In particular, the models are flexible for scaling down or up through specific functions at the organ nexus, allowing the prediction of crop system behaviors from the genome to the field. As such, by virtue of FSPMs, model parameters that determine organogenesis, development, biomass production, allocation, and morphogenesis from a molecular to the whole plant level can be profiled systematically and made readily available for phenotyping. FSPMs can provide rich functional traits representing biological regulatory mechanisms at various scales in a dynamic system, e.g., Rubisco carboxylation rate, mesophyll conductance, specific leaf nitrogen, radiation use efficiency, and source-sink ratio apart from morphological traits. High-throughput phenotyping such traits is also discussed, which provides an unprecedented opportunity to evolve FSPMs. This will accelerate the co-evolution of FSPMs and plant phenomics, and thus improving breeding efficiency. To expand the great promise of FSPMs in crop science, FSPMs still need more effort in multiscale, mechanistic, reproductive organ, and root system modeling. In summary, this study demonstrates that FSPMs are invaluable tools in guiding functional trait phenotyping at various scales and can thus provide abundant functional targets for phenotyping toward crop improvement.

Development of Modified Farquhar-von Caemmerer-Berry Model Describing Photodamage of Photosynthetic Electron Transport in C3 Plants under Different Temperatures

Photodamage of photosynthetic electron transport is a key mechanism of disruption of photosynthesis in plants under action of stressors. This means that investigation of photodamage is an important task for basic and applied investigations. However, its complex mechanisms restrict using experimental methods of investigation for this process; the development of mathematical models of photodamage and model-based analysis can be used for overcoming these restrictions. In the current work, we developed the modified Farquhar-von Caemmerer-Berry model which describes photodamage of photosynthetic electron transport in C3 plants. This model was parameterized on the basis of experimental results (using an example of pea plants). Analysis of the model showed that combined inactivation of linear electron flow and Rubisco could induce both increasing and decreasing photodamage at different magnitudes of inactivation of these processes. Simulation of photodamage under different temperatures and light intensities showed that simulated temperature dependences could be multi-phase; particularly, paradoxical increases in the thermal tolerance of photosynthetic electron transport could be observed under high temperatures (37-42 °C). Finally, it was shown that changes in temperature optimums of linear electron flow and Rubisco could modify temperature dependences of the final activity of photosynthetic electron transport under photodamage induction; however, these changes mainly stimulated its photodamage. Thus, our work provides a new theoretical tool for investigation of photodamage of photosynthetic processes in C3 plants and shows that this photodamage can be intricately dependent on parameters of changes in activities of linear electron flow and Rubisco including changes induced by temperature.

Quantifying Contributions of Different Factors to Canopy Photosynthesis in 2 Maize Varieties: Development of a Novel 3D Canopy Modeling Pipeline

Crop yield potential is intrinsically related to canopy photosynthesis; therefore, improving canopy photosynthetic efficiency is a major focus of current efforts to enhance crop yield. Canopy photosynthesis rate (Ac) is influenced by several factors, including plant architecture, leaf chlorophyll content, and leaf photosynthetic properties, which interact with each other. Identifying factors that restrict canopy photosynthesis and target adjustments to improve canopy photosynthesis in a specific crop cultivar pose an important challenge for the breeding community. To address this challenge, we developed a novel pipeline that utilizes factorial analysis, canopy photosynthesis modeling, and phenomics data collected using a 64-camera multi-view stereo system, enabling the dissection of the contributions of different factors to differences in canopy photosynthesis between maize cultivars. We applied this method to 2 maize varieties, W64A and A619, and found that leaf photosynthetic efficiency is the primary determinant (17.5% to 29.2%) of the difference in Ac between 2 maize varieties at all stages, and plant architecture at early stages also contribute to the difference in Ac (5.3% to 6.7%). Additionally, the contributions of each leaf photosynthetic parameter and plant architectural trait were dissected. We also found that the leaf photosynthetic parameters were linearly correlated with Ac and plant architecture traits were non-linearly related to Ac. This study developed a novel pipeline that provides a method for dissecting the relationship among individual phenotypes controlling the complex trait of canopy photosynthesis.

Anatomical determinants of gas exchange and hydraulics vary with leaf shape in soybean

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Leaf shape in crops can impact light distribution and carbon capture at the whole plant and canopy level. Given similar leaf inclination, narrow leaves can allow a greater fraction of incident light to pass through to lower canopy leaves by reducing leaf area index, which can potentially increase canopy-scale photosynthesis. Soybean has natural variation in leaf shape which can be utilized to optimize canopy architecture. However, the anatomical and physiological differences underlying variation in leaf shape remain largely unexplored.

METHODS

In this study, we selected 28 diverse soybean lines with leaf length to width ratios (leaf ratio) ranging between 1.1 and 3.2. We made leaf cross-sectional, gas exchange, vein density and hydraulic measurements and studied their interrelationships among these lines.

KEY RESULTS

Our study shows that narrow leaves tend to be thicker, with an ~30 µm increase in leaf thickness for every unit increase in leaf ratio. Interestingly, thicker leaves had a greater proportion of spongy mesophyll while the proportions of palisade and paraveinal mesophyll decreased. In addition, narrow and thicker leaves had greater photosynthesis and stomatal conductance per unit area along with greater leaf hydraulic conductance.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that selecting for narrow leaves can improve photosynthetic performance and potentially provide a yield advantage in soybean.

Modelling plants across scales of biological organisation for guiding crop improvement

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.

Mechanistic Insights on Salicylic Acid Mediated Enhancement of Photosystem II Function in Oregano Seedlings Subjected to Moderate Drought Stress

Dramatic climate change has led to an increase in the intensity and frequency of drought episodes and, together with the high light conditions of the Mediterranean area, detrimentally influences crop production. Salicylic acid (SA) has been shown to supress phototoxicity, offering photosystem II (PSII) photoprotection. In the current study, we attempted to reveal the mechanism by which SA is improving PSII efficiency in oregano seedlings under moderate drought stress (MoDS). Foliar application of SA decreased chlorophyll content under normal growth conditions, but under MoDS increased chlorophyll content, compared to H₂O-sprayed oregano seedlings. SA improved the PSII efficiency of oregano seedlings under normal growth conditions at high light (HL), and under MoDS, at both low light (LL) and HL. The mechanism by which, under normal growth conditions and HL, SA sprayed oregano seedlings compared to H₂O-sprayed exhibited a more efficient PSII photochemistry, was the increased (17%) fraction of open PSII reaction centers (qp), and the increased (7%) efficiency of these open reaction centers (Fv'/Fm'), which resulted in an enhanced (24%) electron transport rate (ETR). SA application under MoDS, by modulating chlorophyll content, resulted in optimized antenna size and enhanced effective quantum yield of PSII photochemistry (Φ_PSII) under both LL (7%) and HL (25%), compared to non-SA-sprayed oregano seedlings. This increased effective quantum yield of PSII photochemistry (Φ_PSII) was due to the enhanced efficiency of the oxygen evolving complex (OEC), and the increased fraction of open PSII reaction centers (qp), which resulted in an increased electron transport rate (ETR) and a lower amount of singlet oxygen (¹O₂) production with less excess excitation energy (EXC).

Enhancing the light reactions of photosynthesis: Strategies, controversies, and perspectives

Photosynthesis is central to life on Earth, employing sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to produce chemical energy and oxygen. It is generally accepted that boosting its efficiency offers one promising way to increase crop yields under agronomically realistic conditions. Since the components, structure, and regulatory mechanisms of the light reactions of photosynthesis are well understood, concepts for enhancing the process have been suggested and partially tested. These approaches vary in complexity, from targeting single components to comprehensive redesign of the whole process on the scales from single cells or tissues to whole canopies. Attempts to enhance light utilization per leaf, by decreasing pigmentation, increasing levels of photosynthetic proteins, prolonging the lifespan of the photosynthetic machinery, or massive reconfiguration of the photosynthetic machinery and the incorporation of nanomaterials, are discussed in this review first. Secondly, strategies intended to optimize the acclimation of photosynthesis to changes in the environment are presented, including redesigning mechanisms to dissipate excess excitation energy (e.g., non-photochemical quenching) or reduction power (e.g., flavodiiron proteins). Moreover, schemes for improving acclimation, inspired by natural or laboratory-induced adaptation, are introduced. However, all these endeavors are still in an early exploratory phase and/or have not resulted in the desired outcome, largely because photosynthesis is embedded within large networks of closely interacting cellular and metabolic processes, which can vary among species and even cultivars. This explains why integrated, systems-wide approaches are required to achieve the breakthroughs required for effectively increasing crop yields.

The era of cultivating smart rice with high light efficiency and heat tolerance has come of age

How to improve the yield of crops has always been the focus of breeding research. Due to the population growth and global climate change, the demand for food has increased sharply, which has brought great challenges to agricultural production. In order to make up for the limitation of global cultivated land area, it is necessary to further improve the output of crops. Photosynthesis is the main source of plant assimilate accumulation, which has a profound impact on the formation of its yield. This review focuses on the cultivation of high light efficiency plants, introduces the main technical means and research progress in improving the photosynthetic efficiency of plants, and discusses the main problems and difficulties faced by the cultivation of high light efficiency plants. At the same time, in view of the frequent occurrence of high-temperature disasters caused by global warming, which seriously threatened plant normal production, we reviewed the response mechanism of plants to heat stress, introduced the methods and strategies of how to cultivate heat tolerant crops, especially rice, and briefly reviewed the progress of heat tolerant research at present. Given big progress in these area, the era of cultivating smart rice with high light efficiency and heat tolerance has come of age.

Using synthetic biology to improve photosynthesis for sustainable food production

Photosynthesis is responsible for the primary productivity and maintenance of life on Earth, boosting biological activity and contributing to the maintenance of the environment. In the past, traditional crop improvement was considered sufficient to meet food demands, but the growing demand for food coupled with climate change has modified this scenario over the past decades. However, advances in this area have not focused on photosynthesis per se but rather on fixed carbon partitioning. In short, other approaches must be used to meet an increasing agricultural demand. Thus, several paths may be followed, from modifications in leaf shape and canopy architecture, improving metabolic pathways related to CO₂ fixation, the inclusion of metabolic mechanisms from other species, and improvements in energy uptake by plants. Given the recognized importance of photosynthesis, as the basis of the primary productivity on Earth, we here present an overview of the latest advances in attempts to improve plant photosynthetic performance. We focused on points considered key to the enhancement of photosynthesis, including leaf shape development, RuBisCO reengineering, Calvin-Benson cycle optimization, light use efficiency, the introduction of the C₄ cycle in C₃ plants and the inclusion of other CO₂ concentrating mechanisms (CCMs). We further provide compelling evidence that there is still room for further improvements. Finally, we conclude this review by presenting future perspectives and possible new directions on this subject.

Harnessing the Role of Foliar Applied Salicylic Acid in Decreasing Chlorophyll Content to Reassess Photosystem II Photoprotection in Crop Plants

Salicylic acid (SA), an essential plant hormone, has received much attention due to its role in modulating the adverse effects of biotic and abiotic stresses, acting as an antioxidant and plant growth regulator. However, its role in photosynthesis under non stress conditions is controversial. By chlorophyll fluorescence imaging analysis, we evaluated the consequences of foliar applied 1 mM SA on photosystem II (PSII) efficiency of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) plants and estimated the reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Tomato leaves sprayed with 1 mM SA displayed lower chlorophyll content, but the absorbed light energy was preferentially converted into photochemical energy rather than dissipated as thermal energy by non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), indicating photoprotective effects provided by the foliar applied SA. This decreased NPQ, after 72 h treatment by 1 mM SA, resulted in an increased electron transport rate (ETR). The molecular mechanism by which the absorbed light energy was more efficiently directed to photochemistry in the SA treated leaves was the increased fraction of the open PSII reaction centers (qp), and the increased efficiency of open reaction centers (Fv’/Fm’). SA induced a decrease in chlorophyll content, resulting in a decrease in non-regulated energy dissipated in PSII (Φ_NO) under high light (HL) treatment, suggesting a lower amount of triplet excited state chlorophyll (³Chl*) molecules available to produce singlet oxygen (¹O₂). Yet, the increased efficiency, compared to the control, of the oxygen evolving complex (OEC) on the donor side of PSII, associated with lower formation of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), also contributed to less creation of ROS. We conclude that under non stress conditions, foliar applied SA decreased chlorophyll content and suppressed phototoxicity, offering PSII photoprotection; thus, it can be regarded as a mechanism that reduces photoinhibition and photodamage, improving PSII efficiency in crop plants.

Partially functional NARROW LEAF1 balances leaf photosynthesis and plant architecture for greater rice yield

NARROW LEAF1 (NAL1) is an elite gene in rice (Oryza sativa), given its close connection to leaf photosynthesis, hybrid vigor, and yield-related agronomic traits; however, the underlying mechanism by which this gene affects these traits remains elusive. In this study, we systematically measured leaf photosynthetic parameters, leaf anatomical parameters, architectural parameters, and agronomic traits in indica cultivar 9311, in 9311 with the native NAL1 replaced by the Nipponbare NAL1 (9311-NIL), and in 9311 with the NAL1 fully mutated (9311-nal1). Leaf length, width, and spikelet number gradually increased from lowest to highest in 9311-nal1, 9311, and 9311-NIL. In contrast, the leaf photosynthetic rate on a leaf area basis, leaf thickness, and panicle number gradually decreased from highest to lowest in 9311-nal1, 9311, and 9311-NIL. RNA-seq analysis showed that NAL1 negatively regulates the expression of photosynthesis-related genes; NAL1 also influenced expression of many genes related to phytohormone signaling, as also shown by different leaf contents of 3-Indoleacetic acid, jasmonic acid, Gibberellin A3, and isopentenyladenine among these genotypes. Furthermore, field experiments with different planting densities showed that 9311 had a larger biomass and yield advantage under low planting density compared to either 9311-NIL or 9311-nall. This study shows both direct and indirect effects of NAL1 on leaf photosynthesis; furthermore, we show that a partially functional NAL1 allele helps maintain a balanced leaf photosynthesis and plant architecture for increased biomass and grain yield in the field.

Has breeding altered the light environment, photosynthetic apparatus, and photosynthetic capacity of wheat leaves?

Whether photosynthesis has improved with increasing yield in major crops remains controversial. Research in this area has often neglected to account for differences in light intensity experienced by cultivars released in different years. Light intensity is expected to be positively associated with photosynthetic capacity and the resistance of the photosynthetic apparatus to high light but negatively associated with light-utilization efficiency under low light. Here, we analyzed the light environment, photosynthetic activity, and protein components of leaves of 26 winter wheat cultivars released during the past 60 years in China. Over time, light levels on flag leaves significantly decreased due to architectural changes, but photosynthetic rates under high or low light and the resistance of the photosynthetic apparatus to high light remained steady, contrary to expectations. We propose that the difference between the actual and expected trends is due to breeding. Specifically, breeding has optimized photosynthetic performance under high light rather than low light. Moreover, breeding selectivity altered the stoichiometry of several proteins related to dynamic photosynthesis, canopy light distribution, and photoprotection. These results indicate that breeding has significantly altered the photosynthetic mechanism in wheat and its response to the light environment. These changes likely have helped increase wheat yields.

Physiological breeding for yield improvement in soybean: solar radiation interception-conversion, and harvest index

KEY MESSAGE

Efficiency of light interception, Radiation use efficiency and harvest index can be used as targets to improve grain yield potential in soybean. Grain yield (GY) production can be expressed as the result of three main efficiencies: light interception (Ei), radiation use (RUE), and harvest index (HI). Although dissecting GY through these three efficiencies is not entirely new, there is a lack of knowledge about the phenotypic variation, the genetic architecture, and the relative contribution of these three efficiencies on GY in soybean. This knowledge gap coupled with laborious phenotyping prevents the active consideration of these efficiencies into breeding programs. This study aims to reveal the phenotypic variation, heritability, genetic relationships, genetic architecture, and genomic prediction for Ei, RUE, and HI in soybean. We evaluated a maturity control panel of 383 Recombinant Inbred Lines (RILs) selected from the soybean nested association mapping (SoyNAM) population. Dry matter ground measured along with canopy coverage (CC) from UAS imagery were collected in three environments. Light interception was modeled through a logistic curve using CC as a proxy. The total above-ground biomass collected during the growing season and its respective cumulative light intercepted were used to derive RUE through linear models fitting. Additive-genetic correlations, genome-wide association (GWA) and whole-genome regressions (WGR) were performed to evaluate the relationship between traits, their association with genomic regions, and the feasibility of predicting these efficiencies with genomic information. Correlation analyses considered three groups: the entire data set, and the high- and low-yielding RILs to determine association as a function of the GY. Our results revealed moderate to high phenotypic variation for Ei, RUE, and HI with ranges of 8.5%, 1.1 g MJ-1, and 0.2, respectively. Additive-genetic correlation revealed a strong relationship of GY with HI and moderate with RUE and Ei when whole data set was considered, but negligible contribution of HI on GY when just the top 100 was analyzed. The GWA analyses showed that Ei is associated with three SNPs; two of them located on chromosome 7 and one on chromosome 11 with no previous quantitative trait loci (QTLs) reported for these regions. RUE is associated with four SNPs on chromosomes 1, 7, 11, and 18. Some of these QTLs are novel, while others are previously documented for plant architecture and chlorophyll content. Two SNPs positioned on chromosome 13 and 15 with previous QTLs reported for plant height and seed set, weight and abortion were associated with HI. WGR showed high predictive ability for Ei, RUE, and HI with maximum correlation ranging between 0.75 and 0.80. Future improvements in GY can be expected through strategies prioritizing Ei for short-term results when using high yielding germplasm and RUE for medium- and long-term outcomes. This work is a pioneer attempt to integrate traditional physiological traits into the breeding process in the context of physiological breeding.

Effects of reduced chlorophyll content on photosystem functions and photosynthetic electron transport rate in rice leaves

To elucidate the photosynthetic performance of rice mutant with low chlorophyll content, we assessed light energy conversion and photosynthetic electron transport at the flowering stage in rice of yellow-green leaf mutant (ygl) and a control with normal pigment content (IR36) under field conditions. The results showed that the reduced chlorophyll content and high expression levels of chlorophyll-binding protein genes suggested that ygl has smaller light-harvesting chlorophyll antennae. The small chlorophyll antenna size reduced non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and increased PSII efficiency in ygl. Analysis of the chlorophyll a fluorescence transient showed that the higher ratio of reaction-center chlorophylls and the total chlorophyll of PSII (γ_RC) improved excitation energy capture and electron transport efficiency of PSII in ygl. The IP amplitude (ΔV_IP) and the reduction rates of the pool of end electron acceptors in ygl increased, compared with IR36. These results suggest that the light absorbed by the mutant with reduced chlorophyll content was more efficiently partitioned to photosynthesis and could be used to improve photosynthetic efficiency.

Identifying variation for N-use efficiency and associated traits in amphidiploids derived from hybrids of bread wheat and the genera Aegilops, Secale, Thinopyrum and Triticum

Future genetic progress in wheat grain yield will depend on increasing biomass and this must be achieved without commensurate increases in nitrogen (N) fertilizer inputs to minimize environmental impacts. In recent decades there has been a loss of genetic diversity in wheat through plant breeding. However, new genetic diversity can be created by incorporating genes into bread wheat from wild wheat relatives. Our objectives were to investigate amphidiploids derived from hybrids of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and related species from the genera Aegilops, Secale, Thinopyrum and Triticum for expression of higher biomass, N-use efficiency (NUE) and leaf photosynthesis rate compared to their bread wheat parents under high and low N conditions. Eighteen amphidiploid lines and their bread wheat parents were examined in high N (HN) and low N (LN) treatments under glasshouse conditions in two years. Averaged across years, grain yield reduced by 38% under LN compared to HN conditions (P = 0.004). Three amphidiploid lines showed positive transgressive segregation compared to their bread wheat parent for biomass per plant under HN conditions. Positive transgressive segregation was also identified for flag-leaf photosynthesis both pre-anthesis and post-anthesis under HN and LN conditions. For N uptake per plant at maturity positive transgressive segregation was identified for one amphidiploid line under LN conditions. Our results indicated that introgressing traits from wild relatives into modern bread wheat germplasm offers scope to raise biomass and N-use effciency in both optimal and low N availability environments.

Here comes the sun: How optimization of photosynthetic light reactions can boost crop yields

Photosynthesis started to evolve some 3.5 billion years ago CO₂ is the substrate for photosynthesis and in the past 200-250 years, atmospheric levels have approximately doubled due to human industrial activities. However, this time span is not sufficient for adaptation mechanisms of photosynthesis to be evolutionarily manifested. Steep increases in human population, shortage of arable land and food, and climate change call for actions, now. Thanks to substantial research efforts and advances in the last century, basic knowledge of photosynthetic and primary metabolic processes can now be translated into strategies to optimize photosynthesis to its full potential in order to improve crop yields and food supply for the future. Many different approaches have been proposed in recent years, some of which have already proven successful in different crop species. Here, we summarize recent advances on modifications of the complex network of photosynthetic light reactions. These are the starting point of all biomass production and supply the energy equivalents necessary for downstream processes as well as the oxygen we breathe.

Leaf photosynthetic plasticity does not predict biomass responses to growth irradiance in rice

Phenotypic plasticity, the capacity of an organism to generate alternative phenotypes in response to different environments, is a particularly important characteristic to enable sessile plants to adapt to rapid changes in their surroundings. Leaf anatomical and physiological traits exhibit plasticity in response to growth irradiances, but it is relatively unclear if the plasticity varies among genotypes for a species. Equally importantly, empirical results on how leaf-level plasticity influences whole-plant growth are largely absent. We conducted an integrated investigation into the light-introduced plasticity by measuring 48 traits involving plant growth, leaf anatomy, leaf biochemistry, and leaf physiology of five rice genotypes grown under two irradiances. More than half of the estimated traits were significantly affected by growth light intensities, and the sizes of the cumulative effect of growth light ranged from -25.04% (stomatal conductance at high measurement light) to 135.2% (tiller number). Growth irradiance levels dramatically shifted the relationship between photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance. However, the relationship between photosynthetic rate and mesophyll conductance was rarely influenced by growth light levels. Importantly, the present study highlights the significant variation in trait plasticity across rice genotypes and that the light-introduced biomass changes were rarely predicted by leaf photosynthetic plasticity. Our findings imply that the genotypes with high productivity at the low growth light conditions do not necessarily have high productivity under high light conditions.

Boll-leaf system gas exchange and its application in the analysis of cotton photosynthetic function

Estimating the boll development and boll yield from single-leaf photosynthesis is difficult as the source-sink relationship of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is complicated. As the boll-leaf system (BLS), which includes the main-stem leaf, sympodial leaf, and non-leaf organs, is the basic unit of the cotton source-sink relationship and yield formation, the concept of "BLS photosynthesis" is introduced in this study. We speculate that the characteristics of BLS gas exchange can more accurately reflect the photosynthetic function of the system, thus revealing the law of photosynthesis in the process of boll development. The results showed that the photosynthetic rate of single leaves measured by a BLS chamber was consistent with that measured by a standard single-leaf chamber. BLSs exhibited typical light response curves, and the shape of the curves was similar to those of single leaves. The light compensation point and respiration rate of BLSs were higher than those of single leaves, while the apparent quantum efficiency of BLSs was lower. Compared with single leaves, the duration of the photosynthetic function of BLSs was longer. Increasing plant density decreased the gas exchange rate per unit BLS more significantly under field conditions. There was a better linear correlation between the net CO₂ assimilation rate, respiration rate of BLSs and boll biomass. Therefore, we think that the gas exchange of BLSs can better reveal the changes in photosynthetic function of BLSs and boll development. This provides a new basis for analyzing the mechanism and regulation of cotton yield formation.

Enhanced photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency and increased nitrogen allocation to photosynthetic machinery under cotton domestication

Domestication involves dramatic phenotypic and physiological diversifications due to successive selection by breeders toward high yield and quality. Although photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency (PNUE) is a major trait for understanding leaf nitrogen economy, it is unclear whether PNUE of cotton has been improved under domestication. Here, we investigated the effect of domestication on nitrogen allocation to photosynthetic machinery and PNUE in 25 wild and 37 domesticated cotton genotypes. The results showed that domesticated genotypes had higher nitrogen content per mass (N_m), net photosynthesis under saturated light (A_sat), and PNUE but similar nitrogen content per area (N_a) compared with wild genotypes. As expected, in both genotypes, PNUE was positively related to A_sat but negatively correlated with N_a. However, the relative contribution of A_sat to PNUE was greater than the contribution from N_a. Domesticated genotypes had higher nitrogen allocation to light-harvesting (N_L, nitrogen in light-harvesting chlorophyll-protein complex), to bioenergetics (N_b, total nitrogen of cytochrome f, ferredoxin NADP reductase, and the coupling factor), and to Rubisco (N_r) than wild genotypes; however, the two genotype groups did not differ in PNUE_p, the ratio of A_sat to N_p (itself the sum of N_L, N_b, and N_r). Our results suggest that more nitrogen allocation to photosynthetic machinery has boosted A_sat under cotton domestication. Improving the efficiency of nitrogen use in photosynthetic machinery might be future aim to enhance A_sat of cotton.

Photosynthesis research under climate change

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.

Canopy occupation volume as an indicator of canopy photosynthetic capacity

Leaf angle and leaf area index together influence canopy light interception and canopy photosynthesis. However, so far, there is no effective method to identify the optimal combination of these two parameters for canopy photosynthesis. In this study, first a robust high-throughput method for accurate segmentation of maize organs based on 3D point clouds data was developed, then the segmented plant organs were used to generate new 3D point clouds for the canopy of altered architectures. With this, we simulated the synergistic effect of leaf area and leaf angle on canopy photosynthesis. The results show that, compared to the traditional parameters describing the canopy photosynthesis including leaf area index, facet angle and canopy coverage, a new parameter - the canopy occupation volume (COV) - can better explain the variations of canopy photosynthetic capacity. Specifically, COV can explain > 79% variations of canopy photosynthesis generated by changing leaf angle and > 84% variations of canopy photosynthesis generated by changing leaf area. As COV can be calculated in a high-throughput manner based on the canopy point clouds, it can be used to evaluate canopy architecture in breeding and agronomic research.

Transcriptome analysis reveals the molecular mechanism of yield increases in maize under stable soil water supply

This study explored the physiological and molecular mechanisms of yield increase in maize under stable soil water content (SW) conditions. Results of the study showed that under SW conditions, corn yield increased by 38.72 and 44.09% in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Further, it was found that dry matter accumulation, economic coefficient and photosynthetic rate also increased by 31.24 and 25.67%, 5.45 and 15.38% as well as 29.60 and 31.83% in 2019 and 2020 respectively. However, the results showed that both the activity of antioxidant enzymes and content of osmotic adjustment substances decreased in maize under SW conditions. When compared with soil moisture content of dry and wet alternation (DW) conditions, SW could not only significantly promote growth and yield of maize but also increase the economic coefficient. Transcriptome profiles of maize leaves under the two conditions (SW and DW) were also analyzed and compared. It was found that 11 genes were highly up-regulated in the photosynthesis pathway. These genes included photosystem II protein V (PsbE), photosystem II protein VI (PsbF), photosystem II protein D1 (PsbA), photosystem II protein D2 (PsbD) and ATP synthase CF1 beta subunit (atpB). Further, it was found that four genes were up-regulated in the oxidative phosphorylation pathway., These were ATP synthase CF1 epsilon subunit (atpE), ATP synthase CF1 beta subunit (atpB), NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4L (ndhE) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 6 (ndhG). In conclusion, the physiological mechanism of stable soil water content (SW) to increase corn yield may be the enhancement of photosynthetic capacity and energy metabolism.

Mesophyll conductance, photoprotective process and optimal N partitioning are essential to the maintenance of photosynthesis at N deficient condition in a wheat yellow-green mutant (Triticum aestivum L.)

The major effect of nitrogen (N) deficiency is the inhibition on CO₂ assimilation regulated by light energy absorption, transport and conversion, as well as N allocation. In this study, a yellow-green wheat mutant (Jimai5265yg) and its wild type (Jimai5265, WT) were compared between 0 mM N (N₀) and 14 mM N (N₁₄) treatments using hydroponic experiments. The mutant exhibited higher photosynthetic efficiency (A_n) than WT despite low chlorophyll (Chl) content in non-stressed conditions. The photosynthetic advantages of the mutant were maintained under N deficient condition. The quantitative analysis of limitations to photosynthesis revealed that CO₂ diffusion associated with mesophyll conductance (g_m) was the dominant limitation. Relative easiness to gain CO₂ in the chloroplast contributed to the higher A_n of Jimai5265yg. N deficiency induced the photoinhibition of PSII, but the cyclic electron transport and photochemical activity of PSI was higher in Jimai5265yg compared to Jimai5265, which was a protective mechanism to avoid photodamage. Because of the sharp drop of A_n, N deficient seedlings had much lower photosynthetic N use efficiency (PNUE). However, N deficiency increased the relative content of photosynthetic N (N_psn) and decreased the relative content of storage N (N_store). The range of change in N partitioning induced by N deficiency was smaller for Jimai5265yg compared to WT. The less insensitive to N deficiency for the mutant in terms of photosynthetic property and N partitioning suggested that g_m, cyclic electron transport around PSI and more optimal N partitioning pattern is necessary to sustain photosynthesis under N deficient condition.

Leaf and Community Photosynthetic Carbon Assimilation of Alpine Plants Under in-situ Warming

The Tibetan Plateau is highly sensitive to elevated temperatures and has experienced significant climate warming in the last decades. While climate warming is known to greatly impact alpine ecosystems, the gas exchange responses at the leaf and community levels to climate warming in alpine meadow ecosystems remain unclear. In this study, the alpine grass, Elymus nutans, and forb, Potentilla anserina, were grown in open-top chambers (OTCs) for 3 consecutive years to evaluate their response to warming. Gas exchange measurements were used to assess the effects of in-situ warming on leaf- and community-level photosynthetic carbon assimilation based on leaf photosynthetic physiological parameters. We introduced a means of up-scaling photosynthetic measurements from the leaf level to the community level based on six easily measurable parameters, including leaf net photosynthetic rate, fresh leaf mass per unit leaf area, fresh weight of all plant leaves in the community, the percentage of healthy leaves, the percentage of received effective light by leaves in the community, and community coverage. The community-level photosynthetic carbon assimilation and productivity all increased with warming, and the net photosynthetic rate at the leaf level was significantly higher than at the community level. Under elevated temperature, the net photosynthetic rate of E. nutans decreased, while that of P. anserina increased. These results indicated that climate warming may significantly influence plant carbon assimilation, which could alter alpine meadow community composition in the future.

Maintaining higher leaf photosynthesis after heading stage could promote biomass accumulation in rice

Leaf photosynthetic rate changes across the growing season as crop plants age. Most studies of leaf photosynthesis focus on a specific growth stage, leaving the question of which pattern of photosynthetic dynamics maximizes crop productivity unanswered. Here we obtained high-frequency data of canopy leaf CO2 assimilation rate (A) of two elite rice (Oryza sativa) cultivars and 76 inbred lines across the whole growing season. The integrated A value after heading was positively associated with crop growth rate (CGR) from heading to harvest, but that before heading was not. A curve-smoothing analysis of A after heading showed that accumulated A at > 80% of its maximum (A80) was positively correlated with CGR in analyses of all lines mixed and of lines grouped by genetic background, while the maximum A and accumulated A at ≤ 80% were less strongly correlated with CGR. We also found a genomic region (~ 12.2 Mb) that may enhance both A80 and aboveground biomass at harvest. We propose that maintaining a high A after heading, rather than having high maximum A, is a potential target for enhancing rice biomass accumulation.

Recent advances in understanding and improving photosynthesis

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.

Perspectives on improving light distribution and light use efficiency in crop canopies

Plant stands in nature differ markedly from most seen in modern agriculture. In a dense mixed stand, plants must vie for resources, including light, for greater survival and fitness. Competitive advantages over surrounding plants improve fitness of the individual, thus maintaining the competitive traits in the gene pool. In contrast, monoculture crop production strives to increase output at the stand level and thus benefits from cooperation to increase yield of the community. In choosing plants with higher yields to propagate and grow for food, humans may have inadvertently selected the best competitors rather than the best cooperators. Here, we discuss how this selection for competitiveness has led to overinvestment in characteristics that increase light interception and, consequently, sub-optimal light use efficiency in crop fields that constrains yield improvement. Decades of crop canopy modeling research have provided potential strategies for improving light distribution in crop canopies, and we review the current progress of these strategies, including balancing light distribution through reducing pigment concentration. Based on recent research revealing red-shifted photosynthetic pigments in algae and photosynthetic bacteria, we also discuss potential strategies for optimizing light interception and use through introducing alternative pigment types in crops. These strategies for improving light distribution and expanding the wavelengths of light beyond those traditionally defined for photosynthesis in plant canopies may have large implications for improving crop yield and closing the yield gap.

Chloroplast Electron Chain, ROS Production, and Redox Homeostasis Are Modulated by COS-OGA Elicitation in Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) Leaves

The stimulation of plant innate immunity by elicitors is an emerging technique in agriculture that contributes more and more to residue-free crop protection. Here, we used RNA-sequencing to study gene transcription in tomato leaves treated three times with the chitooligosaccharides-oligogalacturonides (COS-OGA) elicitor FytoSave® that induces plants to fend off against biotrophic pathogens. Results showed a clear upregulation of sequences that code for chloroplast proteins of the electron transport chain, especially Photosystem I (PSI) and ferredoxin. Concomitantly, stomatal conductance decreased by half, reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate [NAD(P)H] content and reactive oxygen species production doubled, but fresh and dry weights were unaffected. Chlorophyll, β-carotene, violaxanthin, and neoxanthin contents decreased consistently upon repeated elicitations. Fluorescence measurements indicated a transient decrease of the effective PSII quantum yield and a non-photochemical quenching increase but only after the first spraying. Taken together, this suggests that plant defense induction by COS-OGA induces a long-term acclimation mechanism and increases the role of the electron transport chain of the chloroplast to supply electrons needed to mount defenses targeted to the apoplast without compromising biomass accumulation.

Transcriptome and genome sequencing elucidates the molecular basis for the high yield and good quality of the hybrid rice variety Chuanyou6203

The yield heterosis of rice is sought by farmers and strong contributes to food safety, but the quality of hybrid rice may be reduced. Therefore, developing new varieties with both high yield and good quality is a heavily researched topic in hybrid rice breeding. However, the molecular mechanism governing yield heterosis and high rice quality has not been elucidated to date. In this study, a comparative transcriptomics and genomic analysis was performed on a hybrid rice variety, Chuanyou6203 (CY6203), and its parents to investigate the molecular mechanism and gene regulation network governing the formation of yield and quality stages. A total of 66,319 SNPs and InDels between CH3203 and C106B were detected in the 5'-UTR, exon, intronic, and 3'-UTR regions according to the reference genome annotation, which involved 7473 genes. A total of 436, 70, 551, 993, and 1216 common DEGs between CY6203 and both of its parents were identified at the same stage in panicles and flag leaves. Of the common DEGs, the numbers of upregulated DEGs between CY6203 and CH3203 were all greater than those of upregulated DEGs between CY6203 and C106B in panicles and flag leaves at the booting, flowering, and middle filling stages. Approximately 40.61% of mRNA editing ratios were between 0.4 and 0.6, and 1.68% of mRNA editing events (editing ratio ≥ 0.8) in CY6203 favored one of its parents at three stages or a particular stage, suggesting that the hypothetical heterosis mechanism of CY6203 might involve dominance or epistasis. Also 15,934 DEGs were classified into 19 distinct modules that were classified into three groups by the weighted gene coexpression network analysis. Through transcriptome analysis of panicles and flag leaves in the yield and quality stages, the DEGs in the green-yellow module primarily contributed to the increase in the source of CY6203 due to an in increase in photosynthetic efficiency and nitrogen utilization efficiency, and a small number of DEGs related to the grain number added spikelet number per panicle amplified its sink. The balanced expression of the major high-quality alleles of C106B and CH3203 in CY6203 contributed to the outstanding quality of CY6203. Our transcriptome and genome analyses offer a new data set that may help to elucidate the molecular mechanism governing the yield heterosis and high quality of a hybrid rice variety.

Assessing diversity in canopy architecture, photosynthesis, and water-use efficiency in a cowpea magic population

Optimizing crops to improve light absorption and CO2 assimilation throughout the canopy is a proposed strategy to increase yield and meet the needs of a growing population by 2050. Globally, the greatest population increase is expected to occur in Sub-Saharan Africa where large yield gaps currently persist; therefore, it is crucial to develop high-yielding crops adapted to this region. In this study, we screened 50 cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) genotypes from the multi-parent advanced generation inter-cross (MAGIC) population for canopy architectural traits, canopy photosynthesis, and water-use efficiency using a canopy gas exchange chamber in order to improve our understanding of the relationships among those traits. Canopy architecture contributed to 38.6% of the variance observed in canopy photosynthesis. The results suggest that the light environment within the canopy was a limiting factor for canopy CO2 assimilation. Traits favoring greater exposure of leaf area to light such as the width of the canopy relative to the total leaf area were associated with greater canopy photosynthesis, especially in canopies with high biomass. Canopy water-use efficiency was highly determined by canopy photosynthetic activity and therefore canopy architecture, which indicates that optimizing the canopy will also contribute to improving canopy water-use efficiency. We discuss different breeding strategies for future programs aimed at the improvement of cowpea yield for the Sub-Saharan African region. We show that breeding for high biomass will not optimize canopy CO2 assimilation and suggest that selection should include multiple canopy traits to improve light penetration.

Architectural and Physiological Features to Gain High Yield in an Elite Rice Line YLY1

Identification of traits strongly associated with high yield can help future gene engineering towards improvements of productivity. Here we systematically determine the major architectural and physiological features associated with high yield in two elite historical hybrid rice cultivars, i.e., YLY1 and LYP9. Data from a six-year experiment show that high yield of YLY1 are related to a number of architectural and physiological parameters. Compared to LYP9, YLY1 had 5.5% and 47.3% higher canopy photosynthesis under high and low photosynthetic photon flux densities, respectively, during the grain filling stage, an average 1.5% higher proportion of biomass allocation to above-ground tissues, a 4.5%-10.5% higher photosynthate reserve in leaf sheath before grain filling, and a more efficient photosynthate translocation during grain filling and finally an average 25.2% higher number of productive tillers. These features differ dramatically from features associated with high yield in YLY900 and Yongyou12^#, two other high-yielding rice cultivars in China. These identified features and their combinations can support designing new strategies in the future high-yield rice breeding.

Photosynthetic performance and photosynthesis-related gene expression coordinated in a shade-tolerant species Panax notoginseng under nitrogen regimes

BACKGROUND

Nitrogen (N) is an essential component of photosynthetic apparatus. However, the mechanism that photosynthetic capacity is suppressed by N is not completely understood. Photosynthetic capacity and photosynthesis-related genes were comparatively analyzed in a shade-tolerant species Panax notoginseng grown under the levels of low N (LN), moderate N (MN) and high N (HN).

RESULTS

Photosynthetic assimilation was significantly suppressed in the LN- and HN-grown plants. Compared with the MN-grown plants, the HN-grown plants showed thicker anatomic structure and larger chloroplast accompanied with decreased ratio of mesophyll conductance (gm) to Rubisco content (gm/Rubisco) and lower Rubisco activity. Meanwhile, LN-grown plants displayed smaller chloroplast and accordingly lower internal conductance (gi). LN- and HN-grown individuals allocated less N to light-harvesting system (NL) and carboxylation system (NC), respectively. N surplus negatively affected the expression of genes in Car biosynthesis (GGPS, DXR, PSY, IPI and DXS). The LN individuals outperformed others with respect to non-photochemical quenching. The expression of genes (FBA, PGK, RAF2, GAPC, CAB, PsbA and PsbH) encoding enzymes of Calvin cycle and structural protein of light reaction were obviously repressed in the LN individuals, accompanying with a reduction in Rubisco content and activity. Correspondingly, the expression of genes encoding RAF2, RPI4, CAB and PetE were repressed in the HN-grown plants.

CONCLUSIONS

LN-induced depression of photosynthetic capacity might be caused by the deceleration on Calvin cycle and light reaction of photosynthesis, and HN-induced depression of ones might derive from an increase in the form of inactivated Rubisco.

Putting Photosystem I to Work: Truly Green Energy

Meeting growing energy demands sustainably is one of the greatest challenges facing the world. The sun strikes the Earth with sufficient energy in 1.5 h to meet annual world energy demands, likely making solar energy conversion part of future sustainable energy production plans. Photosynthetic organisms have been evolving solar energy utilization strategies for nearly 3.5 billion years, making reaction centers including the remarkably stable Photosystem I (PSI) especially interesting for biophotovoltaic device integration. Although these biohybrid devices have steadily improved, their output remains low compared with traditional photovoltaics. We discuss strategies and methods to improve PSI-based biophotovoltaics, focusing on PSI-surface interaction enhancement, electrolytes, and light-harvesting enhancement capabilities. Desirable features and current drawbacks to PSI-based devices are also discussed.

Role of blue and red light in stomatal dynamic behaviour

Plants experience changes in light intensity and quality due to variations in solar angle and shading from clouds and overlapping leaves. Stomatal opening to increasing irradiance is often an order of magnitude slower than photosynthetic responses, which can result in CO2 diffusional limitations on leaf photosynthesis, as well as unnecessary water loss when stomata continue to open after photosynthesis has reached saturation. Stomatal opening to light is driven by two distinct pathways; the 'red' or photosynthetic response that occurs at high fluence rates and saturates with photosynthesis, and is thought to be the main mechanism that coordinates stomatal behaviour with photosynthesis; and the guard cell-specific 'blue' light response that saturates at low fluence rates, and is often considered independent of photosynthesis, and important for early morning stomatal opening. Here we review the literature on these complicated signal transduction pathways and osmoregulatory processes in guard cells that are influenced by the light environment. We discuss the possibility of tuning the sensitivity and magnitude of stomatal response to blue light which potentially represents a novel target to develop ideotypes with the 'ideal' balance between carbon gain, evaporative cooling, and maintenance of hydraulic status that is crucial for maximizing crop performance and productivity.

A wish list for synthetic biology in photosynthesis research

This perspective summarizes the presentations and discussions at the ' International Symposium on Synthetic Biology in Photosynthesis Research', which was held in Shanghai in 2018. Leveraging the current advanced understanding of photosynthetic systems, the symposium brain-stormed about the redesign and engineering of photosynthetic systems for translational goals and evaluated available new technologies/tools for synthetic biology as well as technological obstacles and new tools that would be needed to overcome them. Four major research areas for redesigning photosynthesis were identified: (i) mining natural variations of photosynthesis; (ii) coordinating photosynthesis with pathways utilizing photosynthate; (iii) reconstruction of highly efficient photosynthetic systems in non-host species; and (iv) development of new photosynthetic systems that do not exist in nature. To expedite photosynthesis synthetic biology research, an array of new technologies and community resources need to be developed, which include expanded modelling capacities, molecular engineering toolboxes, model species, and phenotyping tools.

Consequences of the reduction of the Photosystem II antenna size on the light acclimation capacity of Arabidopsis thaliana

In several systems, from plant's canopy to algal bioreactors, the decrease of the antenna size has been proposed as a strategy to increase the photosynthetic efficiency. However, still little is known about possible secondary effects of such modifications. This is particularly relevant because the modulation of the antenna size is one of the most important light acclimation responses in photosynthetic organisms. In our study, we used an Arabidopsis thaliana mutant (dLhcb2), which has a 60% decrease of Lhcb1 and Lhcb2, the two main components of the major Photosystem II antenna complex. We show that the mutant maintains the photosynthetic and photoprotective capacity of the Wild Type (WT) and adapts to different light conditions by remodelling its photosynthetic apparatus, but the regulatory mechanism differs from that of the WT. Surprisingly, it does not compensate for the decreased light-harvesting capacity by increasing other pigment-protein complexes. Instead, it lowers the ratio of the cytochrome b₆ f and ATP synthase to the photosystems, regulating linear electron flow and maintaining the photosynthetic control at the level of these complexes as in the WT. We show that targeting the reduction of two specific antenna proteins, Lhcb1 and Lhcb2, represents a viable solution to obtain plants with a truncated antenna size, which still maintain the capacity to acclimate to different light conditions.

A canopy conundrum: can wind-induced movement help to increase crop productivity by relieving photosynthetic limitations?

Wind-induced movement is a ubiquitous occurrence for all plants grown in natural or agricultural settings, and in the context of high, damaging wind speeds it has been well studied. However, the impact of lower wind speeds (which do not cause any damage) on mode of movement, light transmission, and photosynthetic properties has, surprisingly, not been fully explored. This impact is likely to be influenced by biomechanical properties and architectural features of the plant and canopy. A limited number of eco-physiological studies have indicated that movement in wind has the potential to alter light distribution within canopies, improving canopy productivity by relieving photosynthetic limitations. Given the current interest in canopy photosynthesis, it is timely to consider such movement in terms of crop yield progress. This opinion article sets out the background to wind-induced crop movement and argues that plant biomechanical properties may have a role in the optimization of whole-canopy photosynthesis via established physiological processes. We discuss how this could be achieved using canopy models.

Environmental triggers for photosynthetic protein turnover determine the optimal nitrogen distribution and partitioning in the canopy

Plants continually adjust the photosynthetic functions in their leaves to fluctuating light, thereby optimizing the use of photosynthetic nitrogen (Nph) at the canopy level. To investigate the complex interplay between external signals during the acclimation processes, a mechanistic model based on the concept of protein turnover (synthesis and degradation) was proposed and parameterized using cucumber grown under nine combinations of nitrogen and light in growth chambers. Integrating this dynamic model into a multi-layer canopy model provided accurate predictions of photosynthetic acclimation of greenhouse cucumber canopies grown under high and low nitrogen supply in combination with day-to-day fluctuations in light at two different levels. This allowed us to quantify the degree of optimality in canopy nitrogen use for maximizing canopy carbon assimilation, which was influenced by Nph distribution along canopy depth or Nph partitioning between functional pools. Our analyses suggest that Nph distribution is close to optimum and Nph reallocation is more important under low nitrogen. Nph partitioning is only optimal under a light level similar to the average light intensity during acclimation, meaning that day-to-day light fluctuations inevitably result in suboptimal Nph partitioning. Our results provide insights into photoacclimation and can be applied to crop model improvement.

Phenotyping of isogenic chlorophyll-less bread and durum wheat mutant lines in relation to photoprotection and photosynthetic capacity

In our experiments, we examined high light responses and photosynthetic capacity of chlorophyll-less isogenic mutant lines of hexaploid bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and tetraploid durum wheat (Triticum durum L.) in comparison to parental lines representing the wild type (WT), in two growth phases and two environments. In young plants, we observed a typical yellow-green phenotype with low chlorophyll content, significantly lower CO₂ assimilation rate, elevated chlorophyll a-to-b ratio and insufficient regulation of linear electron transport. In the mutants grown in a moderate light in the growth chamber, a typical "chlorina" phenotype almost disappeared or, at least, was significantly alleviated in later growth stages, including the values of CO₂ assimilation and the majority of the measured parameters related to photoprotective responses. On the other hand, in the case of the mutant lines grown in direct sunlight and fluctuating environment, the chlorophyll-less phenotype was evident also in latter growth phases. The chlorophyll-less phenotype was more severe in the durum wheat mutant lines compared to the bread wheat. For example, the durum wheat mutant lines grown outdoors expressed lower flexibility of photoprotective responses, including lower non-photochemical quenching and low rate of cyclic electron flow compared to WT or bread wheat mutants. Based on the analyses, we have identified a set of parameters providing information on the specific photosynthetic traits typical for the chlorophyll-less phenotype. Thus, the proposed way of phenotyping may serve for efficient selection of mutant genotypes for future research or screening activities. As a general result, we observed that the decrease of the chlorophyll content due to mutation was always associated with improper regulation of linear electron transport and a limited ability to prevent over-reduction of PSI acceptor side, regardless of the genotype, environment, and growth stage. This can partly explain why the low chlorophyll mutants were not successful in the evolution of higher plants, despite the photosynthetic capacity observed is high enough and they are fully competitive with wild-type plants in non-fluctuating controlled environment.

Systems models, phenomics and genomics: three pillars for developing high-yielding photosynthetically efficient crops

Recent years witnessed a stagnation in yield enhancement in major staple crops, which leads plant biologists and breeders to focus on an urgent challenge to dramatically increase crop yield to meet the growing food demand. Systems models have started to show their capacity in guiding crops improvement for greater biomass and grain yield production. Here we argue that systems models, phenomics and genomics combined are three pillars for the future breeding for high-yielding photosynthetically efficient crops (HYPEC). Briefly, systems models can be used to guide identification of breeding targets for a particular cultivar and define optimal physiological and architectural parameters for a particular crop to achieve high yield under defined environments. Phenomics can support collection of architectural, physiological, biochemical and molecular parameters in a high-throughput manner, which can be used to support both model validation and model parameterization. Genomic techniques can be used to accelerate crop breeding by enabling more efficient mapping between genotypic and phenotypic variation, and guide genome engineering or editing for model-designed traits. In this paper, we elaborate on these roles and how they can work synergistically to support future HYPEC breeding.