1
|
Zhao B, Wang JW. Perenniality: From model plants to applications in agriculture. MOLECULAR PLANT 2024; 17:141-157. [PMID: 38115580 DOI: 10.1016/j.molp.2023.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
To compensate for their sessile nature, plants have evolved sophisticated mechanisms enabling them to adapt to ever-changing environments. One such prominent feature is the evolution of diverse life history strategies, particularly such that annuals reproduce once followed by seasonal death, while perennials live longer by cycling growth seasonally. This intrinsic phenology is primarily genetic and can be altered by environmental factors. Although evolutionary transitions between annual and perennial life history strategies are common, perennials account for most species in nature because they survive well under year-round stresses. This proportion, however, is reversed in agriculture. Hence, perennial crops promise to likewise protect and enhance the resilience of agricultural ecosystems in response to climate change. Despite significant endeavors that have been made to generate perennial crops, progress is slow because of barriers in studying perennials, and many developed species await further improvement. Recent findings in model species have illustrated that simply rewiring existing genetic networks can lead to lifestyle variation. This implies that engineering plant life history strategy can be achieved by manipulating only a few key genes. In this review, we summarize our current understanding of genetic basis of perenniality and discuss major questions and challenges that remain to be addressed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bo Zhao
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences (CEMPS), Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology (SIPPE), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Jia-Wei Wang
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences (CEMPS), Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology (SIPPE), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shanghai 200032, China; School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China; Key Laboratory of Plant Carbon Capture, CAS, Shanghai 200032, China; New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Shanghai 200032, China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Stanković M. 10th Anniversary of Plants-Recent Advances and Further Perspectives. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:1696. [PMID: 37111918 PMCID: PMC10145593 DOI: 10.3390/plants12081696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Published for the first time in 2012, Plants will celebrate its 10th anniversary [...].
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Milan Stanković
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Kragujevac, Radoja Domanovića 12, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Chapman EA, Thomsen HC, Tulloch S, Correia PMP, Luo G, Najafi J, DeHaan LR, Crews TE, Olsson L, Lundquist PO, Westerbergh A, Pedas PR, Knudsen S, Palmgren M. Perennials as Future Grain Crops: Opportunities and Challenges. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:898769. [PMID: 35968139 PMCID: PMC9372509 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.898769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Perennial grain crops could make a valuable addition to sustainable agriculture, potentially even as an alternative to their annual counterparts. The ability of perennials to grow year after year significantly reduces the number of agricultural inputs required, in terms of both planting and weed control, while reduced tillage improves soil health and on-farm biodiversity. Presently, perennial grain crops are not grown at large scale, mainly due to their early stages of domestication and current low yields. Narrowing the yield gap between perennial and annual grain crops will depend on characterizing differences in their life cycles, resource allocation, and reproductive strategies and understanding the trade-offs between annualism, perennialism, and yield. The genetic and biochemical pathways controlling plant growth, physiology, and senescence should be analyzed in perennial crop plants. This information could then be used to facilitate tailored genetic improvement of selected perennial grain crops to improve agronomic traits and enhance yield, while maintaining the benefits associated with perennialism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sophia Tulloch
- Department of Raw Materials, Carlsberg Research Laboratory, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Pedro M. P. Correia
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Guangbin Luo
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Javad Najafi
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | | | | | - Lennart Olsson
- Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies, Lund, Sweden
| | - Per-Olof Lundquist
- Department of Plant Biology, Uppsala BioCenter, Linnean Centre for Plant Biology in Uppsala, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Anna Westerbergh
- Department of Plant Biology, Uppsala BioCenter, Linnean Centre for Plant Biology in Uppsala, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Pai Rosager Pedas
- Department of Raw Materials, Carlsberg Research Laboratory, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Søren Knudsen
- Department of Raw Materials, Carlsberg Research Laboratory, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Michael Palmgren
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Bahrani H, Båga M, Larsen J, Graf RJ, Laroche A, Chibbar RN. The Relationships between Plant Developmental Traits and Winter Field Survival in Rye (Secale cereale L.). PLANTS 2021; 10:plants10112455. [PMID: 34834817 PMCID: PMC8625450 DOI: 10.3390/plants10112455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Overwintering cereals accumulate low temperature tolerance (LTT) during cold acclimation in the autumn. Simultaneously, the plants adjust to the colder season by making developmental changes at the shoot apical meristem. These processes lead to higher winter hardiness in winter rye varieties (Secale cereale L.) adapted to Northern latitudes as compared to other cereal crops. To dissect the winter-hardiness trait in rye, a panel of 96 genotypes of different origins and growth habits was assessed for winter field survival (WFS), LTT, and six developmental traits. Best Linear Unbiased Estimates for WFS determined from five field trials correlated strongly with LTT (r = 0.90, p < 0.001); thus, cold acclimation efficiency was the major contributor to WFS. WFS also correlated strongly (p < 0.001) with final leaf number (r = 0.80), prostrate growth habit (r = 0.61), plant height (r = 0.34), but showed weaker associations with top internode length (r = 0.30, p < 0.01) and days to anthesis (r = 0.25, p < 0.05). The heritability estimates (h2) for WFS-associated traits ranged from 0.45 (prostrate growth habit) to 0.81 (final leaf number) and were overall higher than for WFS (h2 = 0.48). All developmental traits associated with WFS and LTT are postulated to be regulated by phytohormone levels at shoot apical meristem.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hirbod Bahrani
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8, Canada; (H.B.); (M.B.)
| | - Monica Båga
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8, Canada; (H.B.); (M.B.)
| | - Jamie Larsen
- Harrow Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Harrow, ON N0R 1G0, Canada;
| | - Robert J. Graf
- Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge, AB T1J 4B1, Canada; (R.J.G.); (A.L.)
| | - Andre Laroche
- Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge, AB T1J 4B1, Canada; (R.J.G.); (A.L.)
| | - Ravindra N. Chibbar
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8, Canada; (H.B.); (M.B.)
- Correspondence:
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
A ddRADseq Survey of the Genetic Diversity of Rye (Secale cereale L.) Landraces from the Western Alps Reveals the Progressive Reduction of the Local Gene Pool. PLANTS 2021; 10:plants10112415. [PMID: 34834778 PMCID: PMC8624659 DOI: 10.3390/plants10112415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Rye (Secale cereale L.) has been at the basis of agriculture for centuries in most mountainous and northern areas of Eurasia, because it is more resistant than other cereals to low temperatures and poor soils. Rye deserves to be re-evaluated as a source of “environmentally resilient” genes in the future as well, and particularly in a perspective to grow cereals able to withstand global warming. According to recent studies, modern rye varieties have a relatively narrow genetic pool, a condition that is worsening in the most recent breeding processes. The preservation of local landraces as unique sources of genetic diversity has therefore become important, in order to preserve the genetic heritage of rye. In this study, genetic diversity of rye landraces collected in a sector of the Italian Alps particularly suited to traditional agriculture was investigated using the ddRADseq technique. A few landraces still managed with family farming turned out to be genetically distant from the commercial varieties currently in use, highlighting that the phenomenon of homogenization of the local genetic pool can be still circumvented. Ex situ conservation of genetically divergent landraces is a valid tool to avoid the dissipation of an as yet unexplored genetic potential.
Collapse
|