The Physiological Genomics of Panicum: Exploring Switchgrass Responses to Climate Change

PI: Thomas E. Juenger（德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校）CoPIs: Christine Hawkes（德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校），Timothy H. Keitt（德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校），Philip A. Fay（德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校/USDA - ARS草原、土壤和水研究实验室）James A. kinty和Mari-Vaughan Johnson（美国农业部草原、土壤和水研究实验室）：世界面临的一个主要挑战是能源需求的增长以及能源使用增加对生物圈环境状况的负面影响。特别是，使用化石燃料导致的大气二氧化碳增加被认为是气候变化的主要驱动因素。生物燃料是可持续替代化石燃料的一种有希望的途径，可以最大限度地减少人为造成的气候变化。然而，生物量积累受到生理过程和环境条件的限制，生产力很可能受到与未来气候变化相关的干旱胁迫增加的直接限制。柳枝稷（Panicum virgatum）被认为是一种很有前途的生物燃料物种。尽管有悠久的田间试验和农艺发展历史，但令人惊讶的是，人们对柳枝稷的基本应激生理知之甚少，也没有开发出基因组工具来促进柳枝稷的改良。该项目探讨了在当前气候模型下预测的Panicum对环境条件的生理和基因组反应。该项目包括柳枝稷种质筛选、生理性状遗传图谱、田间干旱胁迫响应的基因组和生态学研究，以及柳枝稷在未来气候变化下的表现建模。这项研究将扩展充分开发柳枝稷作为生物燃料作物所需的知识和工具，并促进正在进行的工程作物在干旱条件下的更高性能，这是全球农业生产力的主要限制之一。此外，该项目还将通过德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校的新生研究计划（FRI）这一新颖的本科生科学培训计划培训下一代生物燃料研究人员。FRI项目包括为本科生开发一个多学期的“研究流”。每个研究流程都让年轻科学家沉浸在“大创意”和成为一名成功研究者所需的日常工具中，结合了传统课程、实践培训、独立研究以及与教师导师的密切互动。该项目将开发一个关于“生物燃料生物学”的新的FRI流，包括植物生理学、遗传学/基因组学、植物育种、环境生物学和气候变化方面的内容和研究项目，以柳枝稷为模型生物燃料。所有数据将通过项目网站和已建立的数据存储库（Gene Expression Omnibus， GEO, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/; NCBI Short Read Archive， SRA, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=sra）以及Gramene （www.gramene.org）提供。种质资源将通过美国农业部国家植物种质系统（http://www.ars-grin.gov/npgs/）提供。这项研究的结果将发表在同行评议的期刊上，并在国际会议上发表。

PI: Thomas E. Juenger (University of Texas - Austin)CoPIs: Christine Hawkes (University of Texas - Austin), Timothy H. Keitt (University of Texas - Austin), and Philip A. Fay (University of Texas - Austin/USDA - ARS Grassland, Soil and Water Research Lab)Senior Collaborators: James A. Kiniry and Mari-Vaughan Johnson (USDA - ARS Grassland, Soil and Water Research Lab)A major challenge facing the world is the growing demand for energy and the negative consequences of increased energy use on the environmental condition of the biosphere. In particular, increased atmospheric CO2 resulting from fossil fuel use is thought to be a major driver of climate change. Biofuels are one promising path for sustainable replacement of fossil fuels that may minimize anthropogenic climate change. However, biomass accumulation is constrained by physiological processes as well as environmental conditions, and productivity is very likely to be directly limited by increased drought stress associated with future climate change. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) has been championed as one promising biofuel species. Despite a long history of field trials and agronomic development, surprisingly little is known about the basic stress physiology of switchgrass and few genomic tools have been developed to facilitate its improvement. This project explores the physiological and genomic responses of Panicum to environmental conditions as predicted under current climate models. The project includes screens of switchgrass germplasm, genetic mapping of physiological traits, genomic and ecological studies of responses to field imposed drought stress, and modeling of switchgrass performance under future climate change.This research will expand the knowledge and tools needed to fully develop switchgrass as a biofuel crop as well as facilitate ongoing efforts to engineer crops for higher performance under drought conditions, one of the major limitations in agricultural productivity worldwide. In addition, the project will train the next generation of biofuels researchers through a novel undergraduate science training program, the Freshman Research Initiative (FRI), at the University of Texas - Austin. The FRI program involves the development of a multiple semester "research stream" for undergraduate students. Each research stream immerses young scientists in both the "big ideas" and the everyday tools needed to be a successful researcher, using a combination of traditional coursework, hands-on training, independent research, and close interaction with faculty mentors. This project will develop a new FRI stream on the "Biology of Biofuels" incorporating content and research projects on plant physiology, genetics/genomics, plant breeding, environmental biology, and climate change under the umbrella of switchgrass as a model biofuel. All data will be available through the project website and long-term through established data repositories (Gene Expression Omnibus, GEO, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/; NCBI Short Read Archive, SRA, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=sra) as well as through Gramene (www.gramene.org). Germplasm will be made available through the USDA National Plant Germplasm System (http://www.ars-grin.gov/npgs/). The results of this research will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at international meetings.