Tuning into plant development to improve the sustainability of arable farming

调整植物开发以提高耕作的可持续性

• 批准号: MR/Y011708/1
• 负责人: Laura Dixon
• 金额: $ 75.89万
• 依托单位: University of Leeds
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Fellowship
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2024 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=MR%2FY011708%2F1
• 关键词: Tuning; into; plant; development; improve

Increasing global temperature, combined with climate instability and an increasing human population are placing unprecedented challenges on our food supply chains. The solutions to these challenges will involve all aspects of society. In this project we are focussed on one part of this, the more sustainable production of the bread wheat crop with the aim of reducing excessive nutrient application. To achieve this we aim to develop a testing system which measures the first molecular changes in plant development, which occur before any visible changes. Then to use this molecular change as an accurate guide for the timing of a single winter/early spring nutrient application. We have identified a gene which we believe will provide such an early indicator and is responsive to climate variations. This is important as the response needs to be tuned according to the unique developmental timing which occurs each year. Through measuring the gene expression the timing of nutrient application could be determined. In this project we will robustly test this hypothesis through multi-genotype trials with the standard two-nutrient application comparing it with the new gene expression led one-nutrient application. These trials will be conducted over multiple years and locations. If our hypothesis is correct the final yields of these trials should show no statistically significant differences. This would therefore provide wheat breeders and farmers with a system to reduce their nutrient application to the wheat crop, providing financial benefits as well as important environmental benefits. Excessive nutrient application has been a long-standing issue in intensive farming as it leads to a number of detrimental environmental consequences, including a reduction in biodiversity. Additionally, in this project we will characterise the target gene at the molecular level to identify how it regulates the plant developmental network and what controls its expression. This will include the development of transgenic lines which will be used to identify binding targets as well as the molecular function through the generation of mutants in the same genetic background, using CRISPR technology. We will test these lines under future climate scenarios in climate-smart controlled environments.On completion of this project we hope to have a detailed understanding of the function of our identified marker gene and how it is involved with the molecular regulation of wheat plant development. This is important to facilitate the translation of the project findings to other cereal crops. Secondly, we aim to have a prototype system for testing the expression of the gene, knowing the important threshold for its expression level and how this links with optimal nutrient application in the field in the UK.

全球温度的升高，加上气候不稳定和人口越来越多的人口，在我们的粮食供应链上面临前所未有的挑战。这些挑战的解决方案将涉及社会的各个方面。在这个项目中，我们专注于其中的一部分，面包小麦作物的更可持续生产是为了减少过量的养分应用。为了实现这一目标，我们旨在开发一个测试系统，该系统测量植物发育的第一个分子变化，该系统发生在任何可见变化之前。然后，将这种分子变化作为单个冬季/早春养分的时间的准确指南。我们已经确定了一个基因，我们认为它将提供如此早期的指标，并对气候变化有反应。这很重要，因为需要根据每年发生的独特发展时机进行调整。通过测量基因表达，可以确定养分的时间。在这个项目中，我们将通过多基因型试验与标准的两种营养素应用与新基因表达LED LED一单营养施用进行了多基因型试验来鲁棒性检验这一假设。这些试验将在多年和位置进行。如果我们的假设是正确的，那么这些试验的最终产量应显示没有统计学上的显着差异。因此，这将为小麦育种者和农民提供一种系统，以减少其在小麦农作物中的营养应用，从而提供经济利益以及重要的环境利益。在密集农业中，过多的养分应用一直是一个长期存在的问题，因为它导致了许多有害的环境后果，包括减少生物多样性。此外，在这个项目中，我们将在分子水平上表征靶基因，以确定其如何调节植物发育网络以及如何控制其表达。这将包括使用CRISPR技术在相同遗传背景下通过相同遗传背景的突变体产生的转基因线的发展，用于识别结合靶标以及分子功能。我们将在气候智能受控环境中的未来气候场景下测试这些线路。在该项目完成后，我们希望对我们所识别的标记基因的功能以及它如何与小麦植物发育的分子调节有关。这对于促进将项目发现转化为其他谷物作物很重要。其次，我们的目标是建立一个原型系统来测试基因的表达，了解其表达水平的重要阈值，以及这如何与英国田间的最佳养分应用联系在一起。