Chenopodium quinoa as a model for studying cross-talk between abiotic and biotic stress defence mechanism of plants

藜麦（藜麦）是一种高营养作物，原产于安第斯山脉，在70个不同国家的边缘气候条件下具有非凡的生长能力。藜麦适应在海拔4000米的贫瘠或高盐土壤上生长，并能承受40度以上的温度波动。藜麦种质有6000多份，是研究藜麦抗寒性潜在机制的宝贵遗传资源。气候变化和作物物种向新地区的扩张带来了新的病原体威胁，因此研究植物如何感知和应对生物和非生物胁迫的需求越来越大。利用藜麦、模式病原体丁香假单胞菌和盐胁迫，揭示生物和非生物胁迫防御途径之间的关系。遗传、生理和生化技术将在多个层面上描述藜麦的应激反应：形态、细胞和分子成分。为了加强表征的深度和扩大本研究的适用性，将对玻利维亚原生的几种具有农业生态特征的藜麦品种进行试验。藜麦的生物抗逆性，即藜麦的免疫力，在此之前从未被完全描述过，本项目旨在建立藜麦植物与病原体相互作用的工具箱。考虑到将营养作物物种扩展到新地区的需求以及在气候变化的次优土地上优化生产力的需求，这将越来越重要。BBSRC优先领域：可持续地提高农业生产粮食、营养和健康

Chenopodium quinoa (quinoa) is a highly nutritious crop native to the Andes with remarkable capacity for growing in marginal climates across 70 different countries. Quinoa has adapted for growth on nutrient-poor or highly saline soils across an altitudinal gradient of 4000m and withstands temperature fluctuations of over 40 degrees. The quinoa germplasm has over 6000 accessions and represents an invaluable genetic resource for investigating the underlying mechanisms of its hardiness. Climatic changes and expansion of crop species to new areas brings new pathogen threats and there is an ever-greater need for investigating how plants perceive and respond to biotic and abiotic stresses applied in combination. Using quinoa, the model pathogen Pseudomonas syringae and salt stress the relationships between biotic and abiotic stress defence pathways will be unravelled. Genetic, physiological and biochemical techniques will characterise quinoa's stress responses at multiple levels: morphologically, and via cellular and molecular components. To strengthen the depth of characterisation and widen the applicability of this research several agroecologically distinct quinoa varieties native to Bolivia will be tested. The biotic stress tolerance of quinoa, namely quinoa's immunity has never been fully characterised before and this project aims to establish a toolbox for interrogating plant-pathogen interactions in quinoa. This will be increasingly relevant considering the demand for expansion of nutritious crop species to new areas and for the optimisation of productivity on sub-optimal land in a changing climate.BBSRC priority areas:Sustainably enhancing agricultural productionFood, nutrition and health