The shape of sustainable crop production - re-engineering plant architecture for sustainable food production

可持续作物生产的形态——为可持续粮食生产重新设计植物结构

• 批准号: 2878037
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Leeds
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2878037
• 关键词: shape; sustainable; crop; production; re

This project is focused on better characterising the molecular mechanisms behind gravitropic responses in plant shoots and roots for important crop species. This is for the purpose of engineering crop architecture to improving light capture and decrease lodging occurrence (shoots) and/or nutrient acquisition and drought tolerance (roots).Previous work in this field has established that lateral roots and shoots maintain their growth angles through gravitropic set-point angles as seen in arabidopsis model organisms. The gravitropic-set point angle is the angle defined by its relationship to the gravity vector so a vertically downward shoot/root possessing a GSA of 0 and plant organs are maintained at this GSA in response to gravitropism (Digby, Fern, 1995). This gravity-dependent process is mediated by auxin phytohormones with auxin flux on the upper and lower side leading to differential elongation or elongation inhibition in the shoots and roots respectively. The gravity-sensing apparatus of the root/shoot tip, according to the startch-statolith hypothesis, the columella of dicot and monocot roots and the statocytes of dicot shoots are a collection of polarised cells containing starch-filled amyloplasts which respond to gravity through starch sedimentation to a particular pole of the cell. As a consequence of downward starch sedimentation to the nascent bottom region of the cell when the root/shoot is moved away from the vertical, there is increased downward flux of auxin to the abaxial side of the shoot/root. This acts against the anti-gravitropic offset flux of auxin to the adaxial side of the shoot and root. This disparity between adaxial and abaxial auxin concentrations across the organ leads to differential cell elongation followed by the upward bending in shoots and downwards bending in roots to return to their initial GSAs for optimal plant growth (Roychoudhry and Kepinski 2021).The molecular process behind this gravity-sensing mechanism has been well characterised in arabidopsis models with work. For example, the role of the auxin transporters PIN3, 4 and 7 and their role in establishing gravicompetence in shoots and roots (Roychoudhry et al., 2022). However, translating this understanding of root and shoot responses to gravity and how that impacts plant architecture is still necessary for numerous important crop species, with efforts aimed at improving rooting for increase nutrient/water acquisition in response to increasing drought prevalence under climate change (as well as decreasing shoot lodging where the plant stem snaps whilst maintaining crop yield).Work into cereal species such as wheat and rice has been conducted by fellow postgraduate researchers at the University of Leeds, and elsewhere, with both wheat and rice lateral roots returning to their original GSAs with wheat laterals restoring their GSAs faster than rice laterals which shows variation in the response between species as well as monocots (cereals) and dicots (arabidopsis) with rice potentially possessing a stronger auxin-dependent anti-gravitropic offset response relative to wheat lateral roots. Additionally, rice DRO1 which regulates root growth angle has shown to lead to higher rice yields in water-scarce environments when overexpressed as more vertical root systems are developed (Walsh et al., unpublished). Continuing to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of root and shoot angle development and maintenance in crop species can act as a crucial tool in improving crop yields and establishing better food security. Some crops such as Barley and Sorghum have some early research established whilst other staple crops like soybean have none. This PhD project aims to expand the knowledge of root and shoot angles in these seminal crop species to engineer crops that are resilient to the ever worsening issues of climate change with key emphasis on staple crops like rice and wheat.

该项目的重点是更好地表征重要农作物物种的植物芽和根部重力反应背后的分子机制。这是为了工程作物建筑，以改善捕获光的捕获并减少住宿的发生（芽）和/或营养的获取和耐旱性和干旱耐受性（根部）。在该领域中有所了解的工作确定，横向根和射击保持其生长角度，使其通过拟南芥模型机构所看到的重力固定角度保持生长角度。重力集点角是由其与重力矢量的关系定义的角度，因此垂直向下的芽/根，其具有0的GSA，并在此GSA处保持植物器官的响应，以响应重力（Digby，Fern，1995）。该重力依赖性过程是由生长素植物素介导的，上侧和下侧的生长素通量分别在芽和根中导致差异伸长或伸长抑制。根据Startch-Statolith假设，根/芽尖的重力感密度设备，双子座和单子叶根的小甲壳虫以及双子芽的statocytes是含有淀粉填充的链淀粉的偏光细胞的集合，这些细胞通过淀粉对细胞的特定极点对淀粉的沉积物响应。由于淀粉的向下沉积到细胞的新生底部区域时，当根/芽从垂直方向移开时，生长素的向下通量增加到了芽/根的不足侧。这对生长素的抗晶状体偏移通量与芽和根部的Xaxial侧。整个器官的近视和弱化生长素浓度之间的这种差异导致差异细胞伸长，然后芽中的向上弯曲和根部向下弯曲，以返回其最初的GSA，以获得最佳的植物生长（Roychoudhry和Kepinski 2021）。这种重力机械的分子过程具有很好的作用。例如，生长素转运蛋白PIN3、4和7的作用及其在建立芽和根中重力的作用（Roychoudhry等，2022）。 However, translating this understanding of root and shoot responses to gravity and how that impacts plant architecture is still necessary for numerous important crop species, with efforts aimed at improving rooting for increase nutrient/water acquisition in response to increasing drought prevalence under climate change (as well as decreasing shoot lodging where the plant stem snaps whilst maintaining crop yield).Work into cereal species such as wheat and rice has been conducted by fellow postgraduate researchers at the University of利兹（Leeds）和其他地方，麦外侧根部都返回其原始的GSA，小麦外侧恢复其GSA，比米外侧更快地恢复其GSA，这表明物种之间的反应以及单子叶植物（谷物）和DiCots和DiCots（Arabidopsis）的差异，而水稻可能具有较强的抗抗蛋白依赖性抗gravitropic offwheatropic oftsepic ofwheatial fallsatial，而不是大米。此外，随着开发更多的垂直根系系统的过表达，调节根生长角的水稻DRO1已显示出在水砂环境中导致较高的水稻产量（Walsh等人，未发表）。继续阐明农作物物种中根和芽角的发展和维持的分子机制，可以作为提高农作物产量并建立更好粮食安全的关键工具。一些大麦和高粱等农作物已经建立了一些早期研究，而其他大豆（例如大豆）则没有。这个博士学位项目旨在将这些开创性作物物种中的根和射击角度的知识扩展到工艺作物，这些农作物对气候变化的恶化问题有抵抗力，重点是米饭和小麦等主食。