Towards drought-tolerant crops: Enhancing plant skin transpiration barriers

加拿大是世界上最大的小麦生产国之一，大部分加拿大小麦出口到全球市场，随着世界人口的增长，全球市场将继续大幅增长。然而，尽管经济前景光明，但由于严重干旱，加拿大小麦供应在过去几十年里有所下降。为了扭转这一趋势，需要更多耐旱小麦品系，以便增加现有农田的产量，并使边缘土地得以耕种。此外，世界范围内迅速扩大的干旱地区迫切需要其他作物的耐旱品系。耐旱性主要取决于植物在生长过程中如何限制水分流失。所有的植物都有蜡质表皮来防止过度蒸腾。然而，从密封严密的沙漠植物到蒸腾控制相对较差的作物，表皮的效果差别很大。这表明，如果作物的表皮不那么透水，它们就能变得更耐旱。我的研究项目旨在培育耐旱作物，了解皮肤蒸腾屏障的功能。由于基因检测和化学分析的必要工具最近已经开发出来，这一领域现在可以取得重大进展。这笔拨款将支持研究植物表面涂层的生物学功能，并立即应用于农作物。本研究的目的是1)测量不同表皮成分的拟南芥模式植物的失水率；2)调查番茄、小麦和水稻的表皮水分屏障模式作物品系；3)绘制植物表面蜡质分布图；4)研究植物表皮结构形成的自然机制。申请资助一个由9名研究生组成的研究小组，为期5年。他们将通过对最先进仪器的实验工作、教学经验和获得学术研究以外的软技能进行培训。因此，拟议的研究将通过培训所需的专家、发展重要知识和培育耐旱作物品系而使加拿大受益。

Canada is one of the top wheat producers in the world, and the majority of Canadian wheat is exported to global markets that will continue to grow considerably with the world population. However, in spite of this bright economic perspective, Canadian wheat supply has declined over the past decades due to severe droughts. To reverse this trend, more drought-tolerant wheat lines are needed so that production on existing fields is increased and cultivation of marginal lands is enabled. Also, drought-tolerant lines of other crops are urgently needed for rapidly expanding arid areas worldwide. Drought tolerance depends mainly on how plants can limit water loss during growth. All plants are protected against excessive transpiration by their waxy skins. However, the effectiveness of the skins differs vastly, from tight-sealed desert plants to crops with relatively poor transpiration control. This suggests that crops can be made more drought-tolerant if their skin is made less water-permeable. My research program aims to enable the breeding of drought-tolerant crops and to understand the function of the skin transpiration barrier. Major progress can be achieved in this area now, as the necessary tools for genetic testing and chemical analysis have recently been developed. This grant will support research into the biological function of plant surface coatings, with immediate application in crops. The objectives of this research are to 1) measure the water loss rates of Arabidopsis model plants with varying skin compositions; 2) survey model crop lines of tomato, wheat and rice for their skin water barriers; 3) map the distribution of waxes on plant surfaces; 4) investigate the natural mechanisms forming plant skin structures. Financial support is requested for a research team of 9 graduate students over five years. They will be trained through experimental work on state-of-the-art instruments, teaching experience, and acquiring soft skills beyond academic research. The proposed research will thus benefit Canada through the training of needed experts, the development of important knowledge, and generating drought-tolerant crop lines.