Fire-adapted seed traits in Cerrado species

RHUL（英国）和UNESP（巴西）之间的NERC-FAPESP种子基金合作项目"塞拉多物种的火适应种子性状"火是一种全球现象，与气候一起塑造自然和农业用地的植被。我们与火的互动对人类来说既有积极的一面，也有消极的一面。人类长期以来一直使用火，包括景观和杂草管理，以及作为改善耕地作物生长的工具。控制火灾是必要的，以保持健康和刺激恢复荒地生态系统，如巴西塞拉多，地中海，以及英国泥炭地和高沼地。在这些易发生火灾的地区，植物再生在很大程度上是通过土壤储存的植物种子实现的。根据物种、环境、季节和种子特性，土壤储存的种子的发芽可能受到来自烟雾或火产生的热冲击的化合物的刺激。该项目的目的是比较研究适应火灾多发地区的物种的种子，以确定火灾产生的热休克和烟雾作为发芽线索的新机制。衍生的机制将作为杂草管理和作物种子改良的工具进行测试。用烟雾和各种烟雾衍生化合物处理可以刺激某些杂草种子的发芽。这可以用作杂草管理工具，在作物种子播种之前从土壤中去除杂草。然而，我们不知道为什么这在所有环境条件（温度，季节）下对所有杂草物种都不起作用，以及种子结构和种皮特性决定了处理的有效性。烟雾、各种烟雾衍生化合物以及热激处理也可以改善某些蔬菜作物的种子质量和幼苗建立的性能。同样，我们不知道是什么种子结构、种皮特性和基因导致了这些效应，也不知道为什么它只对某些作物有效。为了推进我们在这一主题的知识领先的种子科学实验室的皇家霍洛威大学的伦敦（RHUK，英国）将与专家合作火灾植被管理和巴西塞拉多物种特性的圣保罗州立大学（UNESP，巴西）。FAPESP-NERC项目特别适合支持基于两个资助机构的协议的这种合作。在该项目中，我们将调查不同火适应物种的种子，以确定控制火产生的烟雾和热休克如何影响它们的发芽，可储存性和幼苗建立的新机制。这项工作将使用不同科学和工程领域（包括分子生物学，显微镜/成像，生物力学工程，生理学）的方法进行，通过跨学科合作，与许多适应火灾的物种进行比较。例如，这种方法将识别某些种皮特性或与适应火源线索相关的某些基因。然后，具有相似特性/基因的杂草和作物物种的种子将用于测试所鉴定的新机制是否具有控制杂草或改善作物种子质量的潜力。该联盟在这些应用中拥有坚实的防火植被管理和农业技术专业知识，为气候变化、健康环境和粮食安全方面的全球挑战提供解决方案。

NERC-FAPESP Seedcorn Fund Collaboration Project "Fire-adapted seed traits in Cerrado species" between RHUL (UK) and UNESP (Brazil)Fire is a global phenomenon which together with climate shapes the vegetation of natural and agricultural land. Our interaction with fire is characterised by both positive and negative aspects for mankind. Humans have long used fire including for landscape and weed management, and as tool to improve crop growth on arable land. Controlled fire is necessary to preserve the health and stimulate rejuvenation of wildland ecosystems such as the Brazilian Cerrado, the Mediterranean, as well as UK peatland and moorland. In these fire-prone regions plant regeneration is achieved to a large extent from soil-stored plant seeds. Depending on the species, environment, season and seed properties, the germination of the soil-stored seeds may be stimulated by compounds derived from the smoke or by the fire-generated heat-shock. The aim of the project is to comparatively investigate seeds from species adapted to fire-prone regions to identify novel mechanisms underpinning fire-generated heat-shock and smoke as germination cues. The derived mechanisms will be tested as tools for weed management and crop seed enhancement. Treatment with smoke and various smoke-derived compounds can stimulate the germination of certain weed seeds. This can be used as a weed management tool to deprive the soil from weeds prior to crop seed sowing. We however do not know why this does not work with all weed species, at all ambient conditions (temperature, seasons), and what seed structures and seed coat properties determine the effectiveness of the treatment. Smoke, various smoke-derived compounds, as well as heat-shock treatment can also improve the seed quality and performance of seedling establishment of certain vegetable crops. Again, we do not know what seed structures, seed coat properties and genes are responsible for these effects and why it only works with certain crop species. To advance our knowledge in this topic the leading seed science lab of Royal Holloway University of London (RHUK, United Kingdom) will collaborate with experts for fire vegetation management and Brazilian Cerrado species properties of Sao Paulo State University (UNESP, Brazil). The FAPESP-NERC programme is especially suited to support this collaboration based on the agreement of the two funding agencies.In the project we will investigate seeds of different fire-adapted species to identify novel mechanisms controlling how fire-derived smoke and heat-shock affect their germination, storability, and seedling establishment. This work will be conducted using methods from different science and engineering fields (including molecular biology, microscopy/imaging, biomechanical engineering, physiology) through interdisciplinary collaboration in a comparative approach with many fire-adapted species. This approach will for example identify certain seed coat properties or certain genes associated with the adaptation to fire-derived cues. Seeds of weed and crop species with similar properties/genes will then be used to test if the identified novel mechanism has potential for weed control or improving crop seed quality. The consortium has solid fire vegetation management and agri-technological expertise in these applications to provide solutions for this global challenge in climate change, healthy environment and food security.