Senescence is an age-dependent process, ultimately leading to plant death, that in annual crop plants overlaps with the reproductive stage of development. Research on the molecular and biochemical mechanisms of leaf senescence has revealed a multi-layered regulatory network operating to control age-dependent processes. Abiotic stress-induced senescence challenges source-sink relationships and results in significant reduction in crop yields. Although processes associated with plant senescence are well studied, the mechanisms regulating stress-induced senescence are not well known. Here, we discuss the effects of abiotic stress on crop productivity, mechanisms associated with stress-induced senescence, and the possible use of these mechanisms for the generation of plant stress tolerance. We emphasize the involvement of source strength and stability of the photosynthetic apparatus in this process, and suggest a possible role of a perennial plant life strategy for the amelioration of stress-induced senescence.

Silencing of the CHLOROPLAST VESICULATION gene leads to plant stress tolerance and increased nitrogen assimilation in rice.

High CO2 concentrations stimulate net photosynthesis by increasing CO2 substrate availability for Rubisco, simultaneously suppressing photorespiration. Previously, we reported that silencing the chloroplast vesiculation (cv) gene in rice increased source fitness, through the maintenance of chloroplast stability and the expression of photorespiration‐associated genes. Because high atmospheric CO2 conditions diminished photorespiration, we tested whether CV silencing might be a viable strategy to improve the effects of high CO2 on grain yield and N assimilation in rice. Under elevated CO2, OsCV expression was induced, and OsCV was targeted to peroxisomes where it facilitated the removal of OsPEX11‐1 from the peroxisome and delivered it to the vacuole for degradation. This process correlated well with the reduction in the number of peroxisomes, the decreased catalase activity and the increased H2O2 content in wild‐type plants under elevated CO2. At elevated CO2, CV‐silenced rice plants maintained peroxisome proliferation and photorespiration and displayed higher N assimilation than wild‐type plants. This was supported by higher activity of enzymes involved in NO3− and NH4+ assimilation and higher total and seed protein contents. Co‐immunoprecipitation of OsCV‐interacting proteins suggested that, similar to its role in chloroplast protein turnover, OsCV acted as a scaffold, binding peroxisomal proteins.

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Bacteria exhibiting 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase activity, which inhibits the biosynthesis of ethylene in higher plants, promote plant growth through the degradation of ethylene precursors, such as ACC. ACC deaminase activity in Bradyrhizobium sp. SUTN9-2 was enhanced by genetic engineering and adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE)-based methods. The transferal of a plasmid containing the acdR and acdS genes into SUTN9-2 was genetic engineering improved, while the ALE method was performed based on the accumulation of an adaptive bacterial population that continuously grew under specified growth conditions for a long time. ACC deaminase enzyme activity was 8.9-fold higher in SUTN9-2:pMG103::acdRS and 1.4-fold higher in SUTN9-2 (ACCDadap) than in the wild-type strain. The effects of increased activity were examined in the host plant (Vigna radiata (L.) R.Wilczek SUT1). The improved strains enhanced nodulation in early stage of plant growth. SUTN9-2:pMG103::acdRS also maintained nitrogen fixation under water deficit conditions and increased the plant biomass after rehydration. Changes in nucleotides and amino acids in the AcdS protein of SUTN9-2 (ACCDadap) were then investigated. Some nucleotides predicted to be located in the ACC-binding site were mutated. These mutations may have increased ACC deaminase activity, which enhanced both symbiotic interactions and drought tolerance and promoted recovery after rehydration more than lower ACC deaminase activity. Adaptive evolution represents a promising strategy for further applications in the field.

Bacterial 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase is a key factor for alleviating the plant ethylene biosynthesis, which is induced by stress. The ACC deaminase-improved strains of the rice endophytic Bradyrhizobium sp. SUTN9-2, SUTN9-2 (ACCDadap) and SUTN9-2:pMG103::acdRS, exhibit 1.4-and 8.9-fold higher ACC deaminase activity than the wild type, respectively (Sarapat S, Songwattana P, Longtonglang A, Umnajkitikorn K, Girdthai T, Tittabutr P, Boonkerd N, Teaumroong N. 2020. Effects of Increased 1-Aminocyclopropane-1-Carboxylate (ACC) Deaminase Activity in Bradyrhizobium sp. SUTN9-2 on Mung Bean Symbiosis under Water Deficit Conditions. Microbes Environ. 35). The effects of these on rice growth under water deficit conditions were evaluated. The bacterial inoculations reduced ethylene synthesis, leading to a reduction in membrane destruction and the chlorophyll content of rice. Furthermore, the bacterial inoculations improved the leaf relative water content, survival, recovery rates, and improved the crop yield in field conditions. Therefore, the water deficit tolerance of rice was improved by controlling ethylene biosynthesis by improving ACC deaminase activity with endophytic SUTN9-2. Moreover, the SUTN9-2 (ACCDadap) strain can be used as a bio-inoculant under field conditions to enhance rice growth, grain yield, and enhance drought tolerance.

Under water deficit conditions, the essential macronutrient nitrogen becomes limited as a result of reduced dissolved nitrogen and root nitrogen uptake. An elevated nitrogen level might be able to mitigate these effects, integrated with the idea of using nitric oxide as abiotic stress tolerant inducers. In this study, we evaluated the potential of using elevated nitrogen priming prior to water shortage to mitigate plant stress through nitric oxide accumulation. We grew rice plants in 300 mg L−1 nitrogen for 10 weeks, then we primed plants with four different nitrogen concentrations: 100, 300 (control), 500 and 1000 mg L−1 nitrogen prior to inducing water deficit conditions. Plants primed with 500 mg L−1 nitrogen possessed a higher photosynthetic rate, relative water content, electrolyte leakage and lipid peroxidation under water deficit conditions, compared to control plants. The induction of water deficit tolerance was supported with the activation of antioxidant defense system, induced by the accumulation of nitric oxide in leaves and roots of rice plants. We originally demonstrated the accumulation of nitric oxide in leaves of rice plants. The elevated nitrogen priming can be used to enhance water deficit tolerance in irrigated paddy fields, instead of nitric oxide donors.