Complex biological processes such as plant growth and development are often under the control of transcription factors that regulate the expression of large sets of genes and activate subordinate transcription factors in a cascade-like fashion. Here, by screening candidate photosynthesis-related transcription factors in rice, we identified a DREB (Dehydration Responsive Element Binding) family member, OsDREB1C, in which expression is induced by both light and low nitrogen status. We show that OsDREB1C drives functionally diverse transcriptional programs determining photosynthetic capacity, nitrogen utilization, and flowering time. Field trials with
OsDREB1C
-overexpressing rice revealed yield increases of 41.3 to 68.3% and, in addition, shortened growth duration, improved nitrogen use efficiency, and promoted efficient resource allocation, thus providing a strategy toward achieving much-needed increases in agricultural productivity.
Cold stress (CS) inhibits the early growth of maize, leading to reduced productivity. Nitrogen (N) is an essential nutrient that stimulates maize growth and productivity, but the relationship between nitrogen availability and cold tolerance is poorly characterized. Therefore, we studied the acclimation of maize under combined CS and N treatments. Exposure to CS caused a decline in growth and N assimilation but increased abscisic acid (ABA) and carbohydrate accumulation. The application of different N concentrations from the priming stage to the recovery period resulted in the following effects: (1) High N supply alleviated CS-dependent growth inhibition, as shown by increased biomass, chlorophyll and Rubisco contents, PSII efficiency, and carbohydrate partitioning; (2) CS-induced ABA accumulation was repressed under high N, presumably due to enhanced stomatal conductance; (3) The mitigating effects of high N on CS could be due to the increased activities of N assimilation enzymes and improved redox homeostasis. After CS, the recovery ability of maize seedlings increased under high N treatment, indicating the potential role of high N in the CS tolerance of maize seedlings.
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