Genetic Control of Water Use Efficiency and Leaf Carbon Isotope Discrimination in Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) Subjected to Two Drought Scenarios

Abstract

High water use efficiency (WUE) can be achieved by coordination of biomass accumulation and water consumption. WUE is physiologically and genetically linked to carbon isotope discrimination (CID) in leaves of plants. A population of 148 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) of sunflower derived from a cross between XRQ and PSC8 lines was studied to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling WUE and CID, and to compare QTL associated with these traits in different drought scenarios. We conducted greenhouse experiments in 2011 and 2012 by using 100 balances which provided a daily measurement of water transpired, and we determined WUE, CID, biomass and cumulative water transpired by plants. Wide phenotypic variability, significant genotypic effects, and significant negative correlations between WUE and CID were observed in both experiments. A total of nine QTL controlling WUE and eight controlling CID were identified across the two experiments. A QTL for phenotypic response controlling WUE and CID was also significantly identified. The QTL for WUE were specific to the drought scenarios, whereas the QTL for CID were independent of the drought scenarios and could be found in all the experiments. Our results showed that the stable genomic regions controlling CID were located on the linkage groups 06 and 13 (LG06 and LG13). Three QTL for CID were co-localized with the QTL for WUE, biomass and cumulative water transpired. We found that CID and WUE are highly correlated and have common genetic control. Interestingly, the genetic control of these traits showed an interaction with the environment (between the two drought scenarios and control conditions). Our results open a way for breeding higher WUE by using CID and marker-assisted approaches and therefore help to maintain the stability of sunflower crop production.

Salinity tolerance loci revealed in rice using high-throughput non-invasive phenotyping

“…Because TUE is a derived complex trait that has often been phenotyped using surrogate traits, genetic association with TUE has been challenging13262728. Nevertheless, we established a clear association between TUE and genetic loci.…”

Assessing the Spatiotemporal Dynamic of Global Grassland Water Use Efficiency in Response to Climate Change from 2000 to 2013

“…, Adiredjo et al. ). Meanwhile, the development of the eddy covariance technology has greatly benefitted the field measurements of WUE, which can monitor the carbon and water vapour flux at a more specific temporal scale at site levels (Law et al.…”

“…The vegetation WUE has also been investigated at multiple scales. The leaf measurements of the WUE, which play a critical role in tracing the water movement along the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum, have become available because of the stable isotope technique (Sun et al 2005, Adiredjo et al 2014. Meanwhile, the development of the eddy covariance technology has greatly benefitted the field measurements of WUE, which can monitor the carbon and water vapour flux at a more specific temporal scale at site levels (Law et al 2002, Sun et al 2002.…”

Carbon isotope composition, water use efficiency, and drought sensitivity are controlled by a common genomic segment in maize

“…Co-localized QTL for WUE and δ 13 C have previously been found in C 3 species (Adiredjo et al 2014; Easlon et al 2014) and recently in the C 4 species Setaria (Ellsworth et al 2018). Welcker et al (2011) showed for maize that responses to both evaporative demand and soil water deficit are affected to a large extent by the same genomic regions.…”