Genetic strategies for improving crop yields

Bailey‐Serres, Julia; Parker, Jane E.; Ainsworth, Elizabeth A.; Oldroyd, Giles; Schroeder, Julian

doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1679-0

Cited by 843 publications

(492 citation statements)

References 154 publications

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“…A better understanding of these modifications would provide additional tools for breeders with regards to acclimation and adaptation of crops to combat climate change. The integration of both genetic resources and emerging molecular approaches such as genome editing and synthetic biology, together with ecological studies, have been applied to this aim [5,7].…”

Section: Plants Are Necessary To Remove Co 2 From the Atmospherementioning

confidence: 99%

Plant Cell Walls Tackling Climate Change: Biotechnological Strategies to Improve Crop Adaptations and Photosynthesis in Response to Global Warming

Ezquer

Salameh

Colombo

et al. 2020

Plants

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Plant cell wall (CW) is a complex and intricate structure that performs several functions throughout the plant life cycle. The CW of plants is critical to the maintenance of cells' structural integrity by resisting internal hydrostatic pressures, providing flexibility to support cell division and expansion during tissue differentiation, and acting as an environmental barrier that protects the cells in response to abiotic stress. Plant CW, comprised primarily of polysaccharides, represents the largest sink for photosynthetically fixed carbon, both in plants and in the biosphere. The CW structure is highly varied, not only between plant species but also among different organs, tissues, and cell types in the same organism. During the developmental processes, the main CW components, i.e., cellulose, pectins, hemicelluloses, and different types of CW-glycoproteins, interact constantly with each other and with the environment to maintain cell homeostasis. Differentiation processes are altered by positional effect and are also tightly linked to environmental changes, affecting CW both at the molecular and biochemical levels. The negative effect of climate change on the environment is multifaceted, from high temperatures, altered concentrations of greenhouse gases such as increasing CO 2 in the atmosphere, soil salinity, and drought, to increasing frequency of extreme weather events taking place concomitantly, therefore, climate change affects crop productivity in multiple ways. Rising CO 2 concentration in the atmosphere is expected to increase photosynthetic rates, especially at high temperatures and under water-limited conditions. This review aims to synthesize current knowledge regarding the effects of climate change on CW biogenesis and modification. We discuss specific cases in crops of interest carrying cell wall modifications that enhance tolerance to climate change-related stresses; from cereals such as rice, wheat, barley, or maize to dicots of interest such as brassica oilseed, cotton, soybean, tomato, or potato. This information could be used for the rational design of genetic engineering traits that aim to increase the stress tolerance in key crops. Future growing conditions expose plants to variable and extreme climate change factors, which negatively impact global agriculture, and therefore further research in this area is critical.

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Section: Plants Are Necessary To Remove Co 2 From the Atmospherementioning

confidence: 99%

Plant Cell Walls Tackling Climate Change: Biotechnological Strategies to Improve Crop Adaptations and Photosynthesis in Response to Global Warming

Ezquer

Salameh

Colombo

et al. 2020

Plants

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“…The exclusive client of Rca is the photosynthetic key enzyme Rubisco (ribulose-1,5bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase), which is directly or indirectly responsible for all biomass production. Since Rca is required for optimal Rubisco function, understanding its mechanism is important in efforts to enhance photosynthesis with the goal to increasing crop yields (Andralojc et al, 2018;Bailey-Serres et al, 2019;Eva et al, 2019;Sharwood, 2017;Singer et al, 2019;Slattery and Ort, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dual Role of a Rubisco Activase in Metabolic Repair and Carboxysome Organization

Hayer‐Hartl

Flecken

Wang

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Rubisco, the key enzyme of CO2 fixation in photosynthesis, is prone to inactivation by inhibitory sugar phosphates. Inhibited Rubisco undergoes conformational repair by the hexameric AAA+ chaperone Rubisco activase (Rca) in a process that is not well understood. Here we performed a structural and mechanistic analysis of cyanobacterial Rca, a close homolog of plant Rca. In the Rca:Rubisco complex, Rca is positioned over the Rubisco catalytic site under repair and pulls the N-terminal tail of the large Rubisco subunit (RbcL) into the hexamer pore. Simultaneous displacement of the C-terminus of the adjacent RbcL opens the catalytic site for inhibitor release.An alternative interaction of Rca with Rubisco is mediated by C-terminal domains that resemble the small Rubisco subunit. These domains, together with the N-terminal AAA+ hexamer, ensure that Rca is packaged with Rubisco into carboxysomes. Cyanobacterial Rca is a dual-purpose protein with functions in Rubisco repair and carboxysome organization.

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“…7E). The Providing a sufficient amount of high quality, nutrient-dense and toxin-free food using 277 sustainable and environmentally friendly approaches are among the grand challenges of the 278 21 st century, driven by the population growth, increasing instances of extreme weather 279 conditions and decreasing arable land resources that limit crop yields [1,34,35]. Considering 280 that a micronutrient copper is among yield-limiting factors of a globally important crop, 281 wheat, here we sought to determine how copper is delivered to reproductive organs in a 282 wheat model, brachypodium.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

YSL3-mediated copper distribution is required for fertility, grain yield, and size in Brachypodium

Sheng

Jiang

Ishka

et al. 2019

Preprint

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35Addressing the looming global food security crisis requires the development of high yielding 36 crops. In this regard, the deficiency for the micronutrient copper in agricultural soils 37 decreases grain yield and significantly impacts a globally important crop, wheat. In cereals, 38 grain yield is determined by inflorescence architecture, flower fertility, grain size and weight. 39 Whether copper is involved in these processes and how it is delivered to the reproductive 40 organs is not well understood. We show that copper deficiency alters not only the grain set 41 but also flower development in both wheat and it's recognized model, Brachypodium 42 distachyon, We then show that a brachypodium yellow-stripe-like 3 (YSL3) transporter 43 localizes to the phloem and mediates copper delivery to flag leaves, anthers and pistils. 44 Failure to deliver copper to these structures in the ysl3 CRISPR/Cas9 mutant results in 45 delayed flowering, altered inflorescence architecture, reduced floret fertility, grain number, 46 size, and weight. These defects are rescued by copper supplementation and are complemented 47 by the YSL3 cDNA. This new knowledge will help to devise sustainable approaches for 48 improving grain yield in regions where soil quality is a major obstacle for crop production. 49 50Global food security and the demand for high-yielding grain crops are among the most urgent 51 drivers of modern plant sciences due to the current trend of population growth, extreme 52 weather conditions and decreasing arable land resources [1]. The grain yield is directly linked 53 to the crop and soil fertility. In this regard, it has been known for decades that the deficiency 54 for the micronutrient copper in alkaline, coarse-textured or organic soils that occupy more 55 than 30% of the world arable land, compromises crop fertility, reduces grain/seed yield and in 56 acute cases results in crop failure [2][3][4][5]. In accord with the essential role of copper in 57 reproduction, recent studies using synchrotron x-ray fluorescent (SXRF) microscopy 58 established that copper localizes to anthers and pistils of flowers in a model dicotyledonous 59 species, Arabidopsis thaliana, and failure to deliver copper to these reproductive organs 60 severely compromises fertility and seed set [6]. Although copper deficiency can be remedied 61 by the application of copper-based fertilizers, this approach is not environmentally friendly 62 and can lead to the build-up of toxic copper levels in soils [2,5,7]. Mineral nutrient 63 transporters have been recognized as key targets for improving the mineral use efficiency in 64 sustainable crop production [8]. Wheat is the world's third important staple crop after maize 65 (Zea mays) and rice (Oryza sativa); however, wheat grain yield remained relatively low under 66 marginal growing environments despite significant breeding efforts [9]. Wheat is also 67 regarded as the most sensitive to copper deficiency [2, 3,5]. How copper uptake and internal 68 transport is achieved in wheat and how it af...

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Genetic strategies for improving crop yields

Cited by 843 publications

References 154 publications

Plant Cell Walls Tackling Climate Change: Biotechnological Strategies to Improve Crop Adaptations and Photosynthesis in Response to Global Warming

Plant Cell Walls Tackling Climate Change: Biotechnological Strategies to Improve Crop Adaptations and Photosynthesis in Response to Global Warming

Dual Role of a Rubisco Activase in Metabolic Repair and Carboxysome Organization

YSL3-mediated copper distribution is required for fertility, grain yield, and size in Brachypodium

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