Genetic Variability and Determinism of Adaptation of Plants to Soil Waterlogging

Abstract

Flooding or waterlogging, and associated soil hypoxia, affect severely the growth and fitness of plant species, from crops to forest ecosystems. An improved understanding of the intra-species genetic diversity of traits involved in hypoxia tolerance is a prerequisite for crop breeding programmes aimed at increasing the tolerance to waterlogging, as well as for assessing the adaptability of natural populations to waterlogging. Some genotypes within the species have developed adaptations to hypoxia, as shown by differences among populations in growth and fitness, and in traits conferring some degree of tolerance such as sequence, expression and activity of alcohol dehydrogenase, or the ability to develop adventitious roots, increased tissue porosity and hypertrophied lenticels. Genetic control has been estimated for a number of such traits. Overall, under waterlogging, specific tolerance traits show higher heritabilities compared to traits quantifying productivity, damage or overall performance. Genomic regions involved in the control of these traits (i.e., Quantitative Trait Loci QTL) have been detected for tolerance traits in a few species, and allow gaining some insight into the genetic basis of the observed natural diversity or may be a starting point for breeding purposes. However, only for submergence tolerance in rice (sub-1) has a successful gene candidate approach resulted in the detection of alleles that are directly involved in the tolerance process.

Nitrogen fertility and abiotic stresses management in cotton crop: a review

“…Various phenotype-based keys have been used in genetic studies (Parelle et al 2010) and in breeding programs (Zhou 2010 (Christianson et al, 2010;Ellis et al 2000) Environ Sci Pollut Res Agronomic characteristics characterize genetic and environmental effects on crop development. A genetic approach is deficient if one is searching for a specific gene conferring waterlogging tolerance (Qiu et al 2007).…”

Functional traits and adaptive capacity of European forests to climate change

“…The predicted increase of winter rain in some European regions may expose forest tree species, as Fagus sylvatica, to hypoxic conditions at stands vulnerable to prolonged spring flooding (Parelle et al, 2007(Parelle et al, , 2010, so producing damage on roots and making trees more sensitive to summer drought.…”

Physiological and cellular aspects of phytotoxicity tolerance in plants: the role of membrane transporters and implications for crop breeding for waterlogging tolerance

“…The agronomic definition of waterlogging tolerance is the maintenance of relatively high grain yields under waterlogging relative to non‐waterlogged conditions (Setter & Waters, 2003). Accordingly, numerous phenotype‐based indices have been used both in genetic studies (Parelle et al. , 2010) and in breeding programs (Zhou, 2010).…”

“…. Accordingly, numerous phenotype-based indices have been used both in genetic studies (Parelle et al, 2010) and in breeding programs (Zhou, 2010). As a result, nearly all published papers reporting quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with waterlogging stress tolerance deal with agronomical and morphological characteristics (Table 1).…”