Phenotyping in Arabidopsis and Crops—Are We Addressing the Same Traits? A Case Study in Tomato

Abstract

The convenient model Arabidopsis thaliana has allowed tremendous advances in plant genetics and physiology, in spite of only being a weed. It has also unveiled the main molecular networks governing, among others, abiotic stress responses. Through the use of the latest genomic tools, Arabidopsis research is nowadays being translated to agronomically interesting crop models such as tomato, but at a lagging pace. Knowledge transfer has been hindered by invariable differences in plant architecture and behaviour, as well as the divergent direct objectives of research in Arabidopsis vs. crops compromise transferability. In this sense, phenotype translation is still a very complex matter. Here, we point out the challenges of “translational phenotyping” in the case study of drought stress phenotyping in Arabidopsis and tomato. After briefly defining and describing drought stress and survival strategies, we compare drought stress protocols and phenotyping techniques most commonly used in the two species, and discuss their potential to gain insights, which are truly transferable between species. This review is intended to be a starting point for discussion about translational phenotyping approaches among plant scientists, and provides a useful compendium of methods and techniques used in modern phenotyping for this specific plant pair as a case study.

Accumulation of reactive carbonyl species in roots as the primary cause of salt stress‐induced growth retardation of Arabidopsis thaliana

“…These results indicate that the increase in the RCS levels in the roots is a critical cause of salt stress‐induced damage to plants. Considering that oxidative damage is a common stress injury mechanism in many plant species and that research into A. thaliana is currently being translated to crop plants through the use of the latest genomic tools (Krukowski et al, 2020), we can expect that enhancing the RCS scavenging ability in roots through AER overexpression would be a promising molecular breeding strategy for the development of salt‐tolerant crops.…”

Inhibiting Copper Amine Oxidase Using L-Aminoguanidine Induces Cultivar and Age-Dependent Alterations of Polyamine Catabolism in Tomato Seedlings

“…The tomato is a diverse plant species with many cultivars and genotypes. I opment shows some genotype-dependent features and processes, but sometim difficult task to investigate the associations of phenotypes and genotypes [20]…”

“…The tomato is a diverse plant species with many cultivars and genotypes. Its development shows some genotype-dependent features and processes, but sometimes, it is a difficult task to investigate the associations of phenotypes and genotypes [20]. Recent studies mainly focus on their stress tolerance, while the differences in their developmental processes sometimes remain explored.…”

Abiotic stress responses in melon (Cucumis melo): Emerging underlying molecular mechanisms and biotechnological advances to cope with the issue

“…70% of water usage is dedicated to agricultural activities (Korwin Krukowski et al, 2020). By 2050, the amount of water needed for agriculture could double; however, the amount of freshwater available is predicted to decrease by 50% (Gupta et al, 2020).…”