ORCID Profile
0000-0002-5320-6817
Current Organisations
Wageningen University & Research
,
Universiteit Utrecht
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Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 20-09-2023
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 26-05-2021
DOI: 10.1101/2021.05.25.445664
Abstract: Rice feeds more than half of the world's human population. In modern rice farming, a major constraint for productivity is weed proliferation and the ecological impact of herbicide application. Increased weed competitiveness of commercial rice varieties requires enhanced shade casting to limit growth of shade-sensitive weeds and the need for herbicide. We aimed to identify traits that enhance rice shading capacity based on the canopy architecture and the underlying genetic components. We performed a phenotypic screen of a rice ersity panel comprised of 344 varieties, examining 13 canopy architecture traits linked with shading capacity in 4-week-old plants. The analysis revealed a vast range of phenotypic variation across the ersity panel. We used trait correlation and clustering to identify core traits that define shading capacity to be shoot area, number of leaves, culm and solidity (the compactness of the shoot). To simplify the complex canopy architecture, these traits were combined into a Shading Rank metric that is indicative of a plant's ability to cast shade. Genome wide association study (GWAS) revealed genetic loci underlying canopy architecture traits, out of which five loci were substantially contributing to shading potential. Subsequent haplotype analysis further explored allelic variation and identified seven haplotypes associated with increased shading. Identification of traits contributing to shading capacity and underlying allelic variation presented in this study will serve future genomic assisted breeding programmes. The investigated ersity panel, including widely grown varieties, shows that there is big potential and genetic resources for improvement of elite breeding lines. Implementing increased shading in rice breeding will make its farming less dependent on herbicides and contribute towards more environmentally sustainable agriculture.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 28-05-2020
DOI: 10.1101/2020.05.25.114439
Abstract: Plants lacking phytochrome photoreceptors display elevated soluble sugar levels in leaves. Although pathogens principally feed on sugars supplied by the plant, the link between increased plant sugar levels upon phytochrome inactivation and disease development has not been considered. Tomato plants were exposed to control white LED (WL) or a combination of white and far-red LED (WL+FR) light, to inactivate phytochrome signaling and modulate soluble sugar levels. We also experimentally manipulated internal sugar levels by either supplementing glucose or inhibiting photosynthesis in tomato leaflets prior to performing soluble sugar quantifications or bioassays with pathogens. Tomato plants exposed to WL+FR or lacking phytochrome B ( phyB1phyB2 double mutants) show enhanced levels of soluble sugars, especially glucose and fructose, in their leaves. The jasmonic acid biosynthesis mutant def1 also has elevated soluble sugar levels, which could be rescued by exogenous methyl-jasmonate application. This indicates an interplay between JA signaling and primary metabolism. The increase in soluble sugar levels in tomato leaves upon phytochrome inactivation is regulated in a JA-dependent manner. Our data stress the importance of primary metabolism in the FR-induced susceptibility in tomato that could contribute to promote plant resistance when grown at high density.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 11-2013
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-09-2020
DOI: 10.1111/PCE.13870
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 28-01-2022
DOI: 10.1101/2022.01.28.478192
Abstract: Plants detect their neighbors via various cues, including reflected light and touching of leaf tips, which elicit in upward leaf movement (hyponasty). It is currently unknown how touch is sensed and how the signal is transferred from the leaf tip to the petiole base that drives hyponasty. Here, we show that touch-induced hyponasty involves a signal transduction pathway that is distinct from light-mediated hyponasty. We found that mechanostimulation of the leaf tip upon touching causes cytosolic calcium ([Ca 2+ ] cyt induction in leaf tip trichomes that spreads towards the petiole. Both perturbation of the calcium response and the absence of trichomes inhibit touch-induced hyponasty. Finally, using plant competition assays, we show that touch-induced hyponasty is adaptive in dense stands of Arabidopsis. We thus establish a novel, adaptive mechanism regulating hyponastic leaf movement in response to mechanostimulation by neighbors in dense vegetation.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 15-02-2012
DOI: 10.1111/J.1469-8137.2012.04075.X
Abstract: Plants may experience different environmental cues throughout their development which interact in determining their phenotype. This paper tests the hypothesis that environmental conditions experienced early during ontogeny affect the phenotypic response to subsequent environmental cues. This hypothesis was tested by exposing different accessions of Rumex palustris to different light and nutrient conditions, followed by subsequent complete submergence. Final leaf length and submergence-induced plasticity were affected by the environmental conditions experienced at early developmental stages. In developmentally older leaves, submergence-induced elongation was lower in plants previously subjected to high-light conditions. Submergence-induced elongation of developmentally younger leaves, however, was larger when pregrown in high light. High-light and low-nutrient conditions led to an increase of nonstructural carbohydrates in the plants. There was a positive correlation between submergence-induced leaf elongation and carbohydrate concentration and content in roots and shoots, but not with root and shoot biomass before submergence. These results show that conditions experienced by young plants modulate the responses to subsequent environmental conditions, in both magnitude and direction. Internal resource status interacts with cues perceived at different developmental stages in determining plastic responses to the environment.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 24-07-2021
Abstract: Plants detect neighboring competitors through a decrease in the ratio between red and far-red light (R:FR). This decreased R:FR is perceived by phytochrome photoreceptors and triggers shade avoidance responses such as shoot elongation and upward leaf movement (hyponasty). In addition to promoting elongation growth, low R:FR perception enhances plant susceptibility to pathogens: the growth–defense tradeoff. Although increased susceptibility in low R:FR has been studied for over a decade, the associated timing of molecular events is still unknown. Here, we studied the chronology of FR-induced susceptibility events in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants pre-exposed to either white light (WL) or WL supplemented with FR light (WL+FR) prior to inoculation with the necrotrophic fungus Botrytis cinerea (B.c.). We monitored the leaf transcriptional changes over a 30-h time course upon infection and followed up with functional studies to identify mechanisms. We found that FR-induced susceptibility in tomato is linked to a general d ening of B.c.-responsive gene expression, and a delay in both pathogen recognition and jasmonic acid-mediated defense gene expression. In addition, we found that the supplemental FR-induced ethylene emissions affected plant immune responses under the WL+FR condition. This study improves our understanding of the growth–immunity tradeoff, while simultaneously providing leads to improve tomato resistance against pathogens in dense cropping systems.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 21-01-2021
DOI: 10.1101/2021.01.21.427668
Abstract: Plants detect neighboring competitors through a decrease in the ratio between red and far-red light (R:FR). This decreased R:FR is perceived by phytochrome photoreceptors and triggers shade avoidance responses such as shoot elongation and upward leaf movement (hyponasty). In addition to promoting elongation growth, low R:FR perception enhances plant susceptibility to pathogens: the growth-defense trade-off. Although increased susceptibility in low R:FR has been studied for over a decade, the associated timing of molecular events is still unknown. Here, we studied the chronology of FR-induced susceptibility events in tomato plants pre-exposed to either white light (WL) or WL supplemented with FR light (WL+FR) prior to inoculation with the necrotrophic fungus Botrytis cinerea ( B.c. ). We monitored the leaf transcriptional changes over a 30-hr time course upon infection and followed up with functional studies to identify mechanisms. We found that FR-induced susceptibility in tomato is linked to a general d ening of B.c.- responsive gene expression, and a delay in both pathogen recognition and jasmonic acid-mediated defense gene expression. In addition, we found that the supplemental FR-induced ethylene emissions affect plant immune responses under WL+FR conditions. This study increases our understanding of the growth-immunity trade-off, while simultaneously providing leads to improve tomato resistance against pathogens in dense cropping systems. Low Red:Far-red ratio enhances tomato susceptibility towards the necrotrophic fungus Botrytis cinerea via delayed early pathogen detection and d ening of jasmonic acid-mediated defense activation.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 25-11-2011
DOI: 10.1111/J.1469-8137.2010.03552.X
Abstract: • The exploitation of natural variation in Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) provides a huge potential for the identification of the molecular mechanisms underlying this variation as a result of the availability of a vast array of genetic and genomic resources for this species. Eighty-six Arabidopsis accessions were screened for natural variation in flooding tolerance. This forms the first step towards the identification and characterization of the role of candidate genes contributing to flooding tolerance. • Arabidopsis accessions at the 10-leaf stage were subjected to complete submergence in the dark. Survival curves were plotted to estimate median lethal times as a measure of tolerance. Flooding-associated survival parameters, such as root and shoot oxygen content, initial carbohydrate content and petiole elongation under water, were also measured. • There was a significant variation in submergence tolerance among Arabidopsis accessions. However, the order of tolerance did not correlate with root and shoot oxygen content or initial amounts of shoot starch and total soluble sugars. A negative correlation was observed between submergence tolerance and underwater petiole elongation. • Arabidopsis accessions show considerable variation in the ability to tolerate complete submergence, making it a good species in which to identify and characterize genes and to study mechanisms that contribute to survival under water.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 10-08-2010
Abstract: Elongation of leaves and stem is a key trait for survival of terrestrial plants during shallow but prolonged floods that completely submerge the shoot. However, natural floods at different locations vary strongly in duration and depth, and, therefore, populations from these locations are subjected to different selection pressure, leading to intraspecific variation. Here, we identified the signal transduction component that causes response variation in shoot elongation among two accessions of the wetland plant Rumex palustris. These accessions differed 2-fold in petiole elongation rates upon submergence, with fast elongation found in a population from a river floodplain and slow elongation in plants from a lake bank. Fast petiole elongation under water consumes carbohydrates and depends on the (inter)action of the plant hormones ethylene, abscisic acid, and gibberellic acid. We found that carbohydrate levels and dynamics in shoots did not differ between the fast and slow elongating plants, but that the level of ethylene-regulated abscisic acid in petioles, and hence gibberellic acid responsiveness of these petioles explained the difference in shoot elongation upon submergence. Since this is the exact signal transduction level that also explains the variation in flooding-induced shoot elongation among plant species (namely, R. palustris and Rumex acetosa), we suggest that natural selection results in similar modification of regulatory pathways within and between species.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-08-2023
DOI: 10.1002/PPP3.10419
Abstract: Rice farming is transitioning from transplanting rice seedlings towards the less labour‐intensive and less water‐demanding method of directly seeding rice. This, however, is accompanied by increased weed proliferation. To tackle this issue, this study seeks to identify how the crop itself can better suppress weeds, with a focus on light competition via shading. Using a rice ersity panel, traits were identified that contribute to enhanced shading capacity, and these traits were encapsulated into a single shading capacity metric. This was followed by the identification of the genetic loci underpinning variation in the core traits. The identified haplotypes can be used in breeding programmes to improve weed suppression by rice, thus contributing to sustainable agriculture. In modern rice farming, one of the major constraints is weed proliferation and the entailed ecological impact of herbicide application. This requires increased weed competitiveness in current rice varieties, achieved via enhanced shade casting to limit the growth of shade‐sensitive weeds. To identify traits that increase rice shading capacity, we exhaustively phenotyped a rice ersity panel of 344 varieties at an early vegetative stage. A genome‐wide association study (GWAS) revealed genetic loci underlying variation in canopy architecture traits linked with shading capacity. The screen shows considerable natural variation in shoot architecture for 13 examined traits, of which shading potential is mostly determined by projected shoot area, number of leaves, culm height and canopy solidity. The shading rank, a metric based on these core traits, identifies varieties with the highest shading potential. Five genetic loci were found to be associated with canopy architecture, shading potential and early vigour. Identification of traits contributing to shading capacity and underlying allelic variation will serve future genomic‐assisted breeding programmes. Implementing the presented genetic resources for increased shading and weed competitiveness in rice breeding will make its farming less dependent on herbicides and contribute towards more environmentally sustainable agriculture.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 27-03-2006
DOI: 10.1111/J.1469-8137.2006.01692.X
Abstract: Flooding is a widespread phenomenon that drastically reduces the growth and survival of terrestrial plants. The dramatic decrease of gas diffusion in water compared with in air is a major problem for terrestrial plants and limits the entry of CO 2 for photosynthesis and of O 2 for respiration. Responses to avoid the adverse effects of submergence are the central theme in this review. These include underwater photosynthesis, aerenchyma formation and enhanced shoot elongation. Aerenchyma facilitates gas diffusion inside plants so that shoot‐derived O 2 can diffuse to O 2 ‐deprived plant parts, such as the roots. The underwater gas‐exchange capacity of leaves can be greatly enhanced by a thinner cuticle, reorientation of the chloroplasts towards the epidermis and increased specific leaf area (i.e. thinner leaves). At the same time, plants can outgrow the water through increased shoot elongation, which in some species is preceded by an adjustment of leaf angle to a more vertical position. The molecular regulatory networks involved in these responses, including the putative signals to sense submergence, are discussed and suggestions made on how to unravel the mechanistic basis of the induced expression of various adaptations that alleviate O 2 shortage underwater. Contents Summary 213 I. Introduction 213 II. Sensing of submergence 214 III. Internal aeration and underwater photosynthesis 217 IV. Stimulated shoot elongation 219 V. Perspectives 221 Acknowledgements 222 References 222
No related grants have been discovered for Ronald Pierik.