ORCID Profile
0000-0001-8273-4515
Current Organisations
National Institute of Agricultural Botany Trust
,
Rothamsted Research
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Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-01-2018
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 29-06-2023
Abstract: The common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is an important nutritional source globally but is sensitive to high temperatures and thus particularly vulnerable to climate change. Derived from a breeding program at CIAT (Colombia), a heat-tolerant breeding line, named heat-tolerant Andean-type 4 (HTA4), was developed by a series of crosses of parents with a small-bean tepary genotype (Phaseolus acutifolius L.) in their pedigree, which might be the donor of heat stress (HS) tolerance. Importantly, in HTA4, the large, commercially desirable Andean-type beans was restored. To assess underlying tolerance mechanisms, HTA4, together with a heat-sensitive Colombian variety (Calima), was exposed to HS (31 °C/24 °C HS vs. 26 °C/19 °C day/night) under controlled environment conditions. Vegetative growth and photosynthetic performance were not negatively impacted by HS in either genotype, although senescence was delayed in Calima. HS during the reproductive stage caused an increase in pod number in Calima but with few fully developed seeds and many pods aborted and/or abscised. In contrast, HTA4 maintained a similar filled pod number under HS and a higher seed weight per plant. Pollen showed high sterility in Calima, with many non-viable pollen grains (24.9% viability compared to 98.4% in control) with a thicker exine and fewer starch granules under HS. Calima pollen failed to adhere to the stigma and germinate under HS. In HTA4, pollen viability was significantly higher than in Calima (71.1% viability compared to 95.4% under control), and pollen successfully germinated and formed pollen tubes in the style under HS. It is concluded that HTA4 is heat tolerant and maintains a high level of reproductive output due to its ability to produce healthy pollen that is able to adhere to the stigma.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-04-2023
DOI: 10.1111/PCE.14588
Abstract: PHOSPHORUS‐STARVATION TOLERANCE 1 ( OsPSTOL1 ) is a variably present gene that benefits crown root growth and phosphorus (P) sufficiency in rice ( Oryza sativa ). To explore the ecophysiological importance of this gene, we performed a biogeographic survey of landraces and cultivars, confirming that functional OsPSTOL1 alleles prevail in low nutrient and drought‐prone rainfed ecosystems, whereas loss‐of‐function and absence haplotypes predominate in control‐irrigated paddy varieties of east Asia. An evolutionary history analysis of OsPSTOL1 and related genes in cereal, determined it and other genes are kinase‐only domain derivatives of membrane‐associated receptor like kinases. Finally, to evaluate the potential value of this kinase of unknown function in another Gramineae, wheat ( Triticum aestivum ) lines overexpressing OsPSTOL1 were evaluated under field and controlled low P conditions. OsPSTOL1 enhances growth, crown root number, and overall root plasticity under low P in wheat. Survey of root and shoot crown transcriptomes at two developmental stages identifies transcription factors that are differentially regulated in OsPSTOL1 wheat that are similarly controlled by the gene in rice. In wheat, OsPSTOL1 alters the timing and litude of regulators of root development in dry soils and hastens induction of the core P‐starvation response. OsPSTOL1 and related genes may aid more sustainable cultivation of cereal crops.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-2022
DOI: 10.1002/PEI3.10096
Abstract: To prevent yield losses caused by climate change, it is important to identify naturally tolerant genotypes with traits and related pathways that can be targeted for crop improvement. Here we report on the characterization of contrasting vegetative heat tolerance in two UK bread wheat varieties. Under chronic heat stress, the heat‐tolerant cultivar Cadenza produced an excessive number of tillers which translated into more spikes and higher grain yield compared to heat‐sensitive Paragon. RNAseq and metabolomics analyses revealed that over 5000 genotype‐specific genes were differentially expressed, including photosynthesis‐related genes, which might explain the observed ability of Cadenza to maintain photosynthetic rate under heat stress. Around 400 genes showed a similar heat‐response in both genotypes. Only 71 genes showed a genotype × temperature interaction. As well as known heat‐responsive genes such as heat shock proteins (HSPs), several genes that have not been previously linked to the heat response, particularly in wheat, have been identified, including dehydrins, ankyrin‐repeat protein‐encoding genes, and lipases. Contrary to primary metabolites, secondary metabolites showed a highly differentiated heat response and genotypic differences. These included benzoxazinoid (DIBOA, DIMBOA), and phenylpropanoids and flavonoids with known radical scavenging capacity, which was assessed via the DPPH assay. The most highly heat‐induced metabolite was (glycosylated) propanediol, which is widely used in industry as an anti‐freeze. To our knowledge, this is the first report on its response to stress in plants. The identified metabolites and candidate genes provide novel targets for the development of heat‐tolerant wheat.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-02-2019
DOI: 10.1007/S11103-019-00831-Z
Abstract: Degradation of nitrogen-rich purines is tightly and oppositely regulated under drought and low nitrogen supply in bread wheat. Allantoin is a key target metabolite for improving nitrogen homeostasis under stress. The metabolite allantoin is an intermediate of the catabolism of purines (components of nucleotides) and is known for its housekeeping role in nitrogen (N) recycling and also for its function in N transport and storage in nodulated legumes. Allantoin was also shown to differentially accumulate upon abiotic stress in a range of plant species but little is known about its role in cereals. To address this, purine catabolic pathway genes were identified in hexaploid bread wheat and their chromosomal location was experimentally validated. A comparative study of two Australian bread wheat genotypes revealed a highly significant increase of allantoin (up to 29-fold) under drought. In contrast, allantoin significantly decreased (up to 22-fold) in response to N deficiency. The observed changes were accompanied by transcriptional adjustment of key purine catabolic genes, suggesting that the recycling of purine-derived N is tightly regulated under stress. We propose opposite fates of allantoin in plants under stress: the accumulation of allantoin under drought circumvents its degradation to ammonium (NH
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
No related grants have been discovered for Sigrid Heuer.