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Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Cereals
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Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Cereals

A topical collection in Biology (ISSN 2079-7737). This collection belongs to the section "Plant Science".

Viewed by 20273

Editor

Prof. Dr. Dorothea Bartels

E-Mail Website
Collection Editor
IMBIO, University of Bonn, Kirschallee 1, D-53115 Bonn, Germany
Interests: tolerance to dehydration; stress gene networks; desiccation tolerance; regulation of gene expression on the transcriptional and posttranscriptional level; gene discovery

Topical Collection Information

Dear Colleagues,

The ongoing climate change will lead to episodes of adverse weather conditions worldwide. This will challenge the production of agricultural plants. Due to the adverse climate conditions, plants are often subjected to extreme temperature regimes or periods of water shortage, which will lead to increased soil salinity and/or saline irrigation water. Cereal crops such as wheat, rice, barley, maize and sorghum are essential for food security, and one of the most urgent global challenges is to secure and even increase cereal production under constantly changing environmental conditions.

A lot of knowledge on plant stress tolerance has been gained from in-depth studies of genetic model plants such as Arabidopsis thaliana. It has been shown how physiology and genetic selection can contribute to a better tolerance to environmental abiotic stressors. Many research projects have been started to transfer knowledge from model organisms to agricultural plants to improve stress tolerance. Additional avenues of research try to exploit the broad genetic diversity which can be found in germplasms and which has been used in breeding programmes to select genes that are correlated with stress tolerance.

The aim of this collection of articles is to provide an overview of the current dynamic knowledge of stress tolerance in cereals and how this knowledge can be used in breeding programmes to produce cereals with robust stress tolerance. We now know that complex traits such as abiotic stress tolerance are not governed by a single gene but that genes are linked and are governed by transcription factors to form gene networks. This is reflected in the fact that stress tolerance is often best characterized by quantitative trait loci. The availability of complete genome sequences offers the possibility to analyse genes and epigenomes on a genome-wide scale.

This Topical Collection will review the current knowledge of stress tolerance in cereals taking into account gene identification, gene expression networks and the genome-wide regulation of stress responses. Questions will be raised on how the current knowledge can be exploited in modern plant breeding programmes. The focus of this Topical Collection will be on cereals such as wheat, barley, rice, maize, and sorghum, but it will also consider the “so-called“ orphan crops as they exhibit stress tolerance. The main stressors to be included are dehydration (drought), salt, and temperature (high and low).

Prof. Dr. Dorothea Bartels
Collection Editor

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Keywords

  • functional analysis of stress genes
  • stress response pathways
  • plant breeding
  • genomic resources for gene discovery
  • engineering of stress tolerance
  • dehydration
  • salinity
  • high temperature
  • low temperature

Published Papers (7 papers)

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2023

Jump to: 2022

12 pages, 1547 KiB  
Review
The Circadian Clock Coordinates the Tradeoff between Adaptation to Abiotic Stresses and Yield in Crops
by Hang Xu, Yi Zuo, Jian Wei and Lei Wang
Biology 2023, 12(11), 1364; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12111364 - 24 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1990
Abstract
Plants have evolved a circadian clock to adapt to ever-changing diel and seasonal environmental conditions. The circadian clock is generally considered an internal system that has evolved to adapt to cyclic environmental cues, especially diel light and temperature changes, which is essential for [...] Read more.
Plants have evolved a circadian clock to adapt to ever-changing diel and seasonal environmental conditions. The circadian clock is generally considered an internal system that has evolved to adapt to cyclic environmental cues, especially diel light and temperature changes, which is essential for higher plants as they are sessile organisms. This system receives environmental signals as input pathways which are integrated by circadian core oscillators to synchronize numerous output pathways, such as photosynthesis, the abiotic stress response, metabolism, and development. Extreme temperatures, salinity, and drought stresses cause huge crop losses worldwide, imposing severe pressure on areas of agricultural land. In crop production, the circadian system plays a significant role in determining flowering time and responding to external abiotic stresses. Extensive studies over the last two decades have revealed that the circadian clock can help balance the tradeoff between crop yield-related agronomic traits and adaptation to stress. Herein, we focus on summarizing how the circadian clock coordinates abiotic stress responses and crop yield. We also propose that there might be an urgent need to better utilize circadian biology in the future design of crop breeding to achieve high yields under stress conditions. Full article
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12 pages, 1103 KiB  
Article
Effect of Low Light Stress on Distribution of Auxin (Indole-3-acetic Acid) between Shoot and Roots and Development of Lateral Roots in Barley Plants
by Alla Korobova, Ruslan Ivanov, Leila Timergalina, Lidiya Vysotskaya, Tatiana Nuzhnaya, Guzel Akhiyarova, Victor Kusnetsov, Dmitry Veselov and Guzel Kudoyarova
Biology 2023, 12(6), 787; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12060787 - 29 May 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2197
Abstract
Depending on their habitat conditions, plants can greatly change the growth rate of their roots. However, the mechanisms of such responses remain insufficiently clear. The influence of a low level of illumination on the content of endogenous auxins, their localization in leaves and [...] Read more.
Depending on their habitat conditions, plants can greatly change the growth rate of their roots. However, the mechanisms of such responses remain insufficiently clear. The influence of a low level of illumination on the content of endogenous auxins, their localization in leaves and transport from shoots to roots were studied and related to the lateral root branching of barley plants. Following two days’ reduction in illumination, a 10-fold reduction in the emergence of lateral roots was found. Auxin (IAA, indole-3-acetic acid) content decreased by 84% in roots and by 30% in shoots, and immunolocalization revealed lowered IAA levels in phloem cells of leaf sections. The reduced content of IAA found in the plants under low light suggests an inhibition of production of this hormone under these conditions. At the same time, two-fold downregulation of the LAX3 gene expression, facilitating IAA influx into the cells, was detected in the roots, as well as a decline in auxin diffusion from shoots through the phloem by about 60%. It was suggested that the reduced emergence of lateral roots in barley under a low level of illumination was due to a disturbance of auxin transport through the phloem and down-regulation of the genes responsible for auxin transport in plant roots. The results confirm the importance of the long distance transport of auxins for the control of the growth of roots under conditions of low light. Further study of the mechanisms that control the transport of auxins from shoots to roots in other plant species is required. Full article
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15 pages, 3485 KiB  
Article
Generation of High-Value Genomic Resource in Rice: A “Subgenomic Library” of Low-Light Tolerant Rice Cultivar Swarnaprabha
by Sovanlal Sahu, Payal Gupta, Thirumalanahalli Prakash Gowtham, Kumar Shiva Yogesh, Tenkabailu Dharmanna Sanjay, Ayushi Singh, Hay Van Duong, Sharat Kumar Pradhan, Deepak Singh Bisht, Nagendra Kumar Singh, Mirza J. Baig, Rhitu Rai and Prasanta K. Dash
Biology 2023, 12(3), 428; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12030428 - 10 Mar 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1920
Abstract
Rice is the major staple food crop for more than 50% of the world’s total population, and its production is of immense importance for global food security. As a photophilic plant, its yield is governed by the quality and duration of light. Like [...] Read more.
Rice is the major staple food crop for more than 50% of the world’s total population, and its production is of immense importance for global food security. As a photophilic plant, its yield is governed by the quality and duration of light. Like all photosynthesizing plants, rice perceives the changes in the intensity of environmental light using phytochromes as photoreceptors, and it initiates a morphological response that is termed as the shade-avoidance response (SAR). Phytochromes (PHYs) are the most important photoreceptor family, and they are primarily responsible for the absorption of the red (R) and far-red (FR) spectra of light. In our endeavor, we identified the morphological differences between two contrasting cultivars of rice: IR-64 (low-light susceptible) and Swarnaprabha (low-light tolerant), and we observed the phenological differences in their growth in response to the reduced light conditions. In order to create genomic resources for low-light tolerant rice, we constructed a subgenomic library of Swarnaprabha that expedited our efforts to isolate light-responsive photoreceptors. The titer of the library was found to be 3.22 × 105 cfu/mL, and the constructed library comprised clones of 4–9 kb in length. The library was found to be highly efficient as per the number of recombinant clones. The subgenomic library will serve as a genomic resource for the Gramineae community to isolate photoreceptors and other genes from rice. Full article
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2022

Jump to: 2023

18 pages, 3356 KiB  
Article
Knocking Out the Transcription Factor OsNAC092 Promoted Rice Drought Tolerance
by Bo Wang, Yiheng Wang, Wancong Yu, Luping Wang, Qingkuo Lan, Yong Wang, Chengbin Chen and Yong Zhang
Biology 2022, 11(12), 1830; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11121830 - 15 Dec 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1917
Abstract
Environmental drought stress threatens rice production. Previous studies have reported that related NAC (NAM, ATAF1/2, and CUC) transcription factors play an important role in drought stress. Herein, we identified and characterized OsNAC092, encoding an NAC transcription factor that is highly expressed [...] Read more.
Environmental drought stress threatens rice production. Previous studies have reported that related NAC (NAM, ATAF1/2, and CUC) transcription factors play an important role in drought stress. Herein, we identified and characterized OsNAC092, encoding an NAC transcription factor that is highly expressed and induced during drought tolerance. OsNAC092 knockout lines created using the clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-associated protein 9 (Cas9) system exhibited increased drought resistance in rice. RNA sequencing showed that the knockout of OsNAC092 caused a global expression change, and differential gene expression is chiefly associated with “response to light stimulus,” “MAPK signaling pathway,” “plant hormone signal transduction,” “response to oxidative stress,” “photosynthesis,” and “water deprivation.” In addition, the antioxidants and enzyme activities of the redox response were significantly increased. OsNAC092 mutant rice exhibited a higher ability to scavenge more ROS and maintained a high GSH/GSSG ratio and redox level under drought stress, which could protect cells from oxidant stress, revealing the importance of OsNAC092 in the rice’s response to abiotic stress. Functional analysis of OsNAC092 will be useful to explore many rice resistance genes in molecular breeding to aid in the development of modern agriculture. Full article
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20 pages, 8666 KiB  
Article
Exploring the Potential Enhancing Effects of Trans-Zeatin and Silymarin on the Productivity and Antioxidant Defense Capacity of Cadmium-Stressed Wheat
by Esmat F. Ali, Alshafei M. Aljarani, Fozia A. Mohammed, El-Sayed M. Desoky, Ibrahim A. A. Mohamed, Mohamed El-Sharnouby, Suzan A. Tammam, Fahmy A. S. Hassan, Mostafa M. Rady and Ahmed Shaaban
Biology 2022, 11(8), 1173; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11081173 - 4 Aug 2022
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2772
Abstract
Pot trials were performed to explore the impacts of seed priming (SPr) plus leaf treatment (LTr) with trans-zeatin-type cytokinin (tZck; 0.05 mM) and silymarin (Sim; 0.5 mM) on growth, yield, physio-biochemical responses, and antioxidant defense systems in Cd-stressed wheat. t [...] Read more.
Pot trials were performed to explore the impacts of seed priming (SPr) plus leaf treatment (LTr) with trans-zeatin-type cytokinin (tZck; 0.05 mM) and silymarin (Sim; 0.5 mM) on growth, yield, physio-biochemical responses, and antioxidant defense systems in Cd-stressed wheat. tZck + Sim applied as SPr + LTr was more effective than individual treatments, and the impacts were more pronounced under stress conditions. Cd stress (0.6 mM) severely declined growth and yield traits, and photosynthesis efficiency (pigment contents, instantaneous carboxylation efficiency, and photochemical activity) compared to the control. These negative impacts coincided with increased levels of Cd2+, O2•− (superoxide), H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide), MDA (malondialdehyde), and EL (electrolyte leakage). Non-enzymatic and enzymatic antioxidant activities, and tZck and Sim contents were also increased. However, tZck + Sim increased photosynthesis efficiency, and further boosted antioxidant activities, and contents of tZck and Sim, while minimizing Cd2+ levels in roots, leaves, and grains. The levels of O2•−, H2O2, MDA, and EL were also minimized, reflecting positively on growth and productivity. tZck + Sim applied as SPr + LTr was highly effective in promoting antioxidants and photosynthesis machineries, minimizing oxidative stress biomarkers and Cd2+ levels, boosting tolerance to Cd stress, and improving wheat productivity under Cd stress. Full article
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29 pages, 2418 KiB  
Review
Multi-Omics and Integrative Approach towards Understanding Salinity Tolerance in Rice: A Review
by Pandiyan Muthuramalingam, Rajendran Jeyasri, Kasinathan Rakkammal, Lakkakula Satish, Sasanala Shamili, Adhimoolam Karthikeyan, Alaguvel Valliammai, Arumugam Priya, Anthonymuthu Selvaraj, Pandiyan Gowri, Qiang-Sheng Wu, Shunmugiah Karutha Pandian, Hyunsuk Shin, Jen-Tsung Chen, Venkidasamy Baskar, Muthu Thiruvengadam, Manoharan Akilan and Manikandan Ramesh
Biology 2022, 11(7), 1022; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11071022 - 7 Jul 2022
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 5351
Abstract
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) plants are simultaneously encountered by environmental stressors, most importantly salinity stress. Salinity is the major hurdle that can negatively impact growth and crop yield. Understanding the salt stress and its associated complex trait mechanisms for enhancing salt tolerance [...] Read more.
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) plants are simultaneously encountered by environmental stressors, most importantly salinity stress. Salinity is the major hurdle that can negatively impact growth and crop yield. Understanding the salt stress and its associated complex trait mechanisms for enhancing salt tolerance in rice plants would ensure future food security. The main aim of this review is to provide insights and impacts of molecular-physiological responses, biochemical alterations, and plant hormonal signal transduction pathways in rice under saline stress. Furthermore, the review highlights the emerging breakthrough in multi-omics and computational biology in identifying the saline stress-responsive candidate genes and transcription factors (TFs). In addition, the review also summarizes the biotechnological tools, genetic engineering, breeding, and agricultural practicing factors that can be implemented to realize the bottlenecks and opportunities to enhance salt tolerance and develop salinity tolerant rice varieties. Future studies pinpointed the augmentation of powerful tools to dissect the salinity stress-related novel players, reveal in-depth mechanisms and ways to incorporate the available literature, and recent advancements to throw more light on salinity responsive transduction pathways in plants. Particularly, this review unravels the whole picture of salinity stress tolerance in rice by expanding knowledge that focuses on molecular aspects. Full article
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23 pages, 4081 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Physiological and Transcriptomic Differences between a Premature Senescence Mutant (GSm) and Its Wild-Type in Common Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)
by Juan Lu, Lili Sun, Xiujuan Jin, Md Ashraful Islam, Feng Guo, Xiaosha Tang, Kai Zhao, Huifang Hao, Ning Li, Wenjun Zhang, Yugang Shi, Shuguang Wang and Daizhen Sun
Biology 2022, 11(6), 904; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11060904 - 12 Jun 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2304
Abstract
Premature leaf senescence has a profound influence on crop yield and quality. Here, a stable premature senescence mutant (GSm) was obtained from the common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivar Chang 6878 by mutagenesis with ethyl methanesulfonate. The differences between the [...] Read more.
Premature leaf senescence has a profound influence on crop yield and quality. Here, a stable premature senescence mutant (GSm) was obtained from the common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivar Chang 6878 by mutagenesis with ethyl methanesulfonate. The differences between the GSm mutant and its wild-type (WT) were analyzed in terms of yield characteristics, photosynthetic fluorescence indices, and senescence-related physiological parameters. RNA sequencing was used to reveal gene expression differences between GSm and WT. The results showed that the yield of GSm was considerably lower than that of WT. The net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, maximum quantum yield, non-photochemical quenching coefficient, photosynthetic electron transport rate, soluble protein, peroxidase activity, and catalase activity all remarkably decreased in flag leaves of GSm, whereas malondialdehyde content distinctively increased compared with those of WT. The analysis of differentially expressed genes indicated blockade of chlorophyll and carotenoid biosynthesis, accelerated degradation of chlorophyll, and diminished photosynthetic capacity in mutant leaves; brassinolide might facilitate chlorophyll breakdown and consequently accelerate leaf senescence. NAC genes positively regulated the senescence process. Compared with NAC genes, expression of WRKY and MYB genes was induced earlier in the mutant possibly due to increased levels of reactive oxygen species and plant hormones (e.g., brassinolide, salicylic acid, and jasmonic acid), thereby accelerating leaf senescence. Furthermore, the antioxidant system played a role in minimizing oxidative damage in the mutant. These results provides novel insight into the molecular mechanisms of premature leaf senescence in crops. Full article
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