Research Results

1. Chronobiology: Researchers identify genes that tell plants when to flower

How plants know when it is time to flower has been a mystery for a long time. Researchers at Martin Luther University (MLU), HalleWittenberg, have studied this question and identified two genes that are key to this process. They were able to show that the ELF3 and GI genes control the plants’ internal clock. Just like humans, plants also have a so-called circadian clock and a complex network of genes and proteins, which enables them to control different processes with time, says Dr Usman Answer from the Institute for Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences at MLU. Via the circadian mechanisms, plants can anticipate certain regularities in their environment, such as the alternation of day and night, and adjust accordingly.

“Plants orient themselves to the ratio between the hours of sunlight and darkness. Some plants only flower when the days are particularly long. Others only flower when the nights exceed a certain length of time,” Anwer explains. The study also revealed that most plants have adapted to their original environment in such a way that they require a specific ratio between hours of sunlight and darkness to flower. The new findings could allow plants to be designed so that they can flower in other places and produce good yields.

For more, see https://phys.org/news/2020-06-chronobiology-genes.html

Access the full paper at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/tpj.14604

2. Juicy Genomics:

 Study reveals DNA secrets of 100 tomato types A new study has revealed more than 230,000 DNA differences across 100 tomato cultivars, which will allow breeders and scientists to engineer larger, juicier, more profitable plants. “The vast majority of the DNA differences we discovered are completely new,” says Michael Schatz, Bloomberg

Distinguished Associate Professor of Computer Science and Biology at Johns Hopkins University and the study’s co-corresponding author. Tomato—

with a US$ 190 billion industry—is one of the largest fruit crops in the world; it relies on a large-scale difference between genomes, or structural variants, which are responsible for the variety of tomato shapes, colours, and tastes we see at the store.

Using new DNA sequencing technology and software to ‘sharpen’ their view, Schatz and more than 30 collaborators worldwide (in a selfproclaimed “Tomato consortium”) were able to sequence and compare the genomes of 100 different tomato types. The team carried out detailed genetic experiments to understand how some of those variants affect tomato traits. For example, they discovered a gene that contributes to a smoky flavour in some tomatoes. In another set of experiments, the researchers uncovered a complex interaction involving four structural variants that can mitigate a potential trade-off between a feature that simplifies tomato harvesting and another that reduces productivity. These findings highlight the underexplored role of structural variants (SVs) in genotype-to-phenotype relationships and their widespread importance and utility in crop improvement.

For more, see https://seedworld.com/juicy-genomics-study-reveals-dnasecrets-of-100-tomato-types/ Access the abstract at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S00928674203061 64

3. Detection of electrical signalling between plants raises interesting questions

Do plans communicate and, if they do, how do they do it? The question has fascinated scientists and nonscientists for long. Recently Alexander Volkova of Oakwood University and Yuri Shtessel of the University of Alabama (both in Huntsville, Alabama, USA) have reported that underneath the surface, the soil

is alive with electrical signals that are sent from one plant to another. They carried out physical experiments and mathematical modelling to study the transmission of electrical signals between tomato plants. At Oakwood, Volkov has been studying electrical signal propagation within a plant and also between plants through a network of mycorrhizal fungi that’s ubiquitous in soil and appears to act as circuitry.

“We studied experimentally and analytically via simulations the communication network between two plants only,” Shtessel says. The tomato research, which focused on experimental study and mathematical modelling of electrical signal propagation between plants of the same species, opens new doors in research about whether plants communicate across species through fungi. “I think that it is definitely possible that signals can propagate through the root network and spread in the common ground or soil from a tomato plant to, let’s say, an oak,” Shtessel says. “The soil plays the role of a conductor.”

For more, see https://phys.org/news/2020-07-electrical-

tomato.html?utm_source=nwletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign= weekly-nwletter Access the full paper at

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19420889.2020.1757207

4. Research reveals regulatory features of maize genome during early reproductive development

A multi-institutional team of researchers, which included Andrea Eveland of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, has mapped out the non-coding, ‘functional’ genome in maize during an early developmental window critical to the formation of pollen-bearing tassels and grain-bearing ears. “We have a good idea of the major controllers of inflorescence

development in maize from years of classical genetics studies,” said Eveland. Almost over a century, hybrid-based maize breeding and improvement have led to the selection of smaller tassels that intercept less light and sequester fewer resources, and larger, more productive ears. Growth and development of all organisms depend on a coordinated regulation of gene expression in time and space, which is largely controlled by non-coding sequences.

A major challenge in genomics-enabled crop improvement is a functional annotation of cis-regulatory elements in crop genomes and the ability to harness these sequences, either through breeding or biotechnology, to fine-tune target pathways with minimal disruption to the complex networks in which they reside. Integrating information on chromatin structure, transcript profiles, and genome-wide association studies, the analyses provide a comprehensive look into the regulation of inflorescence differentiation in a major cereal crop, which ultimately shapes its architecture and influences the yield potential.

For more, see https://phys.org/news/2020-07-reveals-regulatoryfeatures-maize-genome.html Access the full paper at

https://genomebiology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13059-02002070-8

5. Increasing the efficiency of a slower-acting enzyme could lead to bumper crops

Research led by scientists at The Australian National University (ANU) could lead to major improvements in crop production. The study shows a new way to help study and ramp up photosynthesis. It looks specifically at rubisco activity, a crucial part of the process, according to co-author Professor Spencer Whitney from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis at ANU. “Rubisco is an enzyme involved in the first step of carbon fixation—it starts the conversion of carbon dioxide into plant sugars,” he said. However, compared to other enzymes, rubisco is considered a slow, inefficient catalyst and, hence, it has been recognized as a good target for improving photosynthesis.

“Many enzymes can process hundreds to thousands of molecules per second, but rubisco can only get through two to five cycles per second.” In plants, rubisco is made up of 16 proteins—eight large and eight small subunits. Using a chloroplast SynBio approach, the researchers deciphered how the small subunit influences potato Rubisco catalysis. “We know we can already tinker with rubisco activity in these crops, so it is a great place to start,” Professor Whitney said. Returning the Ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase gene (rbcS) to the plant plastome provides an effective bioengineering chassis for introduction and evaluation of novel homogeneous Rubisco complexes in a whole-plant context.

.

For more, see https://phys.org/news/2020-07-future-bumpercrops.html?utm_source=nwletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=d aily-nwletter

Access the abstract at http://www.plantcell.org/content/32/9/2898

Potential Crops/Technologies/Concepts

1. Tackling climate change, food security, and land degradation: Planting trees alone is not the answer

Climate change, food security, and land degradation are the world’s biggest problems, and they need to be tackled simultaneously. Many of the better-known solutions to climate mitigation and land degradation come with a lot of potentially significant trade-offs, and they do not lead to the most desired solution. For

example, large-scale tree planting, a mitigating solution suggested, could conflict directly with food security because both compete for available land.

Pamela McElwee, of the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, USA, and her colleagues compared 40 options to tackle the interrelated problems of climate change, food security, and land degradation. They investigated trade-offs or co-benefits with 18 ecosystem services, such as clean air and clean water, and the United Nations’ 17 sustainable development goals. “We argue that if we want to have an impact on multiple problems, we need to be smart about what options get us multiple benefits and which options come with potential trade-offs,” McElwee says.

For more, see https://phys.org/news/2020-07-tackle-climate-fooddegradation.html?utm_source=nwletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campa ign=daily-nwletter Access the abstract at

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/gcb.15219

2. Drone-delivered soap bubbles could help pollinate flowers

As pollinators, bees are hard to beat. But researchers have worked on a high-tech alternative: drones that blow soap bubbles to transport pollen to a flower. It’s a “really cool” approach, says Henry Williams, a roboticist at the University of Auckland, who was not involved in the work. In 2017, Eijiro

Miyako, a materials chemist at the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, adapted a 4-centimetrelong toy drone to pollinate flowers.

In lab tests, they bombarded pear flowers with pollen-laden bubbles. The tubes were shorter than normal if more than 10 bubbles hit the flower, perhaps because of some adverse effect caused by the soap solution, Miyako says. In a pear orchard, the researchers used a toy bubble gun to blow pollen-laden bubbles on flowers in three trees.

One advantage of using bubbles rather than feather brushes is that the bubbles require a lot less pollen. His team attached a bubble sprayer to an aerial drone and programmed the drone to fly a route around a row of fake lily flowers. After trying various speeds and heights, they found that the drone could hit 90% of the flowers with bubbles.

For more, see https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/06/dronedelivered-soap-bubbles-could-help-pollinate-flowers

3. A genetic tweak in crops could reduce excess fertilizer use

In some countries, it’s estimated that up to 70% of the phosphorus in fertilizer that gets showered over farmland is wasted because it’s left unabsorbed by crops and eventually washed away by rain—thus, in turn, polluting streams, rivers, and the sea. Scientists have identified a gene that enables crops to absorb more phosphorus, thus leaving less of it in the soil and

preventing pollution of the environment. The discovery rests on the symbiotic relationship between plants and mycorrhizal fungi that live in plants’ root systems. Mycorrhizae enlarge the root network, enabling the plant to increase its uptake of nutrients and minerals like phosphorus. However, this symbiotic relationship is not permanent and is dependent on genetic factors.

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences have discovered that a gene called CLE53 (CLAVATA3/Embryo/Endosperm Surrounding Region-Related) plays a central role in controlling the symbiotic relationship between plants and their mycorrhizal fungal root communities. “One idea would be to breed plants lacking the gene homolog to CLE53,” explains Thomas Christian de Bang, a plant and soil scientist at the University of Copenhagen, and lead author on the study. Since about 90% of all plants engage in symbiotic relationships with mycorrhizal fungi, this finding could have a huge impact on the agricultural landscape. It could potentially help plants with the uptake of nutrients and increase yields, as well as reduce the cost of production and minimize environmental pollution.

For more, see https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2020/06/agenetic-tweak-in-crops-could-reduce-excess-fertilizer-use-onfarms/?utm_source=rss&utm_%E2%80%A6%201/

Access the full paper at https://academic.oup.com/jxb/article/71/16/4972/5822653

4. Unravelling the mystery of wheat herbicide tolerance

Wheat has about 16 billion genes, and it is a hexaploid, organized in three semiindependent genomes, which can overlap or substitute for one another, making it very difficult for geneticists to enhance a desirable trait. “In the 1950s, scientists came up with a process called ‘alien

substitution,’ where you can replace chromosomes from one of the three wheat genomes with chromosomes from a wheat relative, such as Aegilops sears. The chromosomes are similar enough that the plant can still grow and still looks pretty much like wheat,” explains Dean Riechers, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois, USA, co-author of a study that tries to unravel the mystery of herbicide tolerance.

“The benefit is that the relative might not have the same traits as wheat, so the alien substitution line will help pinpoint where the genes of interest are located.” The method is now so common in wheat research that scientists can simply obtain seeds for wheat plants with A. searsii chromosomes, denoted as the S genome, substituting for each of the seven wheat chromosomes across all three of its genomes. By submitting 5A with the 5S chromosome, researchers removed wheat’s natural halauxifen-methyl tolerance and made it sensitive. The next step is to scour chromosome 5A for specific genes that could be involved in herbicide tolerance.

For more, see https://phys.org/news/2020-07-unraveling-mystery-wheatherbicidetolerance.html?utm_source=nwletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaig n=da%E2%80%A6

Access the full paper at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-02065434-x

5. Crop infesting spores ‘tricked’ by new biomaterials to aid global wheat production

New man-made materials developed by scientists have been successfully used to confuse and trick harmful spores which attack wheat crops into growing on an alternative host to help farmers protect their food crop production. New sensors can identify the exact conditions for the spores

to turn from particulates to serious diseases. The sensors do this by literally tricking the fungal disease spores into growing within the novel biomaterials, believing that they have found their plant host and food source. Each sensor then acts like a biological fire-alarm, and it alerts farmers to the presence of the disease; it also feeds the information continuously into disease forecast systems and maps.

Professor Bruce Grieve, who led the research team at the University of Cambridge, consisting of African academics, NGOs, and plant epidemiologists, said: “This is particularly exciting as the first disease that our consortium has targeted is a major threat to global wheat production and has not previously been reported as being capable of growing on anything but its living plant host.” In developing the bio-alarms, the team used aeronautical engineering techniques so that their infection activity may be reliably signalled within hours.

For more, see https://phys.org/news/2020-07-crop-infesting-sporesbiomaterialsaid.html?utm_source=nwletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dail y-nwle%E2%80%A6%201/3

Access the full paper at https://www.mdpi.com/2311-5521/5/2/97

6. Planting non-native trees accelerate the release of carbon back into the atmosphere

Carbon sequestration projects typically use fast-growing plant species that accumulate carbon in their tissues rapidly. Results of a study by Waller and colleagues from the University of Lincoln, Canterbury, New Zealand suggest that planting non-native trees into soils with microorganisms they have never encountered may lead to more rapid release of

carbon. More recent studies have indicated that that non-native plants may grow faster than native plants, but they decompose much faster and release 150% more carbon dioxide from the soil, and thus undermine the effort to mitigate climate change. Hence, reforesting of areas is best done using the native species that occurred there before.

Growing native trees also helps to enhance native biota; it thus helps in synergies between trees and soil organisms and enables more uptake of nutrients. The authors conclude that novel biological interactions with exotic species are a more important driver of ecosystem transformation than was previously recognized, which indicates the need for serious rethinking of species used for afforestation.

For more, see https://phys.org/news/2020-06-non-native-trees-carbonatmosphere.html

Access the abstract at

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/368/6494/967

News:

1. African Farmers may be unaware that their activities trigger climate jolts

The activities of Nigerian maize and poultry farmers and traders contribute to climate change, but only 14% of them realize it, a study has found. Researchers surveyed more than 2,500 respondents, including maize farmers, maize traders, poultry farmers, poultry feed millers, and poultry retailers from 2019 to 2020 in the Nigerian

states of Kaduna and Oyo. Technologies and practices that could help reduce climate change, such as using drought-tolerant seeds to increase productivity, are less likely to be adopted if farmers do not believe that their activities contribute to climate change. Hence, farmers need to be the primary target in efforts to mitigate the negative impact of many agricultural practices.

For more, see https://phys.org/news/2020-06-farmers-unaware-triggerclimate-jolts.html Access the abstract at

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479720303649?vi a%3Dihub

2. Agriculture: A climate villain? Maybe not!

The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change claims that agriculture is one of the main sources of greenhouse gases, and is thus considered as a climate villain by many observers. “This view is based on a paradigm that has essentially never been questioned,” says Per Frankelius, Department of Management and Engineering, Linköping University, Sweden, who says that there is a need for serious rethinking on this issue. He notes that the fundamental process in agriculture is large-scale photosynthesis, in which carbon dioxide is captured by crops and at the same time oxygen is produced. Agriculture produces also grasslands and grazing that binds carbon, and a further 2.7 billion tonnes of carbon is bound in the soil. “Politicians and decision-makers must understand the complete range of the climate impact of agriculture; otherwise, there is a risk that many decisions that negatively influence long-term sustainability will be taken,” says Per Frankelius.

For more, see https://phys.org/news/2020-07-agriculture-climatevillain.html?utm_source=nwletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=d aily-nwletter

Access the full paper at

https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/agj2.20286

3. The Next Pandemic Could Attack Our Crops

COVID-19 has demonstrated the damage that results from an unchecked disease spreading throughout our highly connected world. But most people are unaware that plants also suffer from infectious diseases, resulting in

15% or more yield loss sometimes, contributing to famines and disruption. This

has happened in India in the 1940s, in Ireland in the 1840s, and in the days going back to ancient Rome. The threats to crops are greater today because our food systems rely on fewer crops, planted at high density, over wide areas, with great homogeneity, providing an attractive buffet for pathogens. Science provides tools to contain and limit damage from plant diseases by detecting and treating infected crops. Reducing or ending crop disease will not only help feed a growing population, but it can also help us grow the needed crops with less water, land, and chemicals than are now required to nurture and protect our food crops.

For more, see https://www.thechicagocouncil.org/blog/global-foodthought/guest-commentary-next-pandemic-could-attack-our-crops

4. FAO and the EU highlight the vital role of biodiversity in building sustainable food systems

Connecting agriculture with ecosystem services and releasing the full potential of biodiversity to enhance our agriculture production is essential, said the participants of a high-level panel discussion, co-organised by FAO and the European Union. “Biodiversity is vital to improving agricultural and food production and maintaining our planet’s resources and ecosystems,” said FAO DirectorGeneral Qu Dongyu, calling for more to be done to prevent the biodiversity loss that can result in the loss of resilience of many agricultural systems. FAO has developed a range of biodiversity-related tools and guidance across sectors, including an International Code of Conduct for the Sustainable Use and Management of Fertilizers.

For more, see http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/1295173/icode/

 

5. Latest U.N. sustainability goals pose more harm than good for the environment, scientists warn

A team of scientists has warned that the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, designed to bring together environmental protection and socioeconomic development, are failing to protect biodiversity. “The SDGs were established as a blueprint for a more sustainable future for all, yet there are fundamental inadequacies in their ability to protect biodiversity,” said Professor James Watson, Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, University of Queensland,

Australia. It is expected that the threats to

biodiversity may worsen in the coming years and hence the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) need to prioritize environmental protection over socioeconomic development.

For more, see https://phys.org/news/2020-07-latest-sustainability-goalsposegood.html?utm_source=nwletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=da ily-nwletter

Access the abstract at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-020-0555-0

6. The Himalaya should be a nature reserve

It will be very useful for preserving the Himalayan ecosystem if conservation could be part of the toolkit for diplomacy between China and India. “Thirty-five years ago, at the beginning of my research career, I walked for weeks to study populations of the endangered

Himalayan goldthread or Mishmi teeta, an

endemic plant in Arunachal Pradesh in the Eastern Himalaya that is used as a potent antimalarial drug by local communities”, says Maharaj Pandit, Director of the Centre for Inter-Disciplinary Studies of Mountain & Hill Environment, University of Delhi, India.

Himalayan alpine meadows boast a wealth of herbaceous flowering plants—strange, colourful and delicate—often with medicinal properties as well as many fauna. Presently, a large chunk of this region has become a military zone. The military infrastructure built so far in the fragile parts of the Himalaya includes tens of thousands of kilometres of roads. For example, Pangong Tso Lake, at an altitude of 4,280 metres, is only one of many unique Himalayan ecosystems that is under boots. Alongside other multilateral strategies, the mountain range, or at least those areas between 2,600 and 4,600 metres high, whose famous inhabitants include the snow leopard and its prey, the Himalayan blue sheep, should be designated a nature reserve. “None of the Himalayan countries wants war, so some sort of stand-down will happen, and conservation should come into the discussions,” said Pandit.

For more, see https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01809-4

Events

1. Annual Congress on Plant Biology & Plant Breeding

09-10 Nov 2020. Webinar

For more, see https://plantbiology.conferenceseries.com/

2. Global Conference on Plant Science, Plant Genomics & Phytohormones (GPSGP 2020)

23-24 Nov 2020, Park Regis North Quay, Brisbane, Australia.

For more, see https://www.clocate.com/conference/global-conference-onplant-science-plant-genomics-and-phytohormones-gpsgp/77168/

3. National Workshop cum Training on Green Growth Strategies for Climate Resilience and DRR (Disaster Risk Reduction): Policies, Pathways and Tools

Date: 26-28 Nov 2020. Venue: Zoom Platform

For more, see

http://www.isec.ac.in/final_Conf_Brouch_ISEC__NIDM__19-10-2020-2.pdf

4. Global summit on Agriculture & Organic farming 22-23 Feb 2021. Webinar

For more, see https://agriculture.agriconferences.com/

Other Topics of Interest

1. Transgenic rice lowers the blood pressure of hypertensive rats

For more, see https://ekaprdweb01.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/202006/acs-trl061920.php#.XvWRSm_dtXQ.email

2. Researchers examine how some bacteria find ways around plant immune defences

For more, see https://phys.org/news/2020-06-bacteria-ways-immunedefenses.html?utm_source=nwletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign =daily-nwletter

3. First farm biodiversity certification report due soon

For more, see https://www.farmweekly.com.au/story/6812931/first-farmbiodiversity-certification-report-due-soon/?cs=4770

4. Coconut confusion reveals consumer conundrum

For more, see https://phys.org/news/2020-07-coconut-reveals-consumerconundrum.html?utm_source=nwletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campai gn=daily-nwl%E2%80%A6%201/4

5. “Protect 30% of the planet for nature,” scientists urge in a new report

For more, see https://phys.org/news/2020-07-planet-nature-scientistsurge.html?utm_source=nwletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=da ily-nwletter

6. Smaller farmer’s fields can reduce biodiversity loss and increase wild plants, birds, beetles and bats

For more, see https://theconversation.com/smaller-farmers-fields-canreduce-biodiversity-loss-and-increase-wild-plants-birds-beetles-and-bats139015

7. Protect the economy by protecting nature, study urges

For more, see https://www.conservation.org/blog/protect-the-economyby-protecting-nature-studyurges?utm_campaign=General&utm_medium=email&utm_sou%E2%80%A6%202

8. Scientists put forward plan to create a universal species list For more, see

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/07/scientists-putforward-plan-to-create-universal-species-list-aoe?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_%E2%80%A6

AgriTech News Number 21, 15 November 2020

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