The advantages of functional phenotyping in pre-field screening for drought-tolerant crops

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boaz Negin ◽  
Menachem Moshelion

Increasing worldwide demand for food, feed and fuel presents a challenge in light of limited resources and climatic challenges. Breeding for stress tolerance and drought tolerance, in particular, is one the most challenging tasks facing breeders. The comparative screening of immense numbers of plant and gene candidates and their interactions with the environment represents a major bottleneck in this process. We suggest four key components to be considered in pre-field screens (phenotyping) for complex traits under drought conditions: (i) where, when and under which conditions to phenotype; (ii) which traits to phenotype; (iii) how to phenotype (which method); and (iv) how to translate collected data into knowledge that can be used to make practical decisions. We describe some common pitfalls, including inadequate phenotyping methods, incorrect terminology and the inappropriate use of non-relevant traits as markers for drought tolerance. We also suggest the use of more non-imaging, physiology-based, high-throughput phenotyping systems, which, used in combination with soil–plant–atmosphere continuum (SPAC) measurements and fitting models of plant responses to continuous and fluctuating environmental conditions, should be further investigated in order to serve as a phenotyping tool to better understand and characterise plant stress response. In the future, we assume that many of today’s phenotyping challenges will be solved by technology and automation, leaving us with the main challenge of translating large amounts of accumulated data into meaningful knowledge and decision making tools.

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. e0242472
Author(s):  
A. S. Nehe ◽  
M. J. Foulkes ◽  
I. Ozturk ◽  
A. Rasheed ◽  
L. York ◽  
...  

Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L) is one of the three main staple crops worldwide contributing 20% calories in the human diet. Drought stress is the main factor limiting yields and threatening food security, with climate change resulting in more frequent and intense drought. Developing drought-tolerant wheat cultivars is a promising way forward. The use of holistic approaches that include high-throughput phenotyping and genetic markers in selection could help in accelerating genetic gains. Fifty advanced breeding lines were selected from the CIMMYT Turkey winter wheat breeding program and studied under irrigated and semiarid conditions in two years. High-throughput phenotyping was done for wheat crown root traits and canopy senescence dynamics using vegetation indices (green area using RGB images and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index using spectral reflectance). In addition, genotyping by KASP markers for adaptability genes was done. Overall, under semiarid conditions yield reduced by 3.09 t ha-1 (-46.8%) compared to irrigated conditions. Genotypes responded differently under drought stress and genotypes 39 (VORONA/HD24-12//GUN/7/VEE#8//…/8/ALTAY), 18 (BiII98) and 29 (NIKIFOR//KROSHKA) were the most drought tolerant. Root traits including shallow nodal root angle under irrigated conditions and root number per shoot under semiarid conditions were correlated with increased grain yield. RGB based vegetation index measuring canopy green area at anthesis was better correlated with GY than NDVI was with GY under drought. The markers for five established functional genes (PRR73.A1 –flowering time, TEF-7A –grain size and weight, TaCwi.4A - yield under drought, Dreb1- drought tolerance, and ISBW11.GY.QTL.CANDIDATE- grain yield) were associated with different drought-tolerance traits in this experiment. We conclude that–genotypes 39, 18 and 29 could be used for drought tolerance breeding. The trait combinations of canopy green area at anthesis, and root number per shoot along with key drought adaptability makers (TaCwi.4A and Dreb1) could be used in screening drought tolerance wheat breeding lines.


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 645-652
Author(s):  
Hoang Thi Lan Xuan ◽  
Nguyen Binh Anh Thu ◽  
Nguyen Bao Thien Phuc ◽  
Nguyen Phuong Thao

Various members of NAC transcription factor family have been shown to play important roles in regulating plant responses to abiotic stresses, such as drought, cold and salinity. Our previous research on differential expression patterns of twenty three soybean NAC genes (GmNACs) by realtime quantitative PCR suggested a correlation between inducible expression of GmNAC085 and the drought tolerance degree in DT51 and MTD720 soybean cultivars, which presented for the drought-tolerant and the drought-sensitive, respectively. Therefore, the gene has been proposed as a potential candidate for engineering in order to produce new varieties with better drought stress tolerance. However, functional studies of GmNAC085 should be carried out to identify how this transcriptional factor can contribute in the plant stress-responsive pathway. Herein, this paper presented that we have successfully developed a recombinant binary vector carrying full-length cDNA of GmNAC085 and expression of this gene is placed under the control of constitutive promoter CaMV 35S. The generated construct was firstly transformed into E.coli for sequencing the target gene and then the identified genuine construct was transformed into Agrobacterium tumefaciens. This can be used for plant transformation mediated by Agrobacterium in serving for GmNAC085 - related studies using in planta system such as the model plant Arabidopsis and also serving for the development of drought-tolerant crops by genetic engineering. Additionally, results from sequence alignment analysis revealed that GmNAC085s of DT51 and MTD720 had identical nucleotide sequence, thus supporting our hypothesis that difference in GmNAC085 gene expression levels, not the variation in GmNAC085 protein sequence or structure, might cause the difference in plant resistance degree to drought stress in these two soybean varieties.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xi Wu ◽  
Hui Feng ◽  
Di Wu ◽  
Shijuan Yan ◽  
Pei Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Drought threatens the food supply of the world population. Dissecting the dynamic responses of plants to drought will be beneficial for breeding drought-tolerant crops, as the genetic controls of these responses remain largely unknown. Results Here we develop a high-throughput multiple optical phenotyping system to noninvasively phenotype 368 maize genotypes with or without drought stress over a course of 98 days, and collected multiple optical images, including color camera scanning, hyperspectral imaging, and X-ray computed tomography images. We develop high-throughput analysis pipelines to extract image-based traits (i-traits). Of these i-traits, 10,080 were effective and heritable indicators of maize external and internal drought responses. An i-trait-based genome-wide association study reveals 4322 significant locus-trait associations, representing 1529 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and 2318 candidate genes, many that co-localize with previously reported maize drought responsive QTLs. Expression QTL (eQTL) analysis uncovers many local and distant regulatory variants that control the expression of the candidate genes. We use genetic mutation analysis to validate two new genes, ZmcPGM2 and ZmFAB1A, which regulate i-traits and drought tolerance. Moreover, the value of the candidate genes as drought-tolerant genetic markers is revealed by genome selection analysis, and 15 i-traits are identified as potential markers for maize drought tolerance breeding. Conclusion Our study demonstrates that combining high-throughput multiple optical phenotyping and GWAS is a novel and effective approach to dissect the genetic architecture of complex traits and clone drought-tolerance associated genes.


Planta ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 252 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Song Lim Kim ◽  
Nyunhee Kim ◽  
Hongseok Lee ◽  
Eungyeong Lee ◽  
Kyeong-Seong Cheon ◽  
...  

Abstract Main conclusion A new imaging platform was constructed to analyze drought-tolerant traits of rice. Rice was used to quantify drought phenotypes through image-based parameters and analyzing tools. Abstract Climate change has increased the frequency and severity of drought, which limits crop production worldwide. Developing new cultivars with increased drought tolerance and short breeding cycles is critical. However, achieving this goal requires phenotyping a large number of breeding populations in a short time and in an accurate manner. Novel cutting-edge technologies such as those based on remote sensors are being applied to solve this problem. In this study, new technologies were applied to obtain and analyze imaging data and establish efficient screening platforms for drought tolerance in rice using the drought-tolerant mutant osphyb. Red–Green–Blue images were used to predict plant area, color, and compactness. Near-infrared imaging was used to determine the water content of rice, infrared was used to assess plant temperature, and fluorescence was used to examine photosynthesis efficiency. DroughtSpotter technology was used to determine water use efficiency, plant water loss rate, and transpiration rate. The results indicate that these methods can detect the difference between tolerant and susceptible plants, suggesting their value as high-throughput phenotyping methods for short breeding cycles as well as for functional genetic studies of tolerance to drought stress.


2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (42) ◽  
pp. 11169-11174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine A. Gehring ◽  
Christopher M. Sthultz ◽  
Lluvia Flores-Rentería ◽  
Amy V. Whipple ◽  
Thomas G. Whitham

Plant genetic variation and soil microorganisms are individually known to influence plant responses to climate change, but the interactive effects of these two factors are largely unknown. Using long-term observational studies in the field and common garden and greenhouse experiments of a foundation tree species (Pinus edulis) and its mutualistic ectomycorrhizal fungal (EMF) associates, we show that EMF community composition is under strong plant genetic control. Seedlings acquire the EMF community of their seed source trees (drought tolerant vs. drought intolerant), even when exposed to inoculum from the alternate tree type. Drought-tolerant trees had 25% higher growth and a third the mortality of drought-intolerant trees over the course of 10 y of drought in the wild, traits that were also observed in their seedlings in a common garden. Inoculation experiments show that EMF communities are critical to drought tolerance. Drought-tolerant and drought-intolerant seedlings grew similarly when provided sterile EMF inoculum, but drought-tolerant seedlings grew 25% larger than drought-intolerant seedlings under dry conditions when each seedling type developed its distinct EMF community. This demonstration that particular combinations of plant genotype and mutualistic EMF communities improve the survival and growth of trees with drought is especially important, given the vulnerability of forests around the world to the warming and drying conditions predicted for the future.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.S. Nehe ◽  
M. J. Foulkes ◽  
I. Ozturk ◽  
A. Rasheed ◽  
L. York ◽  
...  

AbstractBread wheat (Triticum aestivum L) is one of main staple food crops worldwide contributing 20% calories in human diet. Drought stress is the main factor limiting yields and threatening to food security, with climate change resulting in more frequent and intense drought. Developing drought-tolerant wheat cultivars is a promising way forward. The use of a holistic approaches that include high-throughput phenotyping and genetic makers in selection could help in accelerating genetic gains. Fifty advanced breeding lines were selected from the CIMMYT Turkey winter wheat breeding program and studied under irrigated and semiarid conditions for two years. High-throughput phenotyping were done for wheat crown root traits using shovelomics techniques and canopy green area and senescence dynamics using vegetation indices (green area using RGB images and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index using spectral reflectance). In addition, genotyping by KASP markers for adaptability genes was done. Overall, under semiarid conditions compared to irrigated conditions yield reduced by 3.09 t ha−1 (−46.8%). Significant difference between the treatment and genotype was observed for grain yield and senescence traits. Genotypes responded differently under drought stress. Root traits including shallower nodal root angle under irrigated conditions and root number per shoot under semiarid conditions were associated with increased grain yield. RGB based vegetation index measuring canopy green area at anthesis was more strongly associated with GY than NDVI under drought. Five established functional genes (PRR73.A1 – flowering time, TEF-7A – grain size and weight, TaCwi.4A - yield under drought, Dreb1-drought tolerance, and ISBW11.GY.QTL.CANDIDATE- grain yield) were associated with different drought-tolerance traits in this experiment. We conclude that a combination of high-throughput phenotyping and selection for genetic markers can help to develop drought-tolerant wheat cultivars.


2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 419 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hai-Yan ZHANG ◽  
Bei-Tao XIE ◽  
Bao-Qing WANG ◽  
Shun-Xu DONG ◽  
Wen-Xue DUAN ◽  
...  

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1534
Author(s):  
Chandra Mohan Singh ◽  
Poornima Singh ◽  
Chandrakant Tiwari ◽  
Shalini Purwar ◽  
Mukul Kumar ◽  
...  

Drought stress is considered a severe threat to crop production. It adversely affects the morpho-physiological, biochemical and molecular functions of the plants, especially in short duration crops like mungbean. In the past few decades, significant progress has been made towards enhancing climate resilience in legumes through classical and next-generation breeding coupled with omics approaches. Various defence mechanisms have been reported as key players in crop adaptation to drought stress. Many researchers have identified potential donors, QTLs/genes and candidate genes associated to drought tolerance-related traits. However, cloning and exploitation of these loci/gene(s) in breeding programmes are still limited. To bridge the gap between theoretical research and practical breeding, we need to reveal the omics-assisted genetic variations associated with drought tolerance in mungbean to tackle this stress. Furthermore, the use of wild relatives in breeding programmes for drought tolerance is also limited and needs to be focused. Even after six years of decoding the whole genome sequence of mungbean, the genome-wide characterization and expression of various gene families and transcriptional factors are still lacking. Due to the complex nature of drought tolerance, it also requires integrating high throughput multi-omics approaches to increase breeding efficiency and genomic selection for rapid genetic gains to develop drought-tolerant mungbean cultivars. This review highlights the impact of drought stress on mungbean and mitigation strategies for breeding high-yielding drought-tolerant mungbean varieties through classical and modern omics technologies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (15) ◽  
pp. 8266
Author(s):  
Minsu Kim ◽  
Chaewon Lee ◽  
Subin Hong ◽  
Song Lim Kim ◽  
Jeong-Ho Baek ◽  
...  

Drought is a main factor limiting crop yields. Modern agricultural technologies such as irrigation systems, ground mulching, and rainwater storage can prevent drought, but these are only temporary solutions. Understanding the physiological, biochemical, and molecular reactions of plants to drought stress is therefore urgent. The recent rapid development of genomics tools has led to an increasing interest in phenomics, i.e., the study of phenotypic plant traits. Among phenomic strategies, high-throughput phenotyping (HTP) is attracting increasing attention as a way to address the bottlenecks of genomic and phenomic studies. HTP provides researchers a non-destructive and non-invasive method yet accurate in analyzing large-scale phenotypic data. This review describes plant responses to drought stress and introduces HTP methods that can detect changes in plant phenotypes in response to drought.


Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 64
Author(s):  
Priyanka Dwivedi ◽  
Naleeni Ramawat ◽  
Gaurav Dhawan ◽  
Subbaiyan Gopala Krishnan ◽  
Kunnummal Kurungara Vinod ◽  
...  

Reproductive stage drought stress (RSDS) is detrimental for rice, which affects its productivity as well as grain quality. In the present study, we introgressed two major quantitative trait loci (QTLs), namely, qDTY2.1 and qDTY3.1, governing RSDS tolerance in a popular high yielding non-aromatic rice cultivar, Pusa 44, through marker-assisted backcross breeding (MABB). Pusa 44 is highly sensitive to RSDS, which restricts its cultivation across drought-prone environments. Foreground selection was carried out using markers, RM520 for qDTY3.1 and RM 521 for qDTY2.1. Background selection was achieved with 97 polymorphic SSR markers in tandem with phenotypic selection to achieve faster recurrent parent genome (RPG) recovery. Three successive backcrosses followed by three selfings aided RPG recoveries of 98.6% to 99.4% among 31 near isogenic lines (NILs). Fourteen NILs were found to be significantly superior in yield and grain quality under RSDS with higher drought tolerance efficiency (DTE) than Pusa 44. Among these, the evaluation of two promising NILs in the multilocational trial during Kharif 2019 showed that they were significantly superior to Pusa 44 under reproductive stage drought stress, while performing on par with Pusa 44 under normal irrigated conditions. These di-QTL pyramided drought-tolerant NILs are in the final stages of testing the All India Coordinated Rice Improvement Project varietal trials for cultivar release. Alternately, the elite drought-tolerant Pusa 44 NILs will serve as an invaluable source of drought tolerance in rice improvement.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document