Interspecific Differences in the Mechanism of Drought Tolerance among Four Cereal Crops.

Compared to other cereal crops, sorghum has a higher drought tolerance trait. However, efforts are needed to increase the productivity of sorghum, particularly in drought marginal land. One strategy to be implemented is the utilization of soil microorganisms formulated with biocarrier. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of the fungal strain Aspergillus niger and Trichoderma harzianum formulated with compost and zeolite as biocarrier towards vegetative growth of sorghum. The field experiment was designed as a randomized block designed, factorial pattern with 4 replications. The first factor was selecting biocarrier, namely zeolite, compost, and a mixture of zeolite: compost (1:1). The second factor was the fungal inoculants, A. niger, and T. harzianum. The observed parameter was the growth profile of sorghum during vegetative growth, including stalk diameter and height. The results showed that the type of biocarrier, as well as the fungal strains did influence the growth of sorghum. The highest stalk diameter and height of sorghum were obtained after application of A. niger formulated with a mixture of zeolite: compost (1:1), with 17% and 41.2% higher than control, respectively. This condition shows that a mixture of zeolite and compost is seemingly able to create better micro-ecological conditions for fungal microbes to function effectively. Therefore, our findings suggested the addition of zeolite to compost for the application of biocarrier in the field experiment.

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Recent advances in molecular tool development for drought tolerance breeding in cereal crops: a review

Zemdirbyste-Agriculture ◽

10.13080/z-a.2013.100.042 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 100 (3) ◽

pp. 325-334 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Mueen Alam Khan ◽

Muhammad Iqbal ◽

Muhammad Akram ◽

Maqshoof Ahmad ◽

Muhamad Waqar Hassan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Drought Tolerance ◽

Cereal Crops ◽

Tool Development ◽

Molecular Tool ◽

Recent Advances

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Drought Tolerance and Water Use of Cereal Crops: A Focus on Sorghum as a Food Security Crop in Sub-Saharan Africa

Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science ◽

10.1111/jac.12191 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 203 (3) ◽

pp. 177-191 ◽

Cited By ~ 38

Author(s):

S. T. Hadebe ◽

A. T. Modi ◽

T. Mabhaudhi

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Drought Tolerance ◽

Water Use ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Cereal Crops ◽

Sub Saharan

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The cold-drought tolerance trade-off in temperate woody plants constrains range size, but not range filling

10.1101/2021.07.24.453622 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Giacomo Puglielli ◽

Enrico Tordoni ◽

Aelys Humphreys ◽

Jesse M Kalwij ◽

Michael J Hutchings ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Drought Tolerance ◽

Woody Plants ◽

Shade Tolerance ◽

Range Size ◽

Plant Functional Type ◽

Functional Type ◽

Trade Off ◽

Interspecific Differences ◽

Tolerant Species ◽

Actual Range

Interspecific differences in plant species' ranges are shaped by complex mechanistic interactions, which have so far remained largely beyond the reach of comprehensive models and explanations. Previous attempts to find underlying mechanisms by examining physiological tolerances to cold and heat separately have yielded contradictory results. Here we test the hypothesis that, instead of examining single stressors, abiotic stress tolerance syndromes that involve trade-offs between multiple abiotic stressors (namely drought, cold, waterlogging and shade), will provide reliable explanations. We compiled a dataset of actual range size and range filling (the ratio between actual and potential species range) as range metrics for 331 temperate woody plants species from Europe and North America. Tolerance syndromes were expressed as two PCA axes. One axis reflects a drought-cold/waterlogging tolerance trade-off (cold/wet-drought trade-off), the second axis represents a shade tolerance spectrum. Phylogenetic generalized linear mixed models were used to model the range metric vs. tolerance axes relationships using latitude as an additional main effect, and phylogeny and plant functional type as random effects. Actual range scaled negatively with the cold/wet-drought tolerance trade-off axis, mostly independently of latitude and continent. Thus, cold/wet-tolerant species had the largest ranges and drought tolerant species the smallest. The negative sign of the relationship was independent of phylogeny and plant functional type. In contrast, range filling depended on latitude. However, deciduous and evergreen species displayed different distributions of range metrics and tolerance syndromes. No significant relationships with the shade tolerance spectrum were found. Our findings demonstrate that the cold/wet-drought trade-off partly explains interspecific range size differences. However, this trade-off did not explain range filling. We also showed that fundamental adaptations of species also significantly influence range sizes, stress avoidance through the deciduous habit also explained interspecific differences in range size

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Ex anteanalysis of the benefits of transgenic drought tolerance research on cereal crops in low-income countries

Agricultural Economics ◽

10.1111/j.1574-0862.2009.00392.x ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 40 (4) ◽

pp. 477-492 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Genti Kostandini ◽

Bradford F. Mills ◽

Steven Were Omamo ◽

Stanley Wood

Keyword(s):

Drought Tolerance ◽

Low Income ◽

Low Income Countries ◽

Cereal Crops

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Use of thermographic imaging to screen for drought-tolerant genotypes in Brachypodium distachyon

Crop and Pasture Science ◽

10.1071/cp15134 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 67 (1) ◽

pp. 99 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Magdalena Ruíz ◽

Miguel Quemada ◽

Rosa M. García ◽

José M. Carrillo ◽

Elena Benavente

Keyword(s):

Drought Tolerance ◽

Water Deficit ◽

Thermal Imaging ◽

Natural Variation ◽

Brachypodium Distachyon ◽

Stomatal Closure ◽

Cereal Crops ◽

Preliminary Screening ◽

Drought Tolerant ◽

Rainfall Regimes

Thermal imaging has been used to evaluate the response to drought and warm temperatures in a collection of Brachypodium distachyon lines adapted to varied environmental conditions. Thermographic records were able to separate lines from contrasting rainfall regimes. Genotypes from dryer environments showed warmer leaves under water deficit, which suggested that decreased evapotranspiration was related to a more intense stomatal closure. When irrigated and under high temperature conditions, drought-adapted lines showed cooler leaves than lines from wetter zones. The consistent, inverse thermographic response of lines to water stress and heat validates the reliability of this method to assess drought tolerance in this model cereal. It additionally supports the hypothesis that stomatal-based mechanisms are involved in natural variation for drought tolerance in Brachypodium. The study further suggests that these mechanisms are not constitutive but likely related to a more efficient closing response to avoid dehydration in adapted genotypes. Higher leaf temperature under water deficit seems a dependable criterion of drought tolerance, not only in B. distachyon but also in the main cereal crops and related grasses where thermography can facilitate high-throughput preliminary screening of tolerant materials.

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A Comparative Transcriptomic Meta-Analysis Revealed Conserved Key Genes and Regulatory Networks Involved in Drought Tolerance in Cereal Crops

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms222313062 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (23) ◽

pp. 13062

Author(s):

Elena Baldoni ◽

Giovanna Frugis ◽

Federico Martinelli ◽

Jubina Benny ◽

Donatella Paffetti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Transcription Factors ◽

Drought Tolerance ◽

Leaf Senescence ◽

Regulatory Networks ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Fine Tuning ◽

Cereal Crops ◽

Cellular Transport ◽

Drought Tolerant ◽

Transcriptomic Changes

Drought affects plant growth and development, causing severe yield losses, especially in cereal crops. The identification of genes involved in drought tolerance is crucial for the development of drought-tolerant crops. The aim of this study was to identify genes that are conserved key players for conferring drought tolerance in cereals. By comparing the transcriptomic changes between tolerant and susceptible genotypes in four Gramineae species, we identified 69 conserved drought tolerant-related (CDT) genes that are potentially involved in the drought tolerance of all of the analysed species. The CDT genes are principally involved in stress response, photosynthesis, chlorophyll biogenesis, secondary metabolism, jasmonic acid signalling, and cellular transport. Twenty CDT genes are not yet characterized and can be novel candidates for drought tolerance. The k-means clustering analysis of expression data highlighted the prominent roles of photosynthesis and leaf senescence-related mechanisms in differentiating the drought response between tolerant and sensitive genotypes. In addition, we identified specific transcription factors that could regulate the expression of photosynthesis and leaf senescence-related genes. Our analysis suggests that the balance between the induction of leaf senescence and maintenance of photosynthesis during drought plays a major role in tolerance. Fine-tuning of CDT gene expression modulation by specific transcription factors can be the key to improving drought tolerance in cereals.

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Transcriptome Reveals the Dynamic Response Mechanism of Pearl Millet Roots under Drought Stress

Genes ◽

10.3390/genes12121988 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (12) ◽

pp. 1988

Author(s):

Yang Ji ◽

Xiaowen Lu ◽

Huan Zhang ◽

Dan Luo ◽

Ailing Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Drought Stress ◽

Drought Tolerance ◽

Pearl Millet ◽

Drought Resistance ◽

Agricultural Production ◽

Plant Hormone ◽

Cereal Crops ◽

Drought Treatment ◽

Oxidoreductase Activity ◽

Sense And Respond

Drought is a major threat to global agricultural production that limits the growth, development and survival rate of plants, leading to tremendous losses in yield. Pearl millet (Cenchrus americanus (L.) Morrone) has an excellent drought tolerance, and is an ideal plant material for studying the drought resistance of cereal crops. The roots are crucial organs of plants that experience drought stress, and the roots can sense and respond to such conditions. In this study, we explored the mechanism of drought tolerance of pearl millet by comparing transcriptomic data under normal conditions and drought treatment at four time points (24 h, 48 h, 96 h, and 144 h) in the roots during the seedling stage. A total of 1297, 2814, 7401, and 14,480 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were found at 24 h, 48 h, 96 h, and 144 h, respectively. Based on Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and Gene Ontology enrichment analyses, we found that many DEGs participated in plant hormone-related signaling pathways and the “oxidoreductase activity” pathway. These results should provide a theoretical basis to enhance drought resistance in other plant species.

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