The Landscape of Alternative Splicing Regulating Potassium Use Efficiency in Nicotiana tabacum

Alternative splicing (AS) occurs extensively in eukaryotes as an essential mechanism for regulating transcriptome complexity and diversity, but the AS landscape regulating potassium (K) use efficiency in plants is unclear. In this study, we performed high-throughput transcriptome sequencing of roots and shoots from allopolyploid Nicotiana tabacum under K+ deficiency. Preliminary physiological analysis showed that root system architecture was dramatically changed due to potassium deficiency and that IAA content was significantly reduced in root and shoot. AS analysis showed that a total of 28,179 genes exhibited 54,457 AS events, and 1,510 and 1,732 differentially alternatively spliced (DAS) events were identified in shoots and roots under low K+ stress. Nevertheless, only 120 DAS events occurred in both shoots and roots, implying that most DAS events were tissue-specific. Both in shoot and the root, the proportion of DAS genes in differentially expressed (DE) genes equaled that in non-DE genes, which indicated that AS might play a unique regulatory role in response to low potassium. Gene ontology analysis further indicated that transcription regulation and AS modulation worked independently in response to low K+ stress in tobacco, as their target biological processes were different. Totally 45 DAS transcription factors (TFs) were found, which were involved in 18 TF families. Five Auxin response factor (ARF) TFs were significantly DAS in root, suggesting that response to auxin was probably subject to AS regulation in the tobacco root. Our study shows that AS variation occurs extensively and has a particular regulatory mechanism under K+ deficiency in tobacco. The study also links changes in root system architecture with the changes in AS of ARF TFs, which implied the functional significance of these AS events for root growth and architecture.

Agronomic performance of ‘BRS Princesa’ banana under fertigation and mulching

Banana is one of the most produced fruit crops in Brazil and has great economic, social and nutritional importance. Factors such as water availability and well-managed fertilization are fundamental to achieving profitable yields. The aim of this study was to examine the agronomic performance and water use efficiency of ‘BRS Princesa’ banana under combinations of irrigation systems, fertilization methods and mulching, during three production cycles. The experiment was laid out in a randomized-block design with four replicates. Treatments consisted of a combination of the localized irrigation system, fertilization strategy and mulching, as follows: Drip irrigation with manual fertilization; Micro-sprinkler irrigation with manual fertilization; Drip fertigation with mulch; Drip fertigation without mulch; Micro-sprinkler fertigation with mulch; and Micro-sprinkler fertigation without mulch. The plants were irrigated every three days, using three 4-L h-1 drippers per plant or a 64-L h-1 micro-sprinkler for every four plants. The following variables were analyzed: number of leaves, plant height, pseudostem circumference, number of hands, hand yield, water and nutrient (nitrogen and potassium) use efficiency and earliness. The micro-sprinkler system provided a greater pseudostem circumference without the presence of mulch. Plants under micro-sprinkler fertigation with mulching grew taller. The banana yield was higher when fertigation was used than with manual fertilization, regardless of the irrigation system. Plants grown in mulched soil were more productive than those grown in bare soil. The use of mulch increased water, nitrogen and potassium use efficiency when compared with cultivation in bare soil. Drip-irrigated plants showed earlier production than those irrigated with micro-sprinklers.

Potassium Use Efficiency of Plants

There are many terms used to define aspects of potassium (K) use efficiency of plants. The terms used most frequently in an agricultural context are (1) agronomic K use efficiency (KUE), which is defined as yield per unit K available to a crop and is numerically equal to the product of (2) the K uptake efficiency (KUpE) of the crop, which is defined as crop K content per unit K available and (3) its K utilization efficiency (KUtE), which is defined as yield per unit crop K content. There is considerable genetic variation between and within plant species in KUE, KUpE, and KUtE. Root systems of genotypes with greatest KUpE often have an ability (1) to exploit the soil volume effectively, (2) to manipulate the rhizosphere to release nonexchangeable K from soil, and (3) to take up K at low rhizosphere K concentrations. Genotypes with greatest KUtE have the ability (1) to redistribute K from older to younger tissues to maintain growth and photosynthesis and (2) to reduce vacuolar K concentration, while maintaining an appropriate K concentration in metabolically active subcellular compartments, either by anatomical adaptation or by greater substitution of K with other solutes in the vacuole. Genetic variation in traits related to KUpE and KUtE might be exploited in breeding crop genotypes that require less K fertilizer. This could reduce fertilizer costs, protect the environment, and slow the exhaustion of nonrenewable resources.