Abstract
Main conclusionA powerful acquired thermotolerance response in potato was demonstrated and characterised in detail, showing the time course required for tolerance, the reversibility of the process and requirement for light.Potato is particularly vulnerable to increased temperature, considered to be the most important uncontrollable factor affecting growth and yield of this globally significant crop. Here, we describe an acquired thermotolerance response in potato, whereby treatment at a mildly elevated temperature primes the plant for more severe heat stress. We define the time course for acquiring thermotolerance and demonstrate that light is essential for the process. In all four commercial tetraploid cultivars that were tested, acquisition of thermotolerance by priming was required for tolerance at elevated temperature. Accessions from several wild-type species and diploid genotypes did not require priming for heat tolerance under the test conditions employed, suggesting that useful variation for this trait exists. Physiological, transcriptomic and metabolomic approaches were employed to elucidate potential mechanisms that underpin the acquisition of heat tolerance. This analysis indicated a role for cell wall modification, auxin and ethylene signalling, and chromatin remodelling in acclimatory priming resulting in reduced metabolic perturbation and delayed stress responses in acclimated plants following transfer to 40 °C.
Highlights
Heat stress in crops causes profound negative impacts on global agriculture and food security in the absence of adequate adaptation
Damage in plants that had undergone treatment at 25 °C prior to transfer to 40 °C were significantly lower than in plants that had not been exposed to 25 °C as determined by analysis of variance (ANOVA) for acclimation treatment (P < 0.001)
Despite the impact of moderately elevated temperatures on potato yield, detailed characterisation of the responses to such temperatures remain to be fully elucidated for this crop species
Summary
Heat stress in crops causes profound negative impacts on global agriculture and food security in the absence of adequate adaptation. In view of the severity of this problem, research has focussed on understanding the mechanisms underlying the response of plants to heat stress, with the long-term objective of translating findings to improved breeding strategies for crop plants. Studies in the model plant Arabidopsis have identified four major thermotolerance types (Yeh et al 2012). These responses include basal thermotolerance, short- and. Planta (2018) 247:1377–1392 long-term acquired thermotolerance, and thermotolerance to moderately high temperatures. This ‘thermotolerance diversity’ means that multiple phenotypic assays are essential for fully describing the functions of genes involved in heat stress responses. Targeted breeding approaches are hampered by a lack of fundamental knowledge regarding the molecular mechanisms by which plants perceive and translate high temperature into relevant acclimation responses
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