Improving crop performance under drought - cross-fertilization of disciplines.

Francois Tardieu,Rajeev K Varshney,Roberto Tuberosa

doi:10.1093/jxb/erx042

Francois Tardieu, Rajeev K Varshney + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erx042

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Abstract

Better crop performance in dry environments is imperative for food security in the face of climate change. This has never been as true as in 2017, but the concern has existed for decades. The four InterDrought conferences held since 1995 have addressed issues associated with crop performance under drought with a clear multi-disciplinary approach. During this time Journal of Experimental Botany has been at the forefront in publishing the underlying experimental science encompassing the disciplines and scales of organization required in drought research. We hope that the papers highlighted here will be useful to, and instrumental for, broadening interdisciplinary understanding of drought tolerance.

Highlights

Improved knowledge of the physiological mechanisms involved in the control of transpiration and growth, and of their genetic make-up, paves the way for manipulating and eventually fine-tuning these controls in order to enhance their efficiency via genetic approaches (Habben et al, 2014), possibly complemented by application of compounds that affect them (Park et al, 2015)
While agronomy is currently undergoing a major change in focus based on the widespread use of sensors, robots and imaging techniques resulting in precision agriculture, breeders are taking full advantage of our increasing ability to identify and tailor beneficial alleles able to enhance crop productivity and eventually mitigate the negative effects of drought
Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and candidate genes have been identified in various crops including rice (Zhou et al, 2010), wheat (Maccaferri et al, 2016), maize (Millet et al, 2016) and chickpea (Jaganathan et al, 2015; Kale et al, 2015)

Summary

Introduction

Improved knowledge of the physiological mechanisms involved in the control of transpiration and growth, and of their genetic make-up, paves the way for manipulating and eventually fine-tuning these controls in order to enhance their efficiency via genetic approaches (Habben et al, 2014), possibly complemented by application of compounds that affect them (Park et al, 2015). The controlling mechanisms for plant performance under drought are complex due to the multifaceted interplay between genetic components including genes, transcription factors, microRNAs (miRNAs), hormones, proteins, co-factors, ions and metabolites (reviewed by Janiak et al, 2016; Tardieu, 2016).

Results

Conclusion