Stress Tolerance In Legumes Research Articles

Understanding of effect and mechanism of abiotic stress tolerance in legumes and recent development

The present changing climatic conditions are affecting crop productivity worldwide. The crop growth and productivity are adversely hit by perturbed climatic conditions and climate change. Being sessile, plants are openly exposed to biotic and abiotic stresses which limit the crop productivity. Crop plants exhibit tolerance and susceptibility under adverse conditions through various attributes at different levels like morphological, physiological, biochemical and genetic level, although their magnitude of response varies. Crops responses toward abiotic stresses have increased in the recent years by advancement of technology and understanding of physiology, molecular and genetic level of crops response to these stresses. In the processes of development of stress-tolerant plants, several genes associated tolerance and adaptation get activated leading to modulate several biochemical, physiological and metabolic pathways. Stress also induces the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and subsequently change in signal transduction in the plants switches towards enhancement of antioxidant system. Both abiotic and biotic stresses affect all the physiological processes of the legume plants, especially photosynthesis, respiration, water use efficiency, nutrient use efficiency etc. The activity of cell organelles like mitochondria, chloroplast and vacuoles is also affected by stress. The present study is focusing on the impact of diverse abiotic stresses at different levels in legume crops and changes at physiological, biochemical and molecular level. It also discusses the opportunities to ameliorate the ability of the legumes to enhance abiotic stress tolerance for crop improvement and agriculture sustainability.

Recent advancement in OMICS approaches to enhance abiotic stress tolerance in legumes.

The world is facing rapid climate change and a fast-growing global population. It is believed that the world population will be 9.7 billion in 2050. However, recent agriculture production is not enough to feed the current population of 7.9 billion people, which is causing a huge hunger problem. Therefore, feeding the 9.7 billion population in 2050 will be a huge target. Climate change is becoming a huge threat to global agricultural production, and it is expected to become the worst threat to it in the upcoming years. Keeping this in view, it is very important to breed climate-resilient plants. Legumes are considered an important pillar of the agriculture production system and a great source of high-quality protein, minerals, and vitamins. During the last two decades, advancements in OMICs technology revolutionized plant breeding and emerged as a crop-saving tool in wake of the climate change. Various OMICs approaches like Next-Generation sequencing (NGS), Transcriptomics, Proteomics, and Metabolomics have been used in legumes under abiotic stresses. The scientific community successfully utilized these platforms and investigated the Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL), linked markers through genome-wide association studies, and developed KASP markers that can be helpful for the marker-assisted breeding of legumes. Gene-editing techniques have been successfully proven for soybean, cowpea, chickpea, and model legumes such as Medicago truncatula and Lotus japonicus. A number of efforts have been made to perform gene editing in legumes. Moreover, the scientific community did a great job of identifying various genes involved in the metabolic pathways and utilizing the resulted information in the development of climate-resilient legume cultivars at a rapid pace. Keeping in view, this review highlights the contribution of OMICs approaches to abiotic stresses in legumes. We envisage that the presented information will be helpful for the scientific community to develop climate-resilient legume cultivars.

Identification and characterization of long noncoding RNAs involved in the aluminum stress response in Medicago truncatula via genome-wide analysis.

Numerous studies have shown that plant long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play an important regulatory role in the plant response to environmental stress. However, there are no reports on lncRNAs regulating and enhancing aluminum (Al) stress tolerance in legumes. This study analyzed the role of lncRNAs in response to Al stress in the legume model plant Medicago truncatula. A total of 219.49 Gb clean data were generated: 3,284 lncRNA genes were identified, of which 515 were differentially expressed, and 1,254 new genes were functionally annotated through database alignment. We further predicted and classified putative targets of these lncRNAs and found that they were enriched in biological processes and metabolic pathways such as plant hormone signal transduction, cell wall modification and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Finally, we characterized the functions of 2 Al-activated-malate-transporter-related lncRNAs in yeast. The recombinant plasmids of MSTRG.12506.5 and MSTRG.34338.20 were transformed into yeast, and these yeast exhibited better growth than those carrying empty vectors on medium supplemented with 10 μM AlCl3 and showed that they have biological functions affording Al stress tolerance. These findings suggest that lncRNAs are involved in regulating plant responses to Al stress. Our findings help to understand the role of lncRNAs in the response to Al stress in legumes and provide candidate lncRNAs for further studies.

Changes in epigenetic features in legumes under abiotic stresses.

Legume crops are rich in nutritional value for human and livestock consumption. With global climate change, developing stress-resilient crops is crucial for ensuring global food security. Because of their nitrogen-fixing ability, legumes are also important for sustainable agriculture. Various abiotic stresses, such as salt, drought, and elevated temperatures, are known to adversely affect legume production. The responses of plants to abiotic stresses involve complicated cellular processes including stress hormone signaling, metabolic adjustments, and transcriptional regulations. Epigenetic mechanisms play a key role in regulating gene expressions at both transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels. Increasing evidence suggests the importance of epigenetic regulations of abiotic stress responses in legumes, and recent investigations have extended the scope to the epigenomic level using next-generation sequencing technologies. In this review, the current knowledge on the involvement of epigenetic features, including DNA methylation, histone modification, and noncoding RNAs, in abiotic stress responses in legumes is summarized and discussed. Since most of the available information focuses on a single aspect of these epigenetic features, integrative analyses involving omics data in multiple layers are needed for a better understanding of the dynamic chromatin statuses and their roles in transcriptional regulation. The inheritability of epigenetic modifications should also be assessed in future studies for their applications in improving stress tolerance in legumes through the stable epigenetic optimization of gene expressions.

Latest biotechnology tools and targets for improving abiotic stress tolerance in protein legumes

Protein legumes are among the most important crops for sustainable agriculture and global food security for decades to come. Unfortunately, they are subject to several abiotic stresses that severely limit their productivity, and this phenomenon is increasing with climate change. New Plant Breeding Technologies (NPBTs) offer novel alternatives to improve the plant performance of crops against such environmental constraints. However, the recalcitrance to transgenesis and in vitro regeneration has delayed such advances for protein legumes. This article reviews recent advances in legume crop biotechnological approaches to improve their tolerance to abiotic stresses including drought, high salinity, heat and cold, and heavy metal stress. In addition to these improvements, obtained mainly through transgenesis, we surveyed the application of tools such as CRISPR/Cas and RNA interference in legumes in a context of abiotic stress tolerance, and suggested a path to follow for gene control by these tools in legume plants, organs, or cells. Furthermore, we also discussed promising molecular targets, perspectives, and the way ahead for enhancing abiotic stress tolerance. • NPBT gave new protein legume genotypes to better cope with changing global climate. • Tolerance to drought, salinity, extreme temperatures and heavy metals were improved. • We surveyed recent advances in transgenesis, RNAi and genome editing technology. • Candidate genes modulating protein legume responses to abiotic stress are evoked. • A comprehensive survey of biotechnology-induced abiotic stress tolerance in legumes.

Growth and Antioxidant Responses in Iron-Biofortified Lentil under Cadmium Stress.

Cadmium (Cd) is a hazardous heavy metal, toxic to our ecosystem even at low concentrations. Cd stress negatively affects plant growth and development by triggering oxidative stress. Limited information is available on the role of iron (Fe) in ameliorating Cd stress tolerance in legumes. This study assessed the effect of Cd stress in two lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) varieties differing in seed Fe concentration (L4717 (Fe-biofortified) and JL3) under controlled conditions. Six biochemical traits, five growth parameters, and Cd uptake were recorded at the seedling stage (21 days after sowing) in the studied genotypes grown under controlled conditions at two levels (100 μM and 200 μM) of cadmium chloride (CdCl2). The studied traits revealed significant genotype, treatment, and genotype × treatment interactions. Cd-induced oxidative damage led to the accumulation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and malondialdehyde in both genotypes. JL3 accumulated 77.1% more H2O2 and 75% more lipid peroxidation products than L4717 at the high Cd level. Antioxidant enzyme activities increased in response to Cd stress, with significant genotype, treatment, and genotype × treatment interactions (p < 0.01). L4717 had remarkably higher catalase (40.5%), peroxidase (43.9%), superoxide dismutase (31.7%), and glutathione reductase (47.3%) activities than JL3 under high Cd conditions. In addition, L4717 sustained better growth in terms of fresh weight and dry weight than JL3 under stress. JL3 exhibited high Cd uptake (14.87 mg g−1 fresh weight) compared to L4717 (7.32 mg g−1 fresh weight). The study concluded that the Fe-biofortified lentil genotype L4717 exhibited Cd tolerance by inciting an efficient antioxidative response to Cd toxicity. Further studies are required to elucidate the possibility of seed Fe content as a surrogacy trait for Cd tolerance.

Naringenin reduces Cd-induced toxicity in Vigna radiata (mungbean)

Cadmium (Cd) has an inhibitory effect on the morphology, vegetative growth, and biochemical accumulation of plants including mungbean. The polyphenolic metabolites of the phenylpropanoid pathway, especially flavonoids, are known to promote Cd stress tolerance in plants. However, the potential of flavonoid precursor, naringenin for Cd tolerance has not been reported in mungbean. The present study documents the significant role of naringenin towards mungbean protein bioavailability and solubility. The protein accumulation, bioavailability, and solubility of Cd-stressed mungbean was increased by 20, 94, and 12 % respectively, on naringenin exposure. Exogenous naringenin alleviated the Cd toxicity-induced morphological and biochemical alterations of mungbean. The naringenin-mediated enhancement in chlorophyll was found to increase fresh biomass and carbohydrate accumulation of Cd-stressed mungbean by 53 and 0.9- 2.1 %. Furthermore, naringenin rescued the Cd reduced non-enzymatic antioxidant potential in terms of 30 and 32 % increment in the polyphenolics and flavonoids accumulation. However, naringenin reduced enzymatic antioxidants and enhanced the lipid peroxidation of mungbean. Therefore, in the prevailing condition of multiple and concomitant stresses induced by global climate change, seed treatment with phytochemicals like naringenin can be a novel strategy for heavy metal stress tolerance in legumes including mungbean.

Role of Gamma Amino Butyric Acid (GABA) against abiotic stress tolerance in legumes: a review

Legumes are well known for their nutritional and health benefits as well as for their impact in the sustainability of agricultural systems. Under current scenarios threatened by climate change highlights the necessity for concerted research approaches in order to develop crops that are able to cope up with environmental challenges. Various abiotic stresses such as cold, heat, drought, salt, and heavy metal induce a variety of negative effects in plant growth, development and significantly decline yield and quality. Plant growth regulators or natural products of plants are reported to be effective to improve plant tolerance to several abiotic stresses. Gamma Amino Butyric Acid (GABA) is a non-protein amino acid involved in various metabolic processes, and partially protects plants from abiotic stress. GABA appears to impart partial protection to various abiotic stresses in most plants by increasing leaf turgor, increased osmolytes and reduced oxidative damage by stimulation of antioxidants. We have compiled various scientific reports on the role and mechanism of GABA in plants against coping with various environmental stresses. We have also described the emerging information about the metabolic and signaling roles of GABA which is being used to improve legume crop against abiotic stress.

Potential effects of a high CO2 future on leguminous species.

Legumes provide an important source of food and feed due to their high protein levels and many health benefits, and also impart environmental and agronomic advantages as a consequence of their ability to fix nitrogen through their symbiotic relationship with rhizobia. As a result of our growing population, the demand for products derived from legumes will likely expand considerably in coming years. Since there is little scope for increasing production area, improving the productivity of such crops in the face of climate change will be essential. While a growing number of studies have assessed the effects of climate change on legume yield, there is a paucity of information regarding the direct impact of elevated CO2 concentration (e[CO2]) itself, which is a main driver of climate change and has a substantial physiological effect on plants. In this review, we discuss current knowledge regarding the influence of e[CO2] on the photosynthetic process, as well as biomass production, seed yield, quality, and stress tolerance in legumes, and examine how these responses differ from those observed in non-nodulating plants. Although these relationships are proving to be extremely complex, mounting evidence suggests that under limiting conditions, overall declines in many of these parameters could ensue. While further research will be required to unravel precise mechanisms underlying e[CO2] responses of legumes, it is clear that integrating such knowledge into legume breeding programs will be indispensable for achieving yield gains by harnessing the potential positive effects, and minimizing the detrimental impacts, of CO2 in the future.

Identification and Characterization of NADH Kinase-3 from a Stress-Tolerant Wild Mung Bean Species (Vigna luteola (Jacq.) Benth.) with a Possible Role in Waterlogging Tolerance

In plants, reactive oxygen species accumulate to a toxic level under various abiotic stresses. Many antioxidant defense systems require NADPH as a principal reducing energy equivalent. However, the source of NADPH and the molecular mechanisms associated with the maintenance of cytoplasmic redox balance are still unknown. The present study describes Vigna NADH kinase (VlNADHK), an enzyme involved in NADPH synthesis and prefers NADH as a diphospho-nicotinamide nucleotide donor. We analyzed the enzymatic activity of a putative cytoplasmic NADH kinase during waterlogging in contrasting mung bean genotypes Vigna luteola (tolerant) and Vigna radiata cv. T44 (susceptible) under pot-culture condition. The tolerant cultivar showed higher enzymatic activity under waterlogging as well as after recovery. Similarly, the transcript level of waterlogging-induced NADHK expression was also studied and found to be upregulated in response to waterlogging in the roots of V. luteola and T44. PCR amplicons of partial and full-length sequences were cloned and sequenced from V. luteola. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time an ATP-dependent NADH kinase gene has been recognized as a component of waterlogging stress tolerance in legumes. Our study indicated that this cytoplasmic NADH kinase is a primary source of the cytosolic NADPH and might have a role in waterlogging tolerance in legumes.

From model to crop: functional characterization of SPL8 in M.truncatula led to genetic improvement of biomass yield and abiotic stress tolerance in alfalfa.

SummaryBiomass yield, salt tolerance and drought tolerance are important targets for alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) improvement. Medicago truncatula has been developed into a model plant for alfalfa and other legumes. By screening a Tnt1 retrotransposon‐tagged M. truncatula mutant population, we identified three mutants with enhanced branching. Branch development determines shoot architecture which affects important plant functions such as light acquisition, resource use and ultimately impacts biomass production. Molecular analyses revealed that the mutations were caused by Tnt1 insertions in the SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN‐LIKE 8 (SPL8) gene. The M. truncatula spl8 mutants had increased biomass yield, while overexpression of SPL8 in M. truncatula suppressed branching and reduced biomass yield. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis showed that SPL8 inhibited branching by directly suppressing axillary bud formation. Based on the M. truncatula SPL8 sequence, alfalfa SPL8 (MsSPL8) was cloned and transgenic alfalfa plants were produced. MsSPL8 down‐regulated or up‐regulated alfalfa plants exhibited similar phenotypes to the M. truncatula mutants or overexpression lines, respectively. Specifically, the MsSPL8 down‐regulated alfalfa plants showed up to 43% increase in biomass yield in the first harvest. The impact was even more prominent in the second harvest, with up to 86% increase in biomass production compared to the control. Furthermore, down‐regulation of MsSPL8 led to enhanced salt and drought tolerance in transgenic alfalfa. Results from this research offer a valuable approach to simultaneously improve biomass production and abiotic stress tolerance in legumes.