IWYP Call 2 - Speeding the adjustment of photosynthesis to shade-sun transitions to increase yield potential in the field
Lead Research Organisation:
Lancaster University
Department Name: Lancaster Environment Centre
Abstract
Not applicable - please refer to the Case for Support.
Technical Summary
Improvement of photosynthetic efficiency is a major, and largely untapped, target for achieving the breakthrough sustainable crop yield increases needed to meet future food demand. Efforts to date have focused on increasing efficiency under steady-state (constant) conditions. However, in the field the light environment of every single leaf is constantly changing. A considerable increase in productivity could be achieved by accelerating the speed at which photosynthetic efficiency adapts to the rapidly changing light environment. We recently showed that slow adjustment of photosynthetic efficiency in the wheat flag leaf during shade-sun transitions, also known as photosynthetic induction, could cost 20% of potential carbon uptake over the course of a day. The overall objective of this project is to tap this unrealised potential by accelerating photosynthetic induction through breeding. To do so, we will utilize a high-throughput, leaf level, chlorophyll fluorescence screen to identify genetic variation in speed of photosynthetic induction among 200 wheat lines in the field at CIMMYT. Based on this screen, the 20 best lines will be selected for more detailed analysis to establish the relationship of photosynthetic induction with activation of the CO2-fixing enzyme Rubisco. To determine the suitability of wheat plants showing fast induction speeds for producing higher grain yields, we will evaluate field productivity of the 20 lines in multiple environments, in collaboration with partners at low and middle income countries. The main direct outcome of this project will be: photosynthetic induction-related traits included for the first time in the wheat breeding pipeline; lines with faster photosynthetic induction backcrossed into elite parents, and the developed high-throughput method for screening which will facilitate early generation selection to accelerate progress towards substantial grain yield increases.
Planned Impact
Not applicable - please refer to the Case for Support.
Publications
Caruana L
(2022)
Rubiscosome gene expression is balanced across the hexaploid wheat genome.
in Photosynthesis research
Degen GE
(2021)
Heat-induced changes in the abundance of wheat Rubisco activase isoforms.
in The New phytologist
Murchie EH
(2023)
A 'wiring diagram' for source strength traits impacting wheat yield potential.
in Journal of experimental botany
Perdomo JA
(2021)
The relative abundance of wheat Rubisco activase isoforms is post-transcriptionally regulated.
in Photosynthesis research
Perdomo JA
(2024)
Down-regulation of wheat Rubisco activase isoforms expression by virus-induced gene silencing.
in Plant direct
Perdomo JA
(2019)
Rubisco activation by wheat Rubisco activase isoform 2ß is insensitive to inhibition by ADP.
in The Biochemical journal
Reynolds MP
(2022)
A wiring diagram to integrate physiological traits of wheat yield potential.
in Nature food
Slafer GA
(2023)
A 'wiring diagram' for sink strength traits impacting wheat yield potential.
in Journal of experimental botany
| Description | We have identified some wheat lines that are faster in their response to changes in light, and improved our understanding of the biological mechanism underlying this response. |
| Exploitation Route | Wheat lines that are faster in their response to increases in light were identified and transferred to the IWYP-Hub for evaluation and incorporation into pre-breeding. |
| Sectors | Agriculture Food and Drink |
| Description | CIMMYT (Gemma & Liana) |
| Organisation | International Centre for Maize and Wheat Improvement (CIMMYT) |
| Country | Mexico |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Physiological and biochemical characterisation of photosynthetic light induction |
| Collaborator Contribution | Access to germplasm, field trials and phenotyping of field-grown plants |
| Impact | Experiment using CIMMYT germplasm at Lancaster, data collection and sampling from glasshouse- and field-grown plants to characterise light induction of photosynthesis. Seed of relevant germplasm to the project sent to CIMMYT partners in Pakistan, Egypt and India for multi-environment testing. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Earlham (Anthony, IWYP64) |
| Organisation | Earlham Institute |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Phenotyping of 200 wheat lines grown in the field and glasshouse over 4 years for photosynthetic induction traits. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Genotyping data on the 200 wheat lines, pre-analysis and preparation of phenotyping data for GWAS. |
| Impact | Identification of genetic markers for photosynthetic induction. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Nottingham (Erik & Lorna, IWYP48) |
| Organisation | University of Nottingham |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Growth of 200 lines with four replicates in the glasshouse, experimental design for high throughput phenotyping of light induction of photosynthesis, data collection, analysis and interpretation. |
| Collaborator Contribution | High throughput phenotyping of light induction of photosynthesis using a FluorCam system, data collection and interpretation. |
| Impact | Selection of germplasm showing differences in light induction of photosynthesis |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | ASPB Major Symposium Talk |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Carmo-Silva gave an invited talk "Leaf: Improving photosynthesis to maximize productivity" at an ASPB-ISPR Major Symposium, during Plant Biology 2018 (~1400 attendees, July 2018, Montreal, Canada). This generated a lot of interest on the IWYP research at Lancaster - as demonstrated by the Twitter activity and interactions with a number of fellow researchers and students. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Fascination of Plants Day |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | To celebrate the Fascination of Plants Day, on Saturday 18 May 2019, we delivered an outreach event at the centre of Lancaster, in St Nicholas Archades. We prepared a range of 10 diverse activities including a demo of wheat plants at different growth stages next to a loaf of bread, as a gateway to engage with the public. Our monitoring showed that we actively engaged with ~350 people, including children, teenagers and adults, of which some were teachers and educators and considered the opportunity to transferring the information gained to their students. In addition to the physical activity, we had maintained a very active twitter presence throughout the day. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Keynote talk at the International Congress on Photosynthesis Research |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Carmo-Silva gave an invited talk "Rubisco regulation in crops". This generated interest on the IWYP research at Lancaster - as demonstrated by further invitations and interactions with a number of fellow researchers and students. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Open Days |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Demonstration of research activities during two undergraduate open days (June and September 2018) at Lancaster University. During the two days there was an opportunity to talk to prospective students and their parents about our IWYP research and their relevance to society. While most students and parents were not naturally driven to a demonstration to talk about wheat, there were numerous productive discussions and a recognizable increase in appreciation for plant and crop sciences. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | SDS-Page & Western Blot training |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | The Lancaster research associate (Perdomo) provided training to postgraduate students at Nottingham on SDS-page and Western Blotting, enhancing their skills and enabling them to apply these techniques for their own research projects. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Video |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Promotional video prepared and made publicly available through the IWYP website and the Lancaster University YouTube channel, and disseminated via Twitter. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://youtu.be/oRjU-m5c0VA |