Dataset Information

Assessing diversity in canopy architecture, photosynthesis, and water-use efficiency in a cowpea magic population.

ABSTRACT: Optimizing crops to improve light absorption and CO₂ assimilation throughout the canopy is a proposed strategy to increase yield and meet the needs of a growing population by 2050. Globally, the greatest population increase is expected to occur in Sub-Saharan Africa where large yield gaps currently persist; therefore, it is crucial to develop high-yielding crops adapted to this region. In this study, we screened 50 cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) genotypes from the multi-parent advanced generation inter-cross (MAGIC) population for canopy architectural traits, canopy photosynthesis, and water-use efficiency using a canopy gas exchange chamber in order to improve our understanding of the relationships among those traits. Canopy architecture contributed to 38.6% of the variance observed in canopy photosynthesis. The results suggest that the light environment within the canopy was a limiting factor for canopy CO₂ assimilation. Traits favoring greater exposure of leaf area to light such as the width of the canopy relative to the total leaf area were associated with greater canopy photosynthesis, especially in canopies with high biomass. Canopy water-use efficiency was highly determined by canopy photosynthetic activity and therefore canopy architecture, which indicates that optimizing the canopy will also contribute to improving canopy water-use efficiency. We discuss different breeding strategies for future programs aimed at the improvement of cowpea yield for the Sub-Saharan African region. We show that breeding for high biomass will not optimize canopy CO₂ assimilation and suggest that selection should include multiple canopy traits to improve light penetration.

SUBMITTER: Digrado A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7757253 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Assessing diversity in canopy architecture, photosynthesis, and water-use efficiency in a cowpea magic population.

Digrado Anthony A Mitchell Noah G NG Montes Christopher M CM Dirvanskyte Paulina P Ainsworth Elizabeth A EA

Food and energy security 20200807 4

Optimizing crops to improve light absorption and CO<sub>2</sub> assimilation throughout the canopy is a proposed strategy to increase yield and meet the needs of a growing population by 2050. Globally, the greatest population increase is expected to occur in Sub-Saharan Africa where large yield gaps currently persist; therefore, it is crucial to develop high-yielding crops adapted to this region. In this study, we screened 50 cowpea (<i>Vigna unguiculata</i> (L.) Walp) genotypes from the multi-p ...[more]

PMID: 33381299

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Project description:There is growing evidence that for a comprehensive insight into the function of plant genes it is crucial to assess their functionalities under a wide range of conditions. In this study we examined the role of LESION SIMULATING DISEASE1 (LSD1), ENHANCED DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY1 (EDS1) and PHYTOALEXIN DEFICIENT4 (PAD4) in the regulation of photosynthesis, water use efficiency (WUE), ROS/hormonal homeostasis and seed yield in Arabidopsis thaliana grown in the laboratory and in the field. We demonstrate that the LSD1 null mutant (lsd1), which is known to exhibit a runaway cell death in non-permissive conditions, proves to be more tolerant to combined drought and high-light stress than the wild type. Moreover, depending on growing conditions, it shows variations in WUE, salicylic acid and hydrogen peroxide concentrations, photosystem II maximum efficiency and in transcription profiles. However, despite these changes, lsd1 demonstrates similar seed yield under all tested conditions. All of these traits depend on EDS1 and PAD4. The differences in the pathways prevailing in the lsd1 in various growing environments are manifested by the significantly smaller number of transcripts deregulated in the field compared to the laboratory, with only 43 commonly regulated genes. Our data indicate that LSD1, EDS1 and PAD4 participate in the regulation of various molecular and physiological processes that influence Arabidopsis fitness. On the basis of these results we emphasize that the function of such important regulators as LSD1, EDS1 and PAD4 should be studied not only under stable laboratory conditions, but also in the environment abounding in multiple stresses. Six genotypes x two conditions experiment including five-week-old WT (Ws), lsd1, pad4, eds1, eds1lsd1, and pad4lsd1 plants grown in laboratory or field conditions, hybridized in two loop-designs (lab and field). Two biological replicates. In total, 2 x 12 samples were hybridized on 24 Arabidopsis Gene Expression microarrays V4 (Agilent, two-color array) including color swap of replicate samples.

Dataset Information

Assessing diversity in canopy architecture, photosynthesis, and water-use efficiency in a cowpea magic population.

Publications

Assessing diversity in canopy architecture, photosynthesis, and water-use efficiency in a cowpea magic population.

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