Would reducing chlorophyll content result in a higher photosynthesis nitrogen use efficiency in crops?
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ABSTRACT: Decreasing antenna size is regarded as a potential strategy to improve photosynthesis for higher yield potential. Reducing chlorophyll content has been used as a strategy to decrease antenna size. One of the commonly cited benefits of this strategy has been its ability to improve crop nitrogen use efficiency; however, field evidence for this so far is limited. Here we used a mutant, p35s-Ami-YGL1, which has a lower chlorophyll content and also lower antenna size, to study the impacts of modifying leaf chlorophyll content on tissue nitrogen content and nitrogen use efficiency of plants. We show that the nitrogen contents for different tissues, including the seed tissue, on a weight basis were increased in p35s-Ami-YGL1, together with a decrease in C: N. Concurrently, we found that tissue carbon content decreased, while the content of chlorophyll precursors increased. These results suggest that the observed increase in tissue nitrogen content in Ami-YGL1 does not reflect an increase in plant nitrogen absorption or use efficiency, rather it is a result of stunted carbon fixation capacity of plants. The observed increase in seed nitrogen content in Ami-YGL1 suggests a potential strategy to increase seed nitrogen content in crops.
ORGANISM(S): Oryza sativa Japonica Group
PROVIDER: GSE252714 | GEO | 2025/01/01
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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