开放式空气CO2浓度升高与作物/杂草的竞争关系

CO2浓度升高对植物的光合作用、呼吸作用和水分利用等生理过程产生直接影响,进而影响植物的生长繁殖,CO2浓度升高对于具有C3光合途径的植物较具C4光合途径的植物更为有益,由于许多重要的杂草是C4植物,而许多重要的作用是C3植物,CO2浓度升高对杂草/作物的相互关系将有重要影响,本文就全球CO2浓度升高和气候变化对杂草/作物之间竞争关系影响进行综述,同时针对目前研究现状和可持续农业的需要,提出CO2学浓度升高条件下杂草/作物之间竞争关系及未来农田杂草治理方面理论与实践中有待解决的问题。     

开放式空气CO2浓度升高与作物/杂草的竞争关系

CO₂浓度升高对植物的光合作用、呼吸作用和水分利用等生理过程产生直接影响,进而影响植物的生长和繁殖.CO₂浓度升高对于具有C₃光合途径的植物较具C₄光合途径的植物更为有益.由于许多重要的杂草是C₄植物,而许多重要的作物是C₃植物,CO₂浓度升高对杂草/作物的相互关系将有重要影响.本文就全球CO₂浓度升高和气候变化对杂草/作物之间竞争关系影响进行综述,同时针对目前研究现状和可持续农业的需要,提出CO₂浓度升高条件下杂草/作物之间竞争关系及未来农田杂草治理方面理论与实践中有待解决的问题.     

Mechanisms of action and biocontrol potential of Trichoderma against fungal plant diseases - A review

Plant diseases are among the major causes of the low productivity of crops, causing yield losses of up to 30%, heralding an enormous threat to global food security. Indiscriminate use of chemical-based fungicides for controlling fungal diseases has raised severe concerns about ecosystem health. Moreover, pathogens have become insensitive against these chemicals necessitating excessive use of chemicals for adequate control. The resulting accumulation of these chemicals in the food chain has provoked numerous health complications. For combating the adversaries of chemical-based fungicides, biological control of fungal pathogens is proposed as an eco-friendly alternative. Among various biological controls, Trichoderma-based biological control agents (BCAs) are widely used in agriculture for controlling soil-borne pathogens. These BCAs are commercialized and known as; stimulators of resistance in plants, growth enhancers, bio-fertilizers, and bio-pesticides. Biological management of plant pathogens has yielded valuable results in the sustainability of ecosystems and compelling improvements in the quality and quantity of agricultural produce. These BCAs exhibit potential against pathogens, remarkably improve photosynthesis, plant growth, and nutrient use efficiency for impressive crop yields. Despite these peculiarities, Trichoderma's mechanisms against pathogens and their growth promotional effects are not thoroughly investigated, hence formulating the prime objective of the current review. Along with these, Trichoderma-based fungicides marketed in different geographical locations are encompassed in this review. Finally, the knowledge gaps and future research directions for improving the efficacy of Trichoderma-based BCAs are discussed.     

Carbon assimilation in crops at high temperatures

Global temperatures are rising, and higher rates of temperature increase are projected over land areas that encompass the globe's major agricultural regions. In addition to increased growing season temperatures, heat waves are predicted to become more common and severe. High temperatures can inhibit photosynthetic carbon gain of crop plants and thus threaten productivity, the effects of which may interact with other aspects of climate change. Here, we review the current literature assessing temperature effects on photosynthesis in key crops with special attention to field studies using crop canopy heating technology and in combination with other climate variables. We also discuss the biochemical reactions related to carbon fixation that may limit crop photosynthesis under warming temperatures and the current strategies for adaptation. Important progress has been made on several adaptation strategies demonstrating proof‐of‐concept for translating improved photosynthesis into higher yields. These are now poised to test in important food crops.     

Physiological adaptive mechanisms of plants grown in saline soil and implications for sustainable saline agriculture in coastal zone

There is large area of saline abandoned and low-yielding land distributed in coastal zone in the world. Soil salinity which inhibits plant growth and decreases crop yield is a serious and chronic problem for agricultural production. Improving plant salt tolerance is a feasible way to solve this problem. Plant physiological and biochemical responses under salinity stress become a hot issue at present, because it can provide insights into how plants may be modified to become more tolerant. It is generally known that the negative effects of soil salinity on plants are ascribed to ion toxicity, oxidative stress and osmotic stress, and great progress has been made in the study on molecular and physiological mechanisms of plant salinity tolerance in recent years. However, the present knowledge is not easily applied in the agronomy research under field environment. In this review, we simplified the physiological adaptive mechanisms in plants grown in saline soil and put forward a practical procedure for discerning physiological status and responses. In our opinion, this procedure consists of two steps. First, negative effects of salt stress are evaluated by the changes in biomass, crop yield and photosynthesis. Second, the underlying reasons are analyzed from osmotic regulation, antioxidant response and ion homeostasis. Photosynthesis is a good indicator of the harmful effects of saline soil on plants because of its close relation with crop yield and high sensitivity to environmental stress. Particularly, chlorophyll a fluorescence transient has been accepted as a reliable, sensitive and convenient tool in photosynthesis research in recent years, and it can facilitate and enrich photosynthetic research under field environment.     

植物对开放式CO2 浓度增高(FACE)的响应与适应研究进展

开放式CO2浓度增高(FACE)系统是近年研究植物对高CO2浓度响应和适应的新手段,它比以往密闭和半密闭系统对实验植物生长环境的干扰少.利用FACE系统进行研究更有助于正确地预测未来大气CO2浓度增高对植物的影响.该文结合作者的研究工作简要评介了FACE系统与以往密闭和半密闭式CO2浓度增高实验系统的不同之处以及近年来利用FACE系统所作的最新研究进展.     

Polyphenols as fungal phytotoxins, seed germination stimulants and phytoalexins

This review deals with the sources and chemical and biological characterization of phytotoxic polyphenols produced essentially by pathogenic fungi of forest and crop plants and of weeds. Their potential use as natural herbicides and fungicides is discussed. The use of some polyphenols which could be applied as an alternative method to control parasitic weeds, the so called “suicidal germination”, will be covered. The sources and the isolation and identification of polyphenols produced by some crop plants in consequence of the attack of pathogenic fungi as plant defence compounds (phytoalexins), are also described.     

Photosynthate supply and utilization in alfalfa : a developmental shift from a source to a sink limitation of photosynthesis

Long-term carbon dioxide enrichment, ¹⁴CO₂ feeding, and partial defoliation were employed as probes to investigate source/sink limitations of photosynthesis during the development of symbiotically grown alfalfa. In the mature crop, long-term CO₂ enrichment does not affect the rates of net photosynthesis, relative growth, ¹⁴C export to nonphotosynthetic organs, or the rates of ¹⁴C label incorporation into leaf sucrose, starch, or malate. The rate of glycolate labeling is, however, substantially reduced under these conditions. When the mature crop was partially defoliated, a considerable increase in net photosynthesis occurred in the remaining leaves. In the seedling crop, long-term CO₂ enrichment increased dry matter accumulation, primarily as a result of increases in leaf starch content. Although the higher rates of starch synthesis are not maintained, the growth enhancement of the enriched plants persisted throughout the experimental period. These results imply a source limitation of seedling photosynthesis and a sink limitation of photosynthesis in more mature plants. Consequently, both the supply and the utilization of photosynthate may limit seasonal photosynthesis in alfalfa.     

Functional modulation of an aquaporin to intensify photosynthesis and abrogate bacterial virulence in rice

Plant aquaporins are a recently noted biological resource with a great potential to improve crop growth and defense traits. Here, we report the functional modulation of the rice (Oryza sativa) aquaporin OsPIP1;3 to enhance rice photosynthesis and grain production and to control bacterial blight and leaf streak, the most devastating worldwide bacterial diseases in the crop. We characterize OsPIP1;3 as a physiologically relevant CO₂-transporting facilitator, which supports 30% of rice photosynthesis on average. This role is nullified by interaction of OsPIP1;3 with the bacterial protein Hpa1, an essential component of the Type III translocon that supports translocation of the bacterial Type III effectors PthXo1 and TALi into rice cells to induce leaf blight and streak, respectively. Hpa1 binding shifts OsPIP1;3 from CO₂ transport to effector translocation, aggravates bacterial virulence, and blocks rice photosynthesis. On the contrary, the external application of isolated Hpa1 to rice plants effectively prevents OsPIP1;3 from interaction with Hpa1 secreted by the bacteria that are infecting the plants. Blockage of the OsPIP1;3–Hpa1 interaction reverts OsPIP1;3 from effector translocation to CO₂ transport, abrogates bacterial virulence, and meanwhile induces defense responses in rice. These beneficial effects can combine to enhance photosynthesis by 29–30%, reduce bacterial disease by 58–75%, and increase grain yield by 11–34% in different rice varieties investigated in small-scale field trials conducted during the past years. Our results suggest that crop productivity and immunity can be coordinated by modulating the physiological and pathological functions of a single aquaporin to break the growth–defense tradeoff barrier.     

植物水孔蛋白研究进展

水孔蛋白是植物重要的膜功能蛋白,不仅介导植物各组织间水分的高效转运,还参与植物体内其他物质的跨膜转运,同时在植物光合作用、生长发育、免疫应答以及信号转导等生理过程中也发挥重要作用。本文主要综述了植物水孔蛋白结构特征和分类,多种生理功能,以及其转录水平和转录后水平活性调节等方面的最新研究进展,并就如何系统全面地开展水孔蛋白参与植物生长发育过程的分子调控机制研究提出展望。植物水孔蛋白的深入研究有助于阐明植物体内物质转运的分子机理及其生理作用机制,对指导农业生产中作物的生长发育调控有重要理论意义。     

Elevated CO2 increases photosynthesis, biomass and productivity, and modifies gene expression in sugarcane

Because of the economical relevance of sugarcane and its high potential as a source of biofuel, it is important to understand how this crop will respond to the foreseen increase in atmospheric [CO₂]. The effects of increased [CO₂] on photosynthesis, development and carbohydrate metabolism were studied in sugarcane ( Saccharum ssp.). Plants were grown at ambient (∼370 ppm) and elevated (∼720 ppm) [CO₂] during 50 weeks in open-top chambers. The plants grown under elevated CO₂ showed, at the end of such period, an increase of about 30% in photosynthesis and 17% in height, and accumulated 40% more biomass in comparison with the plants grown at ambient [CO₂]. These plants also had lower stomatal conductance and transpiration rates (−37 and −32%, respectively), and higher water-use efficiency (c.a. 62%). cDNA microarray analyses revealed a differential expression of 35 genes on the leaves (14 repressed and 22 induced) by elevated CO₂. The latter are mainly related to photosynthesis and development. Industrial productivity analysis showed an increase of about 29% in sucrose content. These data suggest that sugarcane crops increase productivity in higher [CO₂], and that this might be related, as previously observed for maize and sorghum, to transient drought stress.     

Engineering Rubisco activase from thermophilic cyanobacteria into high-temperature sensitive plants

In the past decade, various strategies to improve photosynthesis and crop yield, such as leaf morphology, light interception and use efficiency, biochemistry of light reactions, stomatal conductance, carboxylation efficiency, and source to sink regulation, have been discussed at length. Leaf morphology and physiology are tightly coupled to light capturing efficiency, gas exchange capacity, and temperature regulation. However, apart from the photoprotective mechanism of photosystem-II (PSII), i.e. non-photochemical quenching, very low genetic variation in the components of light reactions has been observed in plants. In the last decade, biochemistry-based enhancement of carboxylation efficiency that improves photosynthesis in plants was one of the potential strategies for improving plant biomass production. Enhancement of activation of the ubiquitous enzyme ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco; EC 4.1.1.39) by Rubisco activase may be another potential strategy for improving a photosynthesis-driven increase in crop yield. Rubisco activase modifies the conformation of the active center in Rubisco by removing tightly bound inhibitors, thereby contributing to enzyme activation and rapid carboxylation. Thermophilic cyanobacteria are oxygenic photosynthetic bacteria that thrive in high-temperature environments. This critical review discusses the prospects for and the potential of engineering Rubisco activase from thermophilic cyanobacteria into temperature-sensitive plants, to increase the threshold temperature and survival of these plants in arid regions.     

作物抗虫基因工程及其安全性

利用基因工程培育抗虫新品种是农作物害虫防治的有效途径。本综述了来自细菌的Bt基因及来源于植物的蛋白酶抑制剂基因、凝聚素基因、α－淀粉酶抑制剂基因等转基因植物的防治效果,探讨了它们的安全性,并指出了理想杀虫剂应具备的基本特征。     

Improvement of heat and drought photosynthetic tolerance in wheat by overaccumulation of glycinebetaine

Within their natural habitat, crops are often subjected to drought and heat stress, which suppress crop growth and decrease crop production. Causing overaccumulation of glycinebetaine (GB) has been used to enhance the crop yield under stress. Here, we investigated the response of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) photosynthesis to drought, heat stress and their combination with a transgenic wheat line (T6) overaccumulating GB and its wild-type (WT) Shi4185. Drought stress (DS) was imposed by controlling irrigation until the relative water content (RWC) of the flag leaves decreased to between 78 and 82%. Heat stress (HS) was applied by exposing wheat plants to 40°C for 4 h. A combination of drought and heat stress was applied by subjecting the drought-stressed plants to a heat stress as above. The results indicated that all stresses decreased photosynthesis, but the combination of drought and heat stress exacerbated the negative effects on photosynthesis more than exposure to drought or heat stress alone. Drought stress decreased the transpiration rate (Tr), stomatal conductance (Gs) and intercellular CO₂ concentration (Ci), while heat stress increased all of these; the deprivation of water was greater under drought stress than heat stress, but heat stress decreased the antioxidant enzyme activity to a greater extent. Overaccumulated GB could alleviate the decrease of photosynthesis caused by all stresses tested. These suggest that GB induces an increase of osmotic adjustments for drought tolerance, while its improvement of the antioxidative defense system including antioxidative enzymes and antioxidants may be more important for heat tolerance.     

Improving yield by exploiting mechanisms underlying natural variation of photosynthesis

Increasing photosynthesis in C3 species has been identified as an approach to increase the yield of crop plants. Most of our knowledge of photosynthetic performance has come from studies in which plants were grown in controlled growth conditions but plants in natural environments have to cope with unpredictable and rapidly changing conditions. Plants adapt to the light environment in which they grow and this is demonstrated by the differences in anatomy and morphology of leaves in sun and shade leaves. Superimposed on this are the dynamic responses of plants to rapid changes in the light environment that occur throughout the day. Application of next generation sequencing (NGS), QTL analysis and innovative phenomic screening can provide information to underpin approaches for breeding of higher yielding crop plants.     

Carotenoid composition in sun and shade leaves of plants with different life forms

The carotenoid composition of sun leaves of nine species of annual crop plants (some with several varieties) was compared with sun and shade leaves of several other groups of plants, among those sun and shade leaves of several species of perennial shrubs and vines and deep-shade leaves of seven rainforest species. All sun leaves contained considerably greater amounts of the components of the xanthophyll cycle violaxanthin, antheraxanthin and zeaxanthin as well as of β-carotene than the shade leaves, as had previously been reported for a variety of other species by Thayer & Björkman (Photosynthesis Research, 1990, 23, 331–343). Therefore, high light specifically stimulated β,β-carotenoid synthesis. The sun leaves of these crop species did not contain α-carotene which was, however, present in large amounts in all shade leaves and in smaller amounts in sun leaves of three of the four species of perennial shrubs and vines. There was no difference in neoxanthin content on a chlorophyll basis between sun and shade leaves, and there was no consistent general difference in the lutein content between all sun and all shade leaves. The zeaxanthin (and antheraxanthin) content at peak irradiance and the xanthophyll cycle pool size were compared for sun leaves from the different groups of plants with different life forms and different metabolic activities. When growing in full sunlight the annual crop species and a perennial mesophyte had high rates of photosynthesis whereas the perennial shrubs and vines had relatively low photosynthesis rates. More zeaxanthin (and antheraxanthin) were accumulated at noon in full sunlight in those species with the lower photosynthesis rates. However, it was not such that those species also possessed the larger pools of violaxanthin + antheraxanthin + zeaxanthin. Instead, the xanthophyll cycle pools of sun leaves of the annual crop species and the perennial mesophyte were not smaller, and were even possibly larger, than those of sun leaves of the perennial shrubs and vines with low photosynthesis rates. This was so in spite of the fact that the crop species experienced much lesser degrees of excessive light at full sun than the shrubs and vines. Thus, many of the crop species converted only about 30–50% of their xanthophyll cycle pool to zeaxanthin at noon, whereas the shrubs and vines typically converted more than 80% of their pool into zeaxanthin. The crop species also had larger pools of β-carotene than the shrubs and vines but smaller pools of lutein than the majority of the latter species.     

Rubisco regulation: a role for inhibitors

In photosynthesis Rubisco catalyses the assimilation of CO(2) by the carboxylation of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate. However, the catalytic properties of Rubisco are not optimal for current or projected environments and limit the efficiency of photosynthesis. Rubisco activity is highly regulated in response to short-term fluctuations in the environment, although such regulation may not be optimally poised for crop productivity. The regulation of Rubisco activity in higher plants is reviewed here, including the role of Rubisco activase, tight binding inhibitors, and the impact of abiotic stress upon them.     

Bacteria and archaea as the sources of traits for enhanced plant phenotypes

Rising global demand for food and population increases are driving the need for improved crop productivity over the next 30 years. Plants have inherent metabolic limitations on productivity such as inefficiencies in carbon fixation and sensitivity to environmental conditions. Bacteria and archaea inhabit some of the most inhospitable environments on the planet and possess unique metabolic pathways and genes to cope with these conditions. Microbial genes involved in carbon fixation, abiotic stress tolerance, and nutrient acquisition have been utilized in plants to enhance plant phenotypes by increasing yield, photosynthesis, and abiotic stress tolerance. Transgenic plants expressing bacterial and archaeal genes will be discussed along with emerging strategies and tools to increase plant growth and yield.