A team of researchers from CONICET has identified molecular mechanisms in the plant Arabidopsis thaliana, which could help develop denser crops with higher yields per hectare.
These scientific findings represent a significant advance in the field of agricultural biotechnology and are crucial to optimize production and address growing food challenges around the world.
The study, published in the journal Plant Physiologyfocuses on the BBX28 genethat regulates stem growth in Arabidopsis thaliana. “This plant, laboratory plant model, shares much genetic information with important food crops, such as wheat, corn and soybeans”says Javier Botto, leader of the study and CONICET researcher at the Institute of Physiological and Ecological Research Linked to Agriculture (IFEVA, CONICET-UBA).
Reducing stem height can increase crop productivitysince plants could allocate more energy to producing grains instead of growing in height.
During the experiments, Botto’s team discovered that BBX28 is essential for plants to grow towards the light and not be in the shadow of their neighbors. This protein regulates many genes that control cell division and cell elongation, crucial for plant growth.
Furthermore, to functional levelit was discovered that the BBX28 protein stability in shade is relevant at duskand the researcher states that “the stability of this protein helps sustain growth over timepromoting the expression of genes associated with the transport and biosynthesis of a plant growth hormone known as auxin, and other genes that activate cell division.”
Another interesting discovery is the role of COP1 protein in BBX28 stability. Without COP1, this gene is not stabilized properly at the end of the day, which consequently inhibits plant growth in shady light.
This knowledge opens the door for develop lower and denser crops, with greater grain production per hectare.
Furthermore, the stem shortening could solve overturning problems (fall due to wind and other factors) in various extensive crops.
For these discoveries to be useful in agriculture, it is necessary to transfer them to crops with more complex genomes. “The discovery of a molecular mechanism such as the one described in this work can have a very great impact if we demonstrate that it is present in crops of agricultural importance and can be modulated in order to improve their performance.”says Botto.
Furthermore, inhibit stem growth could increase green biomass productionbenefiting farmers even more.
Understanding how plants respond to their environment and how we can influence these processes at the molecular level has enormous potential. Botto and his team’s research is not only a scientific achievement, but also hope for the future of agriculture, especially in a world with growing food challenges.
SOURCE: CONICET
