high-throughput-field-screening-photosynthetic-efficiency-crop-plants

High-Throughput, In-Field Screening of Photosynthetic Efficiency in Crop Plants Using an Autonomous Robot

Photosynthesis supplies energy not only for plant biomass production but also for symbiotic processes such as nitrogen (N) fixation. Whereas the potential ...

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich

Plants in the field are exposed to varying light and moisture. Agronomic improvement requires knowledge of whole-plant phenotypes expressed in response to simultaneous variation in these essential resources. Most phenotypes, however, have been described from experiments where resources are varied singularly. To test the importance of varying shoot and root resources for phenotyping studies, sister pre-breeding lines of wheat were phenotyped in response to independent or simultaneous exposure to two light levels and soil moisture profiles. The distribution and architecture of the root systems depended strongly on the moisture of the deeper soil layer. For one genotype, roots, specifically lateral roots, were stimulated to grow into moist soil when the upper zone was well-watered and were inhibited by drier deep zones. In contrast, the other genotype showed much less plasticity and responsiveness to upper moist soil, but maintained deeper penetration of roots into the dry layer. The sum of shoot and root responses was greater when treated simultaneously to low light and low soil water, compared to each treatment alone, suggesting the value of whole plant phenotyping in response to multiple conditions for agronomic improvement. The results suggest that canopy management for increased irradiation of leaves would encourage root growth into deeper drier soil, and that genetic variation within closely related breeding lines may exist to favour surface root growth in response to irrigation or in-season rainfall.

Simultaneous effects of leaf irradiance and soil moisture on growth and root system architecture of novel wheat genotypes: implications for phenotyping.

Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia) is a promising alternative forage plant of good quality, moderate nutrient demand and a high content of polyphenolic compounds. Its poor adoption is caused by the limited availability of well performing varieties. Sainfoin is characterised as tetraploid and mainly outcrossing, but the extent of self-fertilisation and its consequences was not investigated so far. This study aimed at assessing the rate of self-fertilisation in sainfoin under different pollination regimes and at analysing the consequences on plant performance in order to assist future breeding efforts.

Article	Year
Simultaneous effects of leaf irradiance and soil moisture on growth and root system architecture of novel wheat genotypes: implications for phenotyping. Journal of experimental botany\| PubMed ID: 26089535	2015
Evidence and consequences of self-fertilisation in the predominantly outbreeding forage legume Onobrychis viciifolia. BMC genetics\| PubMed ID: 26446757	2015
Opinion: Smart farming is key to developing sustainable agriculture. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America\| PubMed ID: 28611194	2017

Achim Walter

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