Iowa State University news release

Iowa State University scientists have harnessed data analytics to look “under the hood” of the mechanisms that determine how genetics and changing environmental conditions interact during crucial developmental stages of plants.

A new study published in the academic scientific journal New Phytologist focuses on how changes in temperature affect the height of sorghum plants, and the scientists who conducted the experiments said the research could help to breed more resilient crops as well as shed light on mechanisms that play a critical role in plant growth. The research revolves around the concept of phenotypic plasticity, or how a given trait can differ as a result of environmental conditions. For instance, a plant may grow to a different height in a dry environment than a plant with identical genetics that grows in a wet environment.

Understanding plasticity can help plant breeders design crop varieties that will perform well under a range of environmental conditions, said Jianming Yu, a professor of agronomy and the Pioneer Distinguished Chair in Maize Breeding at Iowa State University and corresponding author of the study. But looking only at the final mature traits of plants paints an incomplete picture of plasticity. Instead, the new study examines the growth rate of sorghum during a critical stage of development, between 40 and 53 days after planting. Zeroing in on that rapid-growth phase in the plant’s life cycle allowed the researchers to examine the mechanisms that govern sorghum’s phenotypic plasticity in greater detail.

“Looking at the developmental phase allows us to look under the hood to see what causes the final mature traits,” Yu said.

The researchers collected data on sorghum, a globally cultivated cereal crop, grown in Iowa, Kansas and Puerto Rico over the span of multiple years. Measurements of plant height were taken at several points during the growing season, creating a large dataset on which the researchers applied statistical regression analyses to better understand the relationship between height and diurnal temperature change, or the difference in temperature between nighttime lows and daytime highs.

They found increases in diurnal temperature change tended to produce shorter plants. The trend was particularly distinct during that critical developmental phase around 40 to 53 days after planting.

“We found that these genes actually interact with environmental stimuli and control the maximum growth rate as well as time to reach maximum growth rate,” said Qi Mu, a postdoctoral research associate in agronomy and the first author of the study. “And that eventually determines the final plant height.”

Plasticity and climate change

Climate change increases the urgency of understanding phenotypic plasticity, Yu said. As climate change causes more volatile swings in weather, farmers and plant breeders will require better tools for predicting how crop varieties will perform under different environmental conditions. For instance, Yu said climate change could cause nighttime temperatures to rise in some locations, which would have significant ramifications for cultivating crops, as illustrated in the study.

Research into phenotypic plasticity will allow plant breeders to develop more precise tools for predicting how crops will perform across a range of environmental conditions, Mu said.

“With climate change, crops need to adapt to different climates and environments,” Mu said. “In order to breed crops that are more adaptive we have to understand the mechanism of how they respond to environments. With that knowledge, we can design resilient crops that thrive in future environments.”

The study’s results emerged after analyzing 3,500 phenotype records collected in four years, and further validated with 13,500 phenotype records in another four years, said Xianran Li, a former adjunct associate professor of agronomy at Iowa State and a co-corresponding author of the study.

“Thousands of weather and genetic fingerprint datapoints were mulled over as well,” said Li, now a research scientist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service.

Funding for the research came from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the ISU Raymond F. Baker Center for Plant Breeding and the ISU Plant Sciences Institute. The research team also included Tingting Guo, a research scientist in agronomy and a member of Yu’s lab.

Reuters

 

China has published trial rules for the approval of gene-edited plants, paving the way for faster improvements to crops as it seeks to bolster its food security.

 

Gene editing - or altering the genes of a plant to change or improve its performance - is viewed by some scientists as less risky than genetically-modifying them, which involves transferring a foreign gene.

 

The new guidelines, published by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs late Monday, come amid a raft of measures aimed at overhauling China's seed industry, seen as a weak link in efforts to ensure it can feed the world's biggest population.

 

Beijing has also recently passed new regulations that set out a clear path for approval for genetically modified (GM)crops.

 

But while it has deliberated for years whether to allow planting of GM crops to feed its people and livestock, it is ahead of some nations in outlining clear and relatively fast procedures for gene-edited crops.

 

"Given the strong investment of the Chinese government in genome editing, we expect the release of a relatively open policy in the coming years," Rabobank wrote in a December report.

 

China's research institutes have already published more research on market-oriented gene-edited crops than any other country, it added.

 

The technology's precision makes it faster than conventional breeding or genetic modification, and also lowers the cost.

 

Regulation is also less cumbersome in some countries, such as the United States, although the European Union is still reviewing how to regulate the technology. read more

 

"This really opens the door for plant breeding. It's an infinite opportunity to improve crops more precisely and much more efficiently," said Han Gengchen, chairman of seed company Origin Agritech (SEED.O).

 

The draft rules stipulate that once gene-edited plants have completed pilot trials, a production certificate can be applied for, skipping the lengthy field trials required for the approval of a GM plant.

 

That means it could take only a year or two to get approval for a gene-edited plant, said Han, compared with around six years for GM ones.

 

It is not clear how many companies or institutes are ready to apply for approval of edited products.

Chinese researchers have used gene-editing to create lettuce seeds rich in vitamin C and herbicide-resistant rice, according to a Global Times report.

 

China's leadership said in late 2020 the country needed to use science and technology for an urgent "turnaround" of its seed industry, which has long struggled with overcapacity and little innovation.

China imports a significant share of its vegetable seeds and wants to reduce its reliance on overseas breeding.

Brownfield Ag News reports

 

The leaders of three national ag input groups say multiple factors are contributing to ag input supply shortages and record high prices.

 

Corey Rosenbusch, CEO of The Fertilizer Institute says their main message to the industry is a reminder that fertilizer is a global market, with about 90% of fertilizer consumed outside of the US.

 

"So whether that's blockages that China is putting on all of their phosphate and nitrogen to natural gas prices and Europe shutting down 40% of their nitrogen plants - all of these come together to effect what happens on the global scene."

 

Ag Retailers Association CEO Darren Coppeck tells Brownfield government-imposed import tariffs on ag inputs aren't helping.

 

"It is really bad timing to increase the price and reduce the supply of these products at the same time we are having all of these other issues. We have certainly been taking that message from retailers to Washington that says this is not helpful."

 

CropLife America CEO Chris Novak says manufactures are still playing catch up from disruptions during weather events like Hurricane Ida.

 

"I know that our companies are working extremely hard. They certainly would prefer to have products to sell, and I know they are working very hard to ensure farmers have what they need for the spring crop."

 

Brownfield interviewed Coppeck, Novak and Rosenbusch during the 2022 Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association Convention in Peoria.