Bna.EPF2 Enhances Drought Tolerance by Regulating Stomatal Development and Stomatal Size in Brassica napus.

ABSTRACT: Drought stress severely affects global plant growth and production. The enhancement of plant water-use efficiency (WUE) and drought tolerance by the manipulation of the stomata is an effective strategy to deal with water shortage. However, increasing the WUE and drought tolerance by manipulation on the stomata has rarely been tested in Brassica napus. Here, we isolated Bna.EPF2, an epidermal patterning factor (EPF) in Brassica napus (ecotype Westar), and identified its role in drought performance. Bna.EPF2 overexpression lines had a reduction average of 19.02% in abaxial stomatal density and smaller stomatal pore size, leading to approximately 25% lower transpiration, which finally resulted in greater instantaneous WUE and enhanced drought tolerance. Inte

SUBMITTER: Jiao P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10179174 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature