Reduced stomatal density improves water-use efficiency in grapevine under climate scenarios of decreased water availability.

ABSTRACT:

Key message

The grapevine VviEPFL9-2 paralog is specifically expressed during leaf expansion and its knockout provide a phenotype with superior adaptation to environmental stresses via reduced stomatal density. In Arabidopsis stomatal initiation relies on the transcription factor SPEECHLESS, which is positively regulated by AtEPFL9, a peptide of the epidermal patterning factor family. In grapevine, two EPFL9 paralogs exist but despite a structural similarity, their specific function remains unclear. In this study, we investigated their distinct functional roles and the extent to which reduced stomatal density (SD) may be beneficial for grapevine in terms of water use. We combined expression analysis of the two paralogs in untreated and ABA-treated leaves with the functional charact

SUBMITTER: Shahbaz U 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12331838 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature