Improved water use efficiency and shorter life cycle of Nicotiana tabacum due to modification of guard and vascular companion cells.

ABSTRACT: Severe droughts are predicted for the twenty-first century, which contrast with the increased demand for plant materials. Thus, to sustain future generations, a great challenge is to improve crop yield and water use efficiency (WUE), which is the carbon gained per water lost. Here, expression of maize NADP-malic enzyme (NADP-ME) in the guard and vascular companion cells of Nicotiana tabacum results in enhanced WUE, earlier flowering and shorter life cycle. Transgenic lines exhibit reduced stomatal aperture than wild-type (WT). Nevertheless, an increased net CO₂ fixation rate is observed, which results in less water consumption and more biomass production per water used. Transgenic lines export sugars to the phloem at higher rate than WT, which leads to higher sugars levels in ph

SUBMITTER: Muller GL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5847574 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature