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THE POLYPLOIDY PARADIGM AND ITS ROLE IN PLANT BREEDING

Project description

DEENESFRITPL

Growing knowledge about plant polyploidisation

Plants can undergo spontaneous chromosome number duplication, or polyploidisation, which acts as a major evolutionary trigger. While all seed plants have experienced at least one round of whole genome duplication in their history, it tends to be an isolated event within diploids. Plant breeders are aware of the potential of polyploidisation for crop improvement. The EU-funded POLYPLOID project will study the natural and newly synthesised polyploid series of various crop and model species. The aim is to fill the knowledge gaps about non-model species regarding chromosomal changes, gene loss, gene expression, methylation and physiological changes, and ecological features. The project will encourage a synergy between interrelated European and international expertise, with the ultimate goal to facilitate the plant breeding process.

Objective

Polyploidization is a major force in the evolution of both wild and cultivated plants. The remarkable superiority of polyploids has been noticed plant breeders, who have used this trait in different approaches in order to obtain increasingly improved plant cultivars. Moreover, polyploidization is likely to be one of the most important mechanisms of sympatric speciation. All seed plants have experienced at least one round of whole genome duplication in their evolutionary history. The formation of polyploid plants within diploid populations tends to be isolated events. And even when a polyploid individual is formed, to reproduce it will cross with diploids, and this match is unsuccessful for the existence of the “triploid block”, a critical biological barrier in the production of viable seeds. Many species are sensitive to triploid seed production, but not all. Little is known about how polyploid plants were formed in nature and the way that triploid block has emerged in plants. Therefore, understanding of the genetic network controlling the triploid block will be fundamental since this is a preliminary step in the generation of polyploids. Here we propose: i) to study natural and recently synthesized polyploid series of several species that have been extensively characterized in the past few decades from the physiological, reproductive and ecological aspects; ii) to fill the gaps in the information on non-model species regarding: chromosomal changes, gene loss, gene expression, methylation and physiological changes and ecological features and iii) to understand the genetic network controlling the triploid block viability. The overall goal of the proposal is to allow for a synergy of inter-related European and international expertise to better understand the mechanisms of polyploidization and to facilitate the application of this increased knowledge in plant breeding.

Fields of science

Programme(s)

Topic(s)

Call for proposal

H2020-MSCA-RISE-2020

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Funding Scheme

MSCA-RISE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE)

Coordinator

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PERUGIA
Net EU contribution
€ 317 400,00
Address
Piazza dell universita 1
06123 Perugia
Italy

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Region
Centro (IT) Umbria Perugia
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Other funding
€ 27 600,00

Participants (5)

Partners (3)

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EC signature date 2 October 2020
Last update: 7 January 2023

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Permalink: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101007438

European Union, 2023