Descripción del proyecto
Cultivos en condiciones de estrés hídrico
El cambio climático está afectando a la agricultura. Por ejemplo, los aumentos de temperatura hacen mella en la calidad y el rendimiento de los cultivos en todo el mundo. En este contexto, el equipo del proyecto financiado con fondos europeos RESIST explorará tecnologías para reducir el estrés hídrico en los cultivos. En concreto, estudiará los genomas de varias especies reviviscentes y los comparará con los genomas de plantas sensibles a la desecación a fin de identificar los mecanismos moleculares que intervienen en la tolerancia a la sequía. En el proyecto también se secuenciarán y analizarán otras dos especies («Haberlea rhodopensis» y «Xerophyta humilis»). El objetivo general será arrojar luz sobre la naturaleza de la tolerancia al estrés por sequía mediante el estudio de la transcriptómica, la metabolómica y la lipidómica comparativas de las plantas reviviscentes, modelo y de cultivo sometidas a sequías.
Objetivo
A major challenge faced by modern agriculture is abiotic stress caused by unfavourable environmental conditions. Global warming is expected to further intensify these problems, including frequency and severity of drought stress, which seriously affect both crop quality and yield. Therefore, timely action is needed to find solutions to mitigate the consequences of water deprivation. A small number of species called resurrection plants, which can tolerate desiccation of their vegetative organs, are a natural resource that can be tapped to solve this problem. They can withstand transition to air-dried state and completely restore physiological activities upon rehydration. In this project, we will study the genomes of several resurrection species and compare them with the genomes of desiccation-sensitive plants to identify molecular mechanisms that are involved in drought tolerance. In addition to the publicly available data of resurrection plants with already sequenced genomes, we will sequence and analyze two more- Haberlea rhodopensis and Xerophyta humilis. Comparative transcriptomics, metabolomics, and lipidomics of resurrection, model, and crop plants subjected to drought will bring further insights about the nature of drought stress tolerance. The research team involves European specialists in resurrection species, drought signaling, plant systems biology and bioinformatics, a partner from Israel experienced in lipidomics, and the leading African university with expertise in resurrection plants and bioinformatics. Next to that, an industrial partner will ensure that the knowledge gained by studying the resurrection and model species is transferred to crops. Moreover, the company will contribute with novel biostimulant based treatment technologies to mitigate stress and achieve optimal yield and net profit. An extensive mobility program will provide staff exchange to maximize research outputs and increase the human capacity of the partners.
Ámbito científico
Programa(s)
Régimen de financiación
MSCA-RISE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE)Coordinador
Plovdiv
Bulgaria