Project description
Understanding the secondary growth programme of potatoes
Plants such as bulbs and tubers are farmed for basic food and feed crops due to their high-starch caloric content. However, there is a secondary growth process that differentiates storage organs from petioles, stems and roots. Plants can literally sense the coming winter and send a signal to the underground stolons. In the potato, this signal activates a member of the Flowering Locus T (FT) gene family. The EU-funded POSTCAMB project will describe the genes acting downstream of FT and detect the cells that respond to this mobile signal. The project’s main hypothesis is that the secondary growth process is based on the cambium meristem whose role is to divide and differentiate into storage parenchyma instead of its default passage to xylem vessels. The findings will assist with the creation of key regulators for storage organ identity.
Objective
Plant species forming storage organs like bulbs, tubers, or tuberous roots are cultivated as staple food and feed crops because of their high starch caloric content, and elevated yields per hectare. These organs can differentiate from the petioles, stems or the roots, in a secondary growth program whose control is little understood. Tubers and bulbs serve as propagation organs to the plant and remain dormant in soil during winter, to be reactivated the following spring and generate a new plant that is genetically identical to the mother plant. Plants sense short days and cool nights as an indicator of the approaching winter. In potato, these external cues activate expression of a member of the FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) gene family acting as a main tuberigen signal, on be transported to the underground stolons. In this proposal I aim at characterizing the genes acting downstream of FT, and to identify the cells that respond to this mobile signal, thereby serving as tuber initials. As storage organs can initiate from different tissues, my working hypothesis is that this secondary growth process relies on the cambium meristem, which is induced to divide and differentiate into storage parenchyma instead of its default pathway to xylem vessels. Outcomes of this work will not only contribute to a better comprehension of cambium function, but unveil key regulators for storage organ identity which will imply a major breakthrough in our understanding on how these highly economical relevant plant organs are differentiated.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture horticulture vegetable growing root crops
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2019
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
08193 CERDANYOLA DEL VALLES
Spain
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.