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Author Dockter, C.; Hansson, M.
Title Improving barley culm robustness for secured crop yield in a changing climate Type Journal Article
Year 2015 Publication Journal of Experimental Botany Abbreviated Journal J. Experim. Bot.
Volume 66 Issue 12 Pages 3499-3509
Keywords Climate Change; Crops, Agricultural/*anatomy & histology/genetics/*growth & development; Edible Grain/anatomy & histology/genetics/growth & development; Genes, Plant; Hordeum/*anatomy & histology/genetics/*growth & development; Phenotype; Barley (Hordeum vulgare); Green Revolution; brassinosteroid; gibberellin; lodging; plant architecture; short culm
Abstract The Green Revolution combined advancements in breeding and agricultural practice, and provided food security to millions of people. Daily food supply is still a major issue in many parts of the world and is further challenged by future climate change. Fortunately, life science research is currently making huge progress, and the development of future crop plants will be explored. Today, plant breeding typically follows one gene per trait. However, new scientific achievements have revealed that many of these traits depend on different genes and complex interactions of proteins reacting to various external stimuli. These findings open up new possibilities for breeding where variations in several genes can be combined to enhance productivity and quality. In this review we present an overview of genes determining plant architecture in barley, with a special focus on culm length. Many genes are currently known only through their mutant phenotypes, but emerging genomic sequence information will accelerate their identification. More than 1000 different short-culm barley mutants have been isolated and classified in different phenotypic groups according to culm length and additional pleiotropic characters. Some mutants have been connected to deficiencies in biosynthesis and reception of brassinosteroids and gibberellic acids. Still other mutants are unlikely to be connected to these hormones. The genes and corresponding mutations are of potential interest for development of stiff-straw crop plants tolerant to lodging, which occurs in extreme weather conditions with strong winds and heavy precipitation.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0022-0957 1460-2431 ISBN Medium (down) Review
Area Expedition Conference
Notes CropM Approved no
Call Number MA @ admin @ Serial 4556
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Author Boeckx, T.; Winters, A.L.; Webb, K.J.; Kingston-Smith, A.H.
Title Polyphenol oxidase in leaves: is there any significance to the chloroplastic localization Type Journal Article
Year 2015 Publication Journal of Experimental Botany Abbreviated Journal J. Experim. Bot.
Volume 66 Issue 12 Pages 3571-3579
Keywords Catechol Oxidase/*metabolism; Cell Compartmentation; Chloroplasts/*enzymology; Environment; Photosynthesis; Plant Leaves/*enzymology; Abiotic stress; polyphenol oxidase; secondary metabolism.
Abstract Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) catalyses the oxidation of monophenols and/or o-diphenols to o-quinones with the concomitant reduction of oxygen to water which results in protein complexing and the formation of brown melanin pigments. The most frequently suggested role for PPO in plants has been in defence against herbivores and pathogens, based on the physical separation of the chloroplast-localized enzyme from the vacuole-localized substrates. The o-quinone-protein complexes, formed as a consequence of cell damage, may reduce the nutritional value of the tissue and thereby reduce predation but can also participate in the formation of structural barriers against invading pathogens. However, since a sufficient level of compartmentation-based regulation could be accomplished if PPO was targeted to the cytosol, the benefit derived by some plant species in having PPO present in the chloroplast lumen remains an intriguing question. So is there more to the chloroplastic location of PPO? An interaction between PPO activity and photosynthesis has been proposed on more than one occasion but, to date, evidence either for or against direct involvement has been equivocal, and the lack of identified chloroplastic substrates remains an issue. Similarly, PPO has been suggested to have both pro- and anti-oxidant functions. Nevertheless, several independent lines of evidence suggest that PPO responds to environmental conditions and could be involved in the response of plants to abiotic stress. This review highlights our current understanding of the in vivo functions of PPO and considers the potential opportunities it presents for exploitation to increase stress tolerance in food crops.
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Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0022-0957 1460-2431 ISBN Medium (down) Review
Area Expedition Conference
Notes CropM Approved no
Call Number MA @ admin @ Serial 4552
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Author Baker, A.; Ceasar, S.A.; Palmer, A.J.; Paterson, J.B.; Qi, W.; Muench, S.P.; Baldwin, S.A.
Title Replace, reuse, recycle: improving the sustainable use of phosphorus by plants Type Journal Article
Year 2015 Publication Journal of Experimental Botany Abbreviated Journal J. Experim. Bot.
Volume 66 Issue 12 Pages 3523-3540
Keywords Conservation of Natural Resources; Crops, Agricultural/growth & development/metabolism; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Phosphorus/*metabolism; Plant Proteins/genetics/metabolism; Plants/genetics/*metabolism; Fertilizers; membrane transporters; nutrient recycling; phosphate; phosphate signalling; transcription factors
Abstract The ‘phosphorus problem’ has recently received strong interest with two distinct strands of importance. The first is that too much phosphorus (P) is entering into waste water, creating a significant economic and ecological problem. Secondly, while agricultural demand for phosphate fertilizer is increasing to maintain crop yields, rock phosphate reserves are rapidly declining. Unravelling the mechanisms by which plants sense, respond to, and acquire phosphate can address both problems, allowing the development of crop plants that are more efficient at acquiring and using limited amounts of phosphate while at the same time improving the potential of plants and other photosynthetic organisms for nutrient recapture and recycling from waste water. In this review, we attempt to synthesize these important but often disparate parts of the debate in a holistic fashion, since solutions to such a complex problem require integrated and multidisciplinary approaches that address both P supply and demand. Rapid progress has been made recently in our understanding of local and systemic signalling mechanisms for phosphate, and of expression and regulation of membrane proteins that take phosphate up from the environment and transport it within the plant. We discuss the current state of understanding of such mechanisms involved in sensing and responding to phosphate stress. We also discuss approaches to improve the P-use efficiency of crop plants and future direction for sustainable use of P, including use of photosynthetic organisms for recapture of P from waste waters.
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Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0022-0957 1460-2431 ISBN Medium (down) Review
Area Expedition Conference
Notes CropM Approved no
Call Number MA @ admin @ Serial 4548
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Author Bellocchi, G.; Rivington, M.; Matthews, K.; Acutis, M.
Title Deliberative processes for comprehensive evaluation of agroecological models. A review Type Journal Article
Year 2015 Publication Agronomy for Sustainable Development Abbreviated Journal Agron. Sust. Developm.
Volume 35 Issue 2 Pages 589-605
Keywords component-oriented programing; deliberative approach; modeling; model evaluation; multiple metrics; stakeholders; decision-support-systems; environmental-models; performance evaluation; groundwater models; farming systems; climate-change; irene-dll; simulation; validation; integration
Abstract The use of biophysical models in agroecology has increased in the last few decades for two main reasons: the need to formalize empirical knowledge and the need to disseminate model-based decision support for decision makers (such as farmers, advisors, and policy makers). The first has encouraged the development and use of mathematical models to enhance the efficiency of field research through extrapolation beyond the limits of site, season, and management. The second reflects the increasing need (by scientists, managers, and the public) for simulation experimentation to explore options and consequences, for example, future resource use efficiency (i.e., management in sustainable intensification), impacts of and adaptation to climate change, understanding market and policy responses to shocks initiated at a biophysical level under increasing demand, and limited supply capacity. Production concerns thus dominate most model applications, but there is a notable growing emphasis on environmental, economic, and policy dimensions. Identifying effective methods of assessing model quality and performance has become a challenging but vital imperative, considering the variety of factors influencing model outputs. Understanding the requirements of stakeholders, in respect of model use, logically implies the need for their inclusion in model evaluation methods. We reviewed the use of metrics of model evaluation, with a particular emphasis on the involvement of stakeholders to expand horizons beyond conventional structured, numeric analyses. Two major topics are discussed: (1) the importance of deliberative processes for model evaluation, and (2) the role computer-aided techniques may play to integrate deliberative processes into the evaluation of agroecological models. We point out that (i) the evaluation of agroecological models can be improved through stakeholder follow-up, which is a key for the acceptability of model realizations in practice, (ii) model credibility depends not only on the outcomes of well-structured, numerically based evaluation, but also on less tangible factors that may need to be addressed using complementary deliberative processes, (iii) comprehensive evaluation of simulation models can be achieved by integrating the expectations of stakeholders via a weighting system of preferences and perception, (iv) questionnaire-based surveys can help understand the challenges posed by the deliberative process, and (v) a benefit can be obtained if model evaluation is conceived in a decisional perspective and evaluation techniques are developed at the same pace with which the models themselves are created and improved. Scientific knowledge hubs are also recognized as critical pillars to advance good modeling practice in relation to model evaluation (including access to dedicated software tools), an activity which is frequently neglected in the context of time-limited framework programs.
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Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1774-0746 1773-0155 ISBN Medium (down) Review
Area Expedition Conference
Notes CropM, LiveM, ft_macsur Approved no
Call Number MA @ admin @ Serial 4551
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Author de Wit, A.; Boogaard, H.; van Diepen, K.; van Kraalingen, D.; Rötter, R.; Supit, I.; Wolf, J.; van Ittersum, M.
Title WOFOST developer’s response to article by Stella et al., Environmental Modelling & Software 59 (2014): 44–58 Type Journal Article
Year 2015 Publication Environmental Modelling & Software Abbreviated Journal Env. Model. Softw.
Volume 73 Issue Pages 57-59
Keywords
Abstract
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1364-8152 ISBN Medium (down) Letter
Area Expedition Conference
Notes CropM, ftnotmacsur Approved no
Call Number MA @ admin @ Serial 4699
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