CA-nundrum: How a spontaneous mutation in carbonic anhydrase uncouples leaf δ13C, WUE and C4 photosynthesis
Plant Science Research WeeklyWith climate change, drought is expected to happen more frequently, making supplemental irrigation increasingly necessary to sustain crop productivity. One target trait to improve climate resilience is water use efficiency (WUE), defined by the ratio of carbon assimilation to water used by the plant.…
Improving water use efficiency in maize
The Plant Cell: In a NutshellBlankenagel et al. discover a major link between variation in water use efficiency and carbon isotope discrimination
By Sonja Blankenagel, Stella Eggels, and Viktoriya Avramova
Plant Breeding, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich
Background: Growing crops with high…
Guard cell endomembrane Ca2+-ATPases underpin a ‘carbon memory’ of photosynthetic assimilation that impacts on water-use efficiency (Nature Plants)
Plant Science Research WeeklyStomatal guard cells control both carbon dioxide uptake and transpirational water loss. Guard cell control over the stomatal pore aperture is sensitive to water status (through ABA) as well as the amount of CO2 available within the leaf air space. Several studies have indicated that stomatal aperture…