Breeding targets
9 important questions on Breeding targets
What factors should be considered when conducting an experiment in fields like plant science, and what should be measured and monitored in the experiment location and the plant?
- Experiment locations include fields, greenhouses, and climate chambers.
- It is crucial to measure and monitor specific plant traits.
- Additionally, environmental conditions such as soil, temperature, precipitation, irradiation, and more must be monitored.
- The level of environmental variation and genetic variation is important in designing the experimental system.
- Certain environmental parameters are critical for the influence of the environment on plant growth, which include soil variation, temperature, precipitation, humidity, and irradiation, etc.
What are the desired traits in plants that are targeted for abiotic stress breeding related to water scarcity?
- One key trait is Water Use Efficiency (WUE) or Transpiration Use Efficiency, defined as the ratio of biomass produced to the water used.
- Increasing WUE (Water Use Efficiency) is vital, as it enhances a plant’s drought tolerance and is crucial for lowering water input through irrigation.
What are some methods to measure Water Use Efficiency (WUE) in plants during a drought period?
- WUE is calculated using the formula: WUE = BM/T, where BM represents the change in biomass and T represents the total water used.
- It is important to prevent water loss through evaporation from the soil to ensure accurate measurements.
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What are the methods and tools used to measure stomatal conductance, and what are the difficulties associated with these measurements?
- Measurement can be done using a leaf porometer, which evaluates gas flux over the leaf surface.
- A new technology introduced is the LiCOR 600, which measures stomatal conductance alongside other parameters, such as chlorophyll fluorescence and leaf temperature.
- The main challenges in measuring stomatal behavior include the time-consuming nature of measurements and the need to simplify data for large-scale studies without compromising accuracy and relevancy, as well as ensuring naturalistic environmental conditions for plants during measurement.
What is the influence of environment on stomatal conductance as a trait for WUE, and how is it illustrated by cowpea trials in Nigeria?
- Consistent measurement conditions are crucial for accurate assessment of stomatal conductance.
- Cowpea serves as an example of a tropical crop that is drought tolerant and faces terminal drought problems.
- Trials in Nigeria have been conducted to assess these characteristics in the context of breeding for water use efficiency (WUE).
What are the methods and physiological background for measuring Water Use Efficiency (WUE) in plants?
- Stomatal conductance, which often varies with environmental conditions, is a key factor in this measurement.
- The relationship between net CO₂ assimilation and stomatal conductance is linked to the discrimination against Δ¹³C.
- Plants tend to favor ¹²C over ¹³C, and this natural preference for isotopes is used to infer rates of assimilation.
How does Δ13C relate to Water Use Efficiency (WUE) in plants and how does Rubisco's selectivity change under stress conditions?
- 13C is much less abundant than 12C.
- The enzyme Rubisco exhibits a preference for 12C over 13C, leading to a lower ratio of 13C to 12C in plants compared to the atmosphere.
- Rubisco becomes less selective under stress conditions, which could affect WUE, a trait that can be targeted in plant breeding.
What factors influence the stable carbon isotope discrimination (∆13C) in plants, and how is ∆13C related to water use efficiency (WUE)?
- ∆13C is positively correlated with the internal CO2 to atmospheric CO2 (Ci/Ca) ratio. This indicates that as internal CO2 increases relative to atmospheric CO2, ∆13C also increases.
- Conversely, ∆13C is negatively correlated with water use efficiency (WUE), suggesting that plants with higher WUE tend to have lower ∆13C values.
What factors indicate that Water Use Efficiency (WUE) can be reliably measured for breeding purposes?
- Sampling for Δ13C is simple, involving collection of leaves or other plant parts, which are then dried.
- Δ13C is measured using Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS), ensuring a reliable measurement technique.
- WUE measurement is applicable for large populations, as Criterion number 2 is satisfied with the assessment of Δ13C.
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