Studies on cold tolerance in a C4 species, Miscanthus floridulus

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24658016
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Crop science/Weed science
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: AOKI Naohiro 東京大学, 農学生命科学研究科, 助教 (70466811)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): OHSUGI Ryu 東京大学, 大学院農学生命科学研究科, 教授 (40343107)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: C4植物 / トキワススキ / 耐冷性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Whereas NADP-ME type C4 species such as sugarcane and Miscanthus sinensis, is generally sensitive to chilling temperature, Miscanthus floridulus maintains “ever-green” phenotype during winter season in temperate areas. The present 3-year project revealed a part of eco-physiological characteristics of M. floridurus: Under the climate conditions in Tokyo, M. floridulus possesses higher ability for biomass production during summer season in comparison with M. sinensis, and maintains photosynthetic function and growth even in winter. On the other hand, we could not identify bio-markers to fulfil the cold-tolerance in M. floridulus. Although further studies are required to elucidate the molecular mechanism(s) of cold-tolerance in M. floridulus, we would like to continue the comparative analyses of two Miscanthus species, in order to obtain useful insights for the development/breeding of cold-tolerant C4 crops in future.

Free Research Field

植物生理学