Elucidation of effects of mild drought stress on plant growth using a newly developed watering system that can precisely control soil moisture

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K07254
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Science in genetics and breeding
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Todaka Daisuke 東京大学, 大学院農学生命科学研究科(農学部), 特任准教授 (10533995)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-10-21 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 穏やかな乾燥ストレス / 土壌水分含量制御装置

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Drought decreases a plant growth, which leads to a yield reduction. In order to investigate the effects of drought stress on the plant growth, the magnitude of drought stress must be controlled. In this study, a soil matric potential (SMP)-based irrigation system that precisely controls soil moisture was developed. Using this system, rice seedlings were grown under three different drought levels denoted Md1, Md2 and Md3, with SMP values set to -9.8, -31.0, and -309.9 kPa, respectively. Although Md1 did not alter the visible phenotype, Md2 caused shoot growth retardation (SGR). Md3 markedly induced SGR, without photosynthesis inhibition. More severe drought (Sds), under which irrigation was terminated, resulted in leaf wilting and photosynthesis inhibition. Metabolome revealed the sugar accumulation under Md3 and Sds. Transcriptome showed that the expression profiles of associated genes supported the observed changes in photosynthesis and metabolites.

Free Research Field

植物分子生物学