Development of novel agents to improve photosynthesis and crop productivity

2023 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 22KJ0789
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: QU YUCHEN 東京大学, 農学生命科学研究科, 特別研究員(PD)
• Project Period (FY): 2023-03-08 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: plant biology / photosynthesis / light response

Outline of Annual Research Achievements

In order to satisfy the food and fuel demands of a growing population, global food production needs to increase by more than 50% before 2050. However, various environmental stresses in the natural environment inhibit plant growth and result in reduced yields. This is primarily caused by decreases in photosynthetic capacity. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop new strategies to improve agricultural productivity and ensure food security. In this study, a novel chemical-screening system with 96 well plates and leaf disks of tobacco was used to identify several anthraquinone derivatives that could relieve high light stress from plants. Treatments with these chemicals induced greater photosynthetic capacity after high light stress conditions for 20 to 72 hours in tobacco and better plant growth after exposure to light stress for 96 hours in Arabidopsis and lettuces. The photoprotective effect of anthraquinone derivatives is closely related to chemical induced oxidation of PSI. Furthermore, there were no negative effects on plant growth in chemically treated plants under non-stressful conditions. Taken together, this study shows that anthraquinone derivatives can confer high light stress tolerance in plants, resulting in improved plant photosynthesis and growth in environments with light stress.