Title: Combating abiotic stress through changing gene expression

Biography:

Abstract

Main aim: to prove the concept of alleviating heat stress in greenhouse-grown peppers by applying micronutrients/ biostimulants. Peppers in the UK suffer from heat stress - white washes are used to cover the greenhouses 2015/16 -  Very poor summer with only low impact of heat stress  (38 degs on two occasions).The trial also engaged the UK’s top commercial agronomist Derek Hargreaves.

Physiological Effects:

• Under normal conditions heat stress will cause the plant to cease growth and wilt
• Gene expression changes, some genes are suppressed, some are stimulated.
• Plant continues to produce growth hormones, with some changes
• Wilting is gradual and at higher temperatures
• Flowering continues
• Fruit set continues
• New growth does not stop

Support for the plant is provided with both nutrients and intermediates for growth
University of Nottingham Conclusions and Future Work

• D1 treatment shows highest yield, fruit number and sugar content;
• D2 treatment shows the highest average weight per fruit;
• D1: higher Se, S, K in D1
• D2: higher Cu, Mn, Zn, Mg, Fe and P;
• Roots: D1 has higher dry weight; D2 roots are longer;
• D1 and D2 have significant high resistance to fruit rotting (heat stress).
• D1 and D2 show significant differences in expression of “heat” genes.