Title: From evolution to biotechnology: the impacts of genetically modifying stomatal development

Biography:

Robert Caine completed his undergraduate degree at Oxford Brookes University with first-class honors in Biology and beginners Japanese. He subsequently completed his Ph.D. in Plant Molecular Biology and Evolution at the University of Sheffield. He is currently a Research Associate at the University of Sheffield where he works on a Newton Fund grant focusing on protecting rice against climate change derived abiotic stresses. He has published in many high impact journals including Nature Plants, New Phytologist, Plant Physiology, Development and Current Opinion in Plant Biology.

Abstract

Changes in climate, increasing human population and reducing arable land area will lead to significant challenges in producing enough food. Therefore, increasingly climate-resilient crops will be required. One way to improve crop resilience and yield is via alterations to tiny pores on the epidermis called stomata. These microscopic structures, which have been present on land plants for over 400 million years, are fundamental to the success of land plants and to improving crop performance.

The opening of stomata allows CO2 uptake and regulates water loss, permits a transpiration stream, and aids in nutrient uptake. Conversely, when stomata close, gaseous exchange is restricted (including water loss) and certain pathogens cannot enter. Over longer durations, stomatal development can be altered to more finely tune gaseous exchanges with the environment, and if necessary, tighten defences against pathogens. Typically, plants with fewer stomata have improved drought tolerance and resistance to stomatal pathogens, but this may be accompanied by reduced CO2 and nutrient uptake, and reduced capacity for plant cooling.

Here, I will outline the latest advances relating to how stomatal development and plant performance can potentially be altered via genetic alterations to stomata development, presenting evidence from multiple plant species. First I will consider Arabidopsis thaliana, and then consider stomatal evolution in the non-vascular land plant moss Physcomitrella patens. I will then discuss how reducing stomatal density affects crop plant performance in a number of key species, including barley, rice and wheat. I will conclude up by discussing the future directions of stomatal research.