Sains Malaysiana 50(6)(2021): 1621-1638

http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2021-5006-10

Screening of Rice Varieties Based on Remodeling of Root Architecture Linked to Enhanced Phosphorus Transporters and Ethylene Signaling for Better Phosphorous Acquisition under Limiting Conditions

(Saringan Varieti Padi berdasarkan Pembentukan Semula Arkitektur Akar berkait dengan Pengangkut Fosforus dan Pemberian Isyarat Etilena untuk Pemerolehan Fosforus yang Lebih Baik dalam Keadaan Terhad)

ALVEENA ZULFIQAR¹, BEENISH JEHAN AZHAR¹, AROOSA ZEB¹, ASYIA ZEENAT¹, SITWAT AMAN¹, SCOTT A HECKERTHORN² & SAMINA N SHAKEEL^1,3*

¹Department of Biochemistry, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan

²Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio 43606, USA

³Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA

Received: 13 November 2019/Accepted: 6 November 2020

ABSTRACT

Root architectural modifications in response to altered nutrient level can be used as selection marker for better adapted rice varieties. In this study, we screened six local rice varieties commonly grown in Pakistan, using their unique root architecture and several molecular markers to identify best adapted local variety under phosphorus limiting conditions. Our data showed that rice variety with significant changes in its three-dimensional root architecture system (RSA) and enhanced expression of phosphorus transporters (OsPT2, OsPT4 and OsPT6) is the best variety to handle stress as compared to other varieties. Along with development of screening strategy/method, our data provided evidence that phosphorus starvation leads to upregulation of stress hormone ethylene, which regulates root elongation and root hair development therefore facilitating root architecture modification. We then further checked, how to mitigate or enhance phosphorus starvation responses by application of hormones exogenously, our results showed that ethylene application/treatment enhances phosphorus starvation responses, whereas cytokinin on the other hand reverses deficiency effects which implicates hormonal cross talk is key to modulate P-deficiency responses in rice. This study provides an easy and quick method of analysis of root architecture as physiological marker for rice screening and improve crop yield by selecting best adapted variety for P deficient soils. In future, detail study for understanding phytohormone mediated transcriptomic changes in response to nutrient deficiency and in correlation with physiological response will help to select better adapted varieties that will eventually result in increase of rice yield.

Keywords: Cytokinin; ethylene biosynthesis; nutritional stress; phosphate transporters; root architecture

ABSTRAK

Pengubahsuaian arkitektur akar sebagai tindak balas terhadap perubahan tahap nutrien dapat digunakan sebagai penanda pilihan bagi varieti padi yang lebih sesuai. Dalam kajian ini, kami meneliti enam varieti padi tempatan yang biasanya ditanam di Pakistan dengan menggunakan arkitektur akarnya yang unik dan beberapa penanda molekul untuk mengenal pasti varieti tempatan yang paling sesuai dalam keadaan yang membatasi fosforus. Data kami menunjukkan bahawa varieti padi dengan perubahan ketara dalam sistem arkitektur akar tiga dimensi (RSA) dan peningkatan ekspresi pengangkut fosforus (OsPT2, OsPT4 dan OsPT6) adalah varieti yang terbaik untuk menangani tekanan berbanding dengan varieti lain. Seiring dengan perkembangan strategi/kaedah penyaringan, data kami memberikan bukti bahawa kebuluran fosforus membawa kepada peningkatan etilena hormon tekanan yang mengatur pemanjangan akar dan pertumbuhan rambut akar sehingga memudahkan pengubahsuaian arkitektur akar. Kami kemudiannya mengkaji lebih lanjut tentang bagaimana mengurangkan atau meningkatkan tindak balas kebuluran fosforus dengan penggunaan hormon eksogen. Keputusan kami menunjukkan bahawa aplikasi/rawatan etilena meningkatkan tindak balas kebuluran fosforus, sedangkan sitokinin sebaliknya membalikkan kesan kekurangan yang menyiratkan perbincangan silang hormonal adalah kunci untuk memodulasi tindak balas kekurangan P dalam padi. Kajian ini memberikan kaedah analisis arkitekturakar yang mudah dan cepat sebagai penanda fisiologi untuk penyaringan padi dan meningkatkan hasil tanaman dengan memilih varieti yang paling sesuai bagi tanah yang kekurangan P. Pada masa depan, kajian terperinci untuk memahami perubahan transkriptom yang dimediasi fitohormon sebagai tindak balas terhadap kekurangan nutrien dan berkorelasi dengan tindak balas fisiologi akan membantu untuk memilih varieti yang lebih baik yang akhirnya akan menghasilkan peningkatan hasil padi.

Kata kunci: Arkitektur akar; biosintesis etilena; pengangkut fosforus; sitokinin; tekanan pemakanan

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*Corresponding author; email: snq28@yahoo.com