본문 바로가기

포항공과대학교 생명과학과

ENG

정보

리서치 하이라이트

JULGI-mediated increment in phloem transport capacity relates to fruit yield in tomato

2022-06-23 2402
Author
Ildoo Hwang
Journal
Plant Biotechnol J . 2022 Apr 28. doi: 10.1111/pbi.13831.
Date of Publication
2022-04

Abstract

The continuous growth of the global population and the increase in the amount of arid land has severely constrained agricultural crop production. To solve this problem, many researchers have attempted to increase productivity through the efficient distribution of energy; however, the direct relationship between the plant vasculature, specifically phloem development, and crop yield is not well established. Here, we demonstrate that an optimum increase in phloem-transportation capacity by reducing SIJUL expression leads to improved sink strength in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). SIJUL, a negative regulator of phloem development, suppresses the translation of a positive regulator of phloem development, SlSMXL5. The suppression of SlJUL increases the number of phloem cells and sucrose transport, but only an optimal reduction of SlJUL function greatly enhances sink strength in tomato, improving fruit setting, and yield contents by 37% and 60%, respectively. We show that the increment in phloem cell number confers spare transport capacity. Our results suggest that the control of phloem-transport capacity within the threshold could enhance the commitment of photosynthates to instigate yield improvement.

 


Image

research_image