Barl Larissa, Debastiani Benato Betina, Genze Nikita, Grimm Dominik G, Gigl Michael, Dawid Corinna, Schön Chris-Carolin, Avramova Viktoriya
Plant Breeding, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, 85354, Freising, Germany.
Bioinformatics, TUM Campus Straubing for Biotechnology and Sustainability, Technical University of Munich, 94315, Straubing, Germany.
Sci Rep. 2025 Apr 21;15(1):13804. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-94833-1.
Stomata play a crucial role in balancing carbon dioxide uptake and water vapor loss, thereby regulating plant water use efficiency (WUE). Enhancing WUE is important for sustainable agriculture and food security, particularly for crops such as maize (Zea mays L.), as climate change and growing global food demand exacerbate limitations on water availability. Genetic factors controlling stomatal density and levels of the plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) in leaves, which affect stomatal aperture, are key determinants of stomatal conductance (g) and intrinsic WUE (iWUE). In this study, we demonstrate that stomatal density and stomatal aperture have a combined effect on g and iWUE in maize. Using near-isogenic lines (NILs) and CRISPR/Cas9 mutants, we show that combining reduced stomatal density and reduced stomatal aperture can improve iWUE without compromising photosynthesis. This effect is pronounced at both, optimal and high temperatures. These findings highlight the potential of targeting multiple stomatal traits through genetic stacking to enhance WUE, offering a promising strategy for crop adaptation to water-limited environments.
气孔在平衡二氧化碳吸收和水汽损失方面起着关键作用，从而调节植物水分利用效率（WUE）。提高水分利用效率对可持续农业和粮食安全至关重要，特别是对于玉米（Zea mays L.）等作物而言，因为气候变化和全球粮食需求的增长加剧了水资源可用性的限制。控制叶片气孔密度和植物激素脱落酸（ABA）水平的遗传因素会影响气孔孔径，是气孔导度（g）和内在水分利用效率（iWUE）的关键决定因素。在本研究中，我们证明气孔密度和气孔孔径对玉米的气孔导度和内在水分利用效率具有综合影响。利用近等基因系（NILs）和CRISPR/Cas9突变体，我们表明降低气孔密度和减小气孔孔径相结合可以提高内在水分利用效率，而不会影响光合作用。这种效应在最佳温度和高温下都很明显。这些发现突出了通过基因叠加靶向多种气孔性状以提高水分利用效率的潜力，为作物适应水分有限的环境提供了一种有前景的策略。
