Arabidopsis OST1 homologs of barley are involved in stomatal regulation.
Samantara K, Laul E, Meigas E, Siil I, Välbe M
Plant Signaling
Every barley field — and every pint of beer or bowl of porridge that comes from it — depends on tiny pores called stomata deciding when to open and when to shut, and this research shows exactly which molecular switches control that decision in barley.
Plants have tiny openings on their leaves called stomata that open to take in carbon dioxide for growth but also let water escape. When barley plants had two specific proteins knocked out, their stomata stayed more open than normal, meaning the plants lost more water and couldn't respond well to drought signals. The good news is that grain yield wasn't affected under normal watering conditions, which suggests breeders might be able to fine-tune these proteins to help crops survive dry spells without giving up productivity.
Key Findings
Barley double mutants lacking HvSnRK2.7 and HvSnRK2.9 proteins showed wider stomatal apertures and higher stomatal conductance than wild-type plants
Mutant plants had decreased sensitivity to both abscisic acid (ABA) stress hormone and rising vapor pressure deficit, meaning they couldn't close their stomata efficiently under drought cues
Grain yield per plant was not significantly different between mutants and wild-type under well-watered conditions, and net photosynthesis rates were only mildly affected
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists discovered that barley plants missing two key proteins (OST1-like kinases) lose water faster and respond less to drought stress signals, opening a potential path to engineering crops that use water more efficiently without sacrificing yield.
Abstract Preview
Stomata on leaves determine water loss from plants and carbon uptake for photosynthesis. These key physiological processes affect biomass production, stress sensitivity and water use efficiency in ...
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