Chinese researchers uncover methods tomatoes use to withstand heat and maintain stable yields
As global temperatures rise, extreme heatwaves threaten agricultural productivity significantly. Studies indicate that for each 1 degree Celsius increase beyond pre-industrial levels, crop yields diminish by about 6 to 8 percent. Therefore,...
TroibNews 
As global temperatures rise, extreme heatwaves threaten agricultural productivity significantly. Studies indicate that for each 1 degree Celsius increase beyond pre-industrial levels, crop yields diminish by about 6 to 8 percent. Therefore, the capacity of plants to endure heat stress is vital for food security, although the molecular mechanisms behind this resilience have largely remained unexplored.
Recently, a team led by Professor Xu Cao at the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has uncovered an adaptive strategy that may be essential for cultivating heat-resilient crop varieties as climate change intensifies. Specifically, the research reveals a new method by which tomato plants actively manage heat stress and stabilize yields through the developmental reprogramming of shoot apical stem cells.
The findings of this study were published in Developmental Cell on April 2.
Stem cells in the shoot apical meristem play a crucial role in aerial morphogenesis, which is how plants develop structures above ground, and they directly impact crop yield. However, heat stress can lead to abnormal differentiation or even necrosis of these stem cells, resulting in developmental problems, plant mortality, and significant yield loss. Understanding how these SAM stem cells cope with heat stress is crucial for enhancing cultivation techniques and breeding more resilient crops.
In their research, Professor Xu and his team discovered a key molecular adaptation mechanism in tomato plants. Under heat stress, reactive oxygen species accumulate, promoting phase separation of the terminating flower, which acts as a floral repressor. This process extends the transcriptional repression of floral identity genes by TMF condensates, effectively reprogramming SAM development. By delaying shoot maturation, the plant prolongs its vegetative growth, enabling it to avoid premature reproductive transitions during unfavorable conditions.
During the early stages of vegetative growth, tomato plants can enter a dormancy-like state when exposed to heat stress, halting their maturation process temporarily. Once temperatures return to normal, development can resume, ensuring stable yields. This strategic suspension has shown to prevent 34 to 63 percent of yield losses in the first fruit truss, underscoring its important role in heat resilience.
The study suggests that this redox-controlled bet-hedging mechanism serves as a survival strategy for sessile plants, allowing them to postpone flowering under adverse conditions while ensuring reproductive success when environmental stresses ease.
The researchers highlighted that this discovery offers a new conceptual framework for creating climate-smart crops that maintain yield stability in response to environmental changes. The mechanistic insights gained from this study could inform precision breeding efforts focused on enhancing agricultural productivity in a changing climate.
Mathilde Moreau for TROIB News
Recently, a team led by Professor Xu Cao at the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has uncovered an adaptive strategy that may be essential for cultivating heat-resilient crop varieties as climate change intensifies. Specifically, the research reveals a new method by which tomato plants actively manage heat stress and stabilize yields through the developmental reprogramming of shoot apical stem cells.
The findings of this study were published in Developmental Cell on April 2.
Stem cells in the shoot apical meristem play a crucial role in aerial morphogenesis, which is how plants develop structures above ground, and they directly impact crop yield. However, heat stress can lead to abnormal differentiation or even necrosis of these stem cells, resulting in developmental problems, plant mortality, and significant yield loss. Understanding how these SAM stem cells cope with heat stress is crucial for enhancing cultivation techniques and breeding more resilient crops.
In their research, Professor Xu and his team discovered a key molecular adaptation mechanism in tomato plants. Under heat stress, reactive oxygen species accumulate, promoting phase separation of the terminating flower, which acts as a floral repressor. This process extends the transcriptional repression of floral identity genes by TMF condensates, effectively reprogramming SAM development. By delaying shoot maturation, the plant prolongs its vegetative growth, enabling it to avoid premature reproductive transitions during unfavorable conditions.
During the early stages of vegetative growth, tomato plants can enter a dormancy-like state when exposed to heat stress, halting their maturation process temporarily. Once temperatures return to normal, development can resume, ensuring stable yields. This strategic suspension has shown to prevent 34 to 63 percent of yield losses in the first fruit truss, underscoring its important role in heat resilience.
The study suggests that this redox-controlled bet-hedging mechanism serves as a survival strategy for sessile plants, allowing them to postpone flowering under adverse conditions while ensuring reproductive success when environmental stresses ease.
The researchers highlighted that this discovery offers a new conceptual framework for creating climate-smart crops that maintain yield stability in response to environmental changes. The mechanistic insights gained from this study could inform precision breeding efforts focused on enhancing agricultural productivity in a changing climate.
Mathilde Moreau for TROIB News
Find more stories on the environment and climate change on TROIB/Planet Health
