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It's Hard to Avoid Avoidance: Uncoupling the Evolutionary Connection between Plant Growth, Productivity and Stress
Albino Maggio1, Ray A Bressan2, Yang Zhao3
1Department of Agricultural Science, University of Napoli Federico II, 80055 Portici, NA, Italy. almaggio@unina.it.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
|November 23, 2018
Summary
High-yield crops evolved hypersensitive stress responses, activating slow growth for survival, not productivity. Modifying these evolutionary avoidance (EVOL-Avoidance) mechanisms could boost agricultural productivity (AGRI-Avoidance).
Area of Science:
- Plant physiology
- Agricultural science
- Evolutionary biology
Background:
- Modern agriculture prioritizes high crop yields, often linked to reduced environmental stress tolerance.
- This study challenges the notion that high productivity inherently means loss of stress tolerance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To re-evaluate the relationship between high crop productivity and stress response mechanisms.
- To propose a new framework for understanding plant stress responses in agricultural contexts.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of evolutionary and agricultural plant breeding strategies.
- Review of genetic and physiological mechanisms underlying plant stress responses.
Main Results:
- High yield in optimal conditions is associated with hypersensitive stress perception and early activation of avoidance mechanisms like slow growth (evolutionary avoidance).
- These survival-focused, polygenic, and redundant responses hinder productivity under moderate stress.
- Current breeding and genetic engineering have not removed these ingrained survival traits.
Conclusions:
- Plant stress "tolerance" is fundamentally based on evolutionary avoidance (EVOL-Avoidance) of injury.
- To enhance agricultural productivity (AGRI-Avoidance), plant stress response circuits must shift from survival to productivity mode.
- Removing the redundant survival safety net may improve yield in moderate stress but requires alternative strategies for extreme stress survival.