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Biochemical and Epigenetic Modulations under Drought: Remembering the Stress Tolerance Mechanism in Rice
Suresh Kumar1, Karishma Seem1, Trilochan Mohapatra2
1Division of Biochemistry, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110012, India.
Life (Basel, Switzerland)
|May 27, 2023
Summary
Plants can remember drought stress, retaining beneficial biochemical and epigenetic changes across generations. This stress priming enhances plant resilience and could improve crop yields for global food security.
Area of Science:
- Plant Biology
- Stress Physiology
- Epigenetics
Background:
- Plants require rapid responses to environmental changes for survival.
- Drought stress significantly impacts plant growth and productivity.
- Plant memory of stress, similar to animal memory, is an emerging research area.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate drought stress memory in rice genotypes.
- To analyze the inheritance of stress-induced physiological and epigenetic changes.
- To explore potential applications for developing stress-tolerant crops.
Main Methods:
- Rice plants were subjected to drought stress before flowering, followed by re-watering.
- Physio-biochemical (chlorophyll, phenolics, proline, antioxidant activity, lipid peroxidation) and epigenetic (5-methylcytosine) parameters were measured.
- Subsequent generations were grown from seeds of stress-primed plants to assess inheritance.
Main Results:
- Drought stress significantly increased proline, total phenolics, antioxidant activity, and 5-methylcytosine (5-mC) levels, while decreasing chlorophyll content.
- Elevated levels of proline, phenolics, antioxidant activity, and 5-mC were partially retained after stress withdrawal.
- These enhanced biochemical and epigenetic traits were transmitted to the next two generations.
Conclusions:
- Rice exhibits a form of stress memory, retaining and transmitting adaptive physiological and epigenetic modifications.
- This stress-priming phenomenon offers a promising avenue for breeding climate-resilient crops.
- Harnessing plant memory can contribute to sustainable agriculture and global food security.
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