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Engineering stomata for enhanced carbon capture and water-use efficiency
Thu Binh-Anh Nguyen1, Cecile Lefoulon1, Thanh-Hao Nguyen1
1Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biophysics, Bower Building, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK.
Trends in Plant Science
|July 9, 2023
Summary
Improving crop water-use efficiency (WUE) requires understanding stomatal pores. Focusing on stomatal speed and responsiveness, rather than just steady-state conductance, offers a new strategy to boost both carbon assimilation and WUE.
Area of Science:
- Plant Physiology
- Crop Science
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Stomatal pores regulate gas exchange (CO2 uptake and water vapor release) crucial for plant survival and productivity.
- Optimizing water-use efficiency (WUE) is vital for crop performance in a changing global environment.
- Traditional engineering approaches focused on steady-state stomatal conductance, often creating a trade-off between carbon assimilation and water loss.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore novel strategies for enhancing crop water-use efficiency (WUE) and carbon assimilation.
- To investigate the potential of targeting stomatal speed and responsiveness as an alternative to steady-state approaches.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of stomatal regulation mechanisms.
- Review of engineering strategies for stomatal control.
- Comparative assessment of steady-state vs. dynamic stomatal responses.
Main Results:
- Engineering stomatal conductance in a steady state presents physical limitations, often resulting in reduced carbon gain when improving WUE.
- Focusing on the dynamic aspects of stomatal function—speed and responsiveness—offers a promising avenue to overcome these limitations.
- Dynamic stomatal strategies may enhance both WUE and carbon assimilation simultaneously.
Conclusions:
- Shifting focus from steady-state stomatal conductance to stomatal speed and responsiveness provides a new paradigm for crop improvement.
- This approach circumvents traditional trade-offs, potentially leading to crops with significantly improved water-use efficiency and carbon assimilation.
- Future research should prioritize engineering dynamic stomatal control for enhanced agricultural productivity.
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