Pod photosynthesis: a new frontier for developing stress-resilient and high-yielding crops

Burgeoning global demand for crop products and the negative impact of climate change on crop production are driving the need to improve yield by developing new elite crop varieties without expanding planted area or increasing agronomic inputs. Improvement in photosynthesis is critical for enhancing crop productivity. Even though leaf photosynthesis is well-studied, the photosynthetic potential of non-foliar green tissues like pods in Brassicaceae and Fabaceae species remains underexplored. This review emphasizes pod photosynthesis in determining seed yield and quality in Brassicaceae and Fabaceae crops. At present, accurate and efficient phenotyping methods are unavailable, limiting understanding and genetic improvement of pod photosynthesis. Novel approaches like chlorophyll fluorescence and hyperspectral reflectance are promising for high-throughput phenotyping of pod photosynthetic traits. This review further discusses genetic targets and regulatory mechanisms for enhancing pod photosynthesis, including transcription factors like GOLDEN2-LIKE and GATA that may regulate photosynthetic capacity in pods, suggesting potential genetic manipulation strategies to boost crop productivity. In conclusion, unlocking the genetic and physiological bases of pod photosynthesis offers opportunities for advancing crop breeding to ensure sustainable food security amidst climate change and increasing global population pressures. Future research should focus on developing high-throughput phenotyping tools and elucidating genetic pathways to maximize pod photosynthesis in crops.