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Updated: Jan 17, 2026
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Identification of Novel Regulators of Plant Transpiration by Large-Scale Thermal Imaging Screening in Helianthus Annuus
Published on: January 30, 2020
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Smarter stomata: emergent technologies unlocking yield potential in a changing climate.
Edward Chaplin1, Andrew Merchant1, William Salter1,2
1School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Sydney Institute of Agriculture, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia.
Aob PLANTS
|September 22, 2025
Summary
Stomata regulate plant responses to heat and drought, but optimal traits for climate-resilient crops are unknown. New technologies enable high-throughput phenotyping and precise engineering of stomatal traits for improved crop performance.
Area of Science:
- Plant Physiology
- Crop Science
- Climate Change Adaptation
Background:
- Stomata control crucial gas exchange (CO2 uptake, water loss) in plants.
- Environmental stresses like heat and drought significantly impact stomatal function and anatomy.
- Optimal stomatal traits for crop resilience under varying climate conditions are not well-defined.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the importance of stomatal traits for developing climate-resilient crops.
- To identify challenges and opportunities in leveraging stomatal traits for crop breeding.
- To emphasize the potential of emerging technologies in advancing stomatal research and application.
Main Methods:
- Review of current understanding of stomatal responses to heat and drought.
- Analysis of genotypic variation and heritability of stomatal traits.
- Exploration of advancements in high-throughput phenotyping (deep learning, digital microscopy, remote sensing).
- Discussion of next-generation breeding technologies (CRISPR, multi-omics, AI).
Main Results:
- Stomatal conductance and anatomy show complex, context-dependent responses to heat and drought stress.
- Significant genetic variation and heritability exist for stomatal traits, indicating breeding potential.
- Emerging technologies facilitate large-scale phenotyping of stomatal traits.
- Precision breeding tools offer new avenues for engineering stomatal traits.
Conclusions:
- Stomatal traits are critical, yet underutilized, targets for breeding climate-resilient crops.
- Technological advancements are overcoming previous phenotyping limitations.
- Integrating stomatal trait engineering into breeding strategies is essential for future crop improvement.
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