Sensitivities to temperature and evaporative demand in wheat relatives.

There is potential sources of alleles and genes currently locked into wheat-related species that could be introduced into wheat breeding programs for current and future hot and dry climates. However, neither the intra- nor the inter-specific diversity of the responses of leaf growth and transpiration to temperature and evaporative demand have been investigated in a large diversity of wheat-related species. By analysing 12 groups of wheat-related sub-species, we questioned the n-dimensional structure of the genetic diversity for traits linked to plant vegetative structures and development, leaf expansion and transpiration together with their responses to "non-stressing" range of temperature and evaporative demand. In addition to provide new insight on how genome type, ploidy level, phylogeny and breeding pressure together structure this genetic diversity, this study provides new mathematical formalisms and the associated parameters of trait responses in the large genetic diversity of wheat-related species. This potentially allow crop models predicting the impact of this diversity on yield, and indicate potential sources of varietal improvement for modern wheat germplasms, through interspecific crosses.

Intraspecific variation in thermal acclimation of photosynthesis across a range of temperatures in a perennial crop.

Interest in the thermal acclimation of photosynthesis has been stimulated by the increasing relevance of climate change. However, little is known about intra-specific variations in thermal acclimation and its potential for breeding. In this article, we examined the difference in thermal acclimation between alfalfa (Medicago sativa) cultivars originating from contrasting origins, and sought to analyze the mechanisms in play. A series of experiments was carried out at seven growth temperatures between 5 and 35 °C using four cultivars from temperate and Mediterranean origin. Leaf traits, the photosynthetic rate at 25 °C (A400 (25)), the photosynthetic rate at optimal temperature (A400 (opt)), the thermal optimum of photosynthesis (Topt), and the photosynthetic parameters from the Farqhuar model were determined. Irrespective of cultivar origin, a clear shift in the temperature responses of photosynthesis was observed as a function of growth temperature, affecting thermal optimum of photosynthesis, photosynthetic rate at optimal temperature and photosynthetic rate at 25 °C. For both cultivars, Topt values increased linearly in leaves grown between 5 and 35 °C. Relative homeostasis of A400 (25) and A400 (opt) was found between 10 °C and 30 °C growth temperatures, but sharp declines were recorded at 5 and 35 °C. This homeostasis was achieved in part through modifications to leaf nitrogen content, which increased at extreme temperatures. Significant changes were also recorded regarding nitrogen partitioning in the photosynthetic apparatus and in the temperature dependence of photosynthetic parameters. The cultivars differed only in terms of the temperature response of photosynthetic parameters, with Mediterranean genotypes displaying a greater sensitivity of the maximum rate of Rubisco carboxylation to elevated temperatures. It was concluded that intra-specific variations in the temperature acclimation of photosynthesis exist among alfalfa cultivars, but that Mediterranean genotypes presented no evidence of superior performance at high temperatures.

An empirical model that uses light attenuation and plant nitrogen status to predict within-canopy nitrogen distribution and upscale photosynthesis from leaf to whole canopy.

Modelling the spatial and temporal distribution of leaf nitrogen (N) is central to specify photosynthetic parameters and simulate canopy photosynthesis. Leaf photosynthetic parameters depend on both local light availability and whole-plant N status. The interaction between these two levels of integration has generally been modelled by assuming optimal canopy functioning, which is not supported by experiments. During this study, we examined how a set of empirical relationships with measurable parameters could be used instead to predict photosynthesis at the leaf and whole-canopy levels. The distribution of leaf N per unit area (Na) within the canopy was related to leaf light irradiance and to the nitrogen nutrition index (NNI), a whole-plant variable accounting for plant N status. Na was then used to determine the photosynthetic parameters of a leaf gas exchange model. The model was assessed on alfalfa canopies under contrasting N nutrition and with N2-fixing and non-fixing plants. Three experiments were carried out to parameterize the relationships between Na, leaf irradiance, NNI and photosynthetic parameters. An additional independent data set was used for model evaluation. The N distribution model showed that it was able to predict leaf N on the set of leaves tested. The Na at the top of the canopy appeared to be related linearly to the NNI, whereas the coefficient accounting for N allocation remained constant. Photosynthetic parameters were related linearly to Na irrespective of N nutrition and the N acquisition mode. Daily patterns of gas exchange were simulated accurately at the leaf scale. When integrated at the whole-canopy scale, the model predicted that raising N availability above an NNI of 1 did not result in increased net photosynthesis. Overall, the model proposed offered a solution for a dynamic coupling of leaf photosynthesis and canopy N distribution without requiring any optimal functioning hypothesis.