Engineering crop nutrient efficiency for sustainable agriculture

Abstract

Increasing crop yields can provide food, animal feed, bioenergy feedstocks and biomaterials to meet increasing global demand; however, the methods used to increase yield can negatively affect sustainability. For example, application of excess fertilizer can generate and maintain high yields but also increases input costs and contributes to environmental damage through eutrophication, soil acidification and air pollution. Improving crop nutrient efficiency can improve agricultural sustainability by increasing yield while decreasing input costs and harmful environmental effects. Here, we review the mechanisms of nutrient efficiency (primarily for nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and iron) and breeding strategies for improving this trait, along with the role of regulation of gene expression in enhancing crop nutrient efficiency to increase yields. We focus on the importance of root system architecture to improve nutrient acquisition efficiency, as well as the contributions of mineral translocation, remobilization and metabolic efficiency to nutrient utilization efficiency.

The Role of the Plasma Membrane H+-ATPase in Plant Responses to Aluminum Toxicity

“…Citrate and malate are intermediates in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. The Al-induced organic acid anion exudation is controlled by specific transporters, such as ALMT1 for malate and MATE for citrate, along with enzymes of organic acid metabolism, such as citrate synthase, malate dehydrogenase, and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase ( Chen and Liao, 2017 ). Beside the expression of citrate transporter, the exudation of citrate also requires activation of the plasma membrane H + -ATPase as shown in many plant species.…”

Catalyzing Holistic Agriculture Innovation Through Industrial Biotechnology

“…The challenge is two-fold: the finite nature of nitrogen (N), phosphate (P) and potash (K) supplies, and the environmental cost associated with excess flow of these nutrients into our rivers, lakes, and estuaries. 29,[36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47] These losses are highly variable and influenced by management practices, site characteristics, and productivity. For example, in a yield stability study of Midwest US nitrogen utilization by Basso et.…”

Maize ZmPT7 regulates Pi uptake and redistribution which is modulated by phosphorylation

“…Maize is one of the most important crops and is cultivated widely for staple food and industrial usage. Phosphorus is a major constituent of the fertilizers required to sustain high yields, whereas cultivated plants, including maize, use only approximately 20–30% of the applied phosphate (Chen and Liao, 2017; López‐Arredondo et al ., 2014). Currently, the molecular mechanisms of Pi acquisition and distribution remain unclear in maize.…”