PvARL1 Increases Biomass Yield and Enhances Alkaline Tolerance in Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.)
Author:
Li Xue1ORCID, Guan Cong2, Liu Huayue1ORCID, Wang Tingting1, Lin Mengzhuo1, Zhou Die1, Zhang Yunwei1, Bi Xiaojing1
Affiliation:
1. College of Grassland Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China 2. Institute of Leisure Agriculture, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan 250100, China
Abstract
Switchgrass is an important bioenergy crop valued for its biomass yield and abiotic tolerance. Alkali stress is a major abiotic stress that significantly impedes plant growth and yield due to high salinity and pH; however, the response mechanism of switchgrass to alkali stress remains limited. Here, we characterized PvARL1, an ARF-like gene, which was up-regulated in both the shoot and root tissues under alkali stress conditions. Overexpression of PvARL1 not only improved alkali tolerance but also promoted biomass yield with more tiller and higher plant height in switchgrass. Moreover, PvARL1 overexpression lines displayed higher capacities in the maintenance of water content and photosynthetic stability compared with the controls under alkali treatments. A significant reduction in the ratio of electrolyte leakage, MDA content, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) showed that PvARL1 plays a positive role in protecting cell membrane integrity. In addition, PvARL1 also negatively affected the K+ efflux or uptake in roots to alleviate ion toxicity under alkali treatments. Overall, our results suggest that PvARL1 functions as a positive regulator in plant growth as well as in the plant response to alkali stress, which could be used to improve switchgrass biomass yield and alkali tolerance genetically.
Funder
Provincial school cooperation project China Agricultural University-Aksu region, agricultural science and technology innovation project
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