Genetic improvement of phosphate-limited photosynthesis for high yield in rice
Low phosphate (Pi) availability decreases photosynthesis, with phosphate limitation of photosynthesis occurring particularly during grain filling of cereal crops; however, effective genetic solutions remain to be established. We previously discovered that rice phosphate transporter OsPHO1;2 controls seed (sink) development through Pi reallocation during grain filling. Here, we find that OsPHO1;2 regulates Pi homeostasis and thus photosynthesis in leaves (source). Loss-of-function of OsPHO1;2 decreased Pi levels in leaves, leading to decreased photosynthetic electron transport activity, CO<sub>2</sub> assimilation rate, and early occurrence of phosphate-limited photosynthesis. Interestingly, ectopic expression of <i>OsPHO1;2</i> greatly increased Pi availability, and thereby, increased photosynthetic rate in leaves during grain filling, contributing to increased yield. This was supported by the effect of foliar Pi application. Moreover, analysis of core rice germplasm resources revealed that higher <i>OsPHO1;2</i> expression was associated with enhanced photosynthesis and yield potential compared to those with lower expression. These findings reveal that phosphate-limitation of photosynthesis can be relieved via a genetic approach, and the <i>OsPHO1;2</i> gene can be employed to reinforce crop breeding strategies for achieving higher photosynthetic efficiency.
Authors
- Genyun Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1768-3816)
- Xin‐Guang Zhu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4435-130X)
- Jirong Huang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4032-4566)
- Qifei Gao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7751-7671)
- You Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5037-7653)
- Qiqi Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4456-216X)
- Qingyao Shu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9201-0593)
- Peng Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5632-3130)
- Lin Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4804-2093)
- Qun Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0549-1852)
- Yanfei Fan
- Zuhua He (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6098-7893)
- Bin Ma (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2791-0541)
- Xiaoyuan Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3316-8243)
Institutions
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Shanghai Normal University (CN)
- Hangzhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CN)
- Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences (CN)
- Institute of Crop Sciences (CN)
- China National Rice Research Institute (CN)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Zhejiang University (CN)
- Yangzhou University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Published
- 2024-08-13
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2404199121
- Citations
- 24
- Primary Topic
- Rice Cultivation and Yield Improvement
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 14.39
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics
- Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions