Up-regulation of non-photochemical quenching improves water use efficiency and reduces whole-plant water consumption under drought in Nicotiana tabacum

Authors

Benjamin Turc, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Seema Sahay, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Jared Haupt, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Talles de Oliveira Santos, University of Nebraska - Lincoln, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense
Geng Bai, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Katarzyna Glowacka, University of Nebraska - Lincoln, Polish Academy of SciencesFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

3-11-2024

Citation

Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol. 75, No. 13 pp. 3959–3972, 2024 https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erae113

Comments

Open access.

Abstract

Water supply limitations will likely impose increasing restrictions on future crop production, underlining a need for crops that use less water per mass of yield. Water use efficiency (WUE) therefore becomes a key consideration in developing resilient and productive crops. In this study, we hypothesized that it is possible to improve WUE under drought conditions via modulation of chloroplast signals for stomatal opening by up-regulation of non-photochemical quenching (NPQ). Nicotiana tabacum plants with strong overexpression of the PsbS gene encoding PHOTOSYSTEM II SUBUNIT S, a key protein in NPQ, were grown under differing levels of drought. The PsbS-overexpressing lines lost 11% less water per unit CO₂ fixed under drought and this did not have a significant effect on plant size. Depending on growth conditions, the PsbS-overexpressing lines consumed from 4–30% less water at the whole-plant level than the corresponding wild type. Leaf water and chlorophyll contents showed a positive relation with the level of NPQ. This study therefore provides proof of concept that up-regulation of NPQ can increase WUE, and as such is an important step towards future engineering of crops with improved performance under drought.