Physiological, biochemical and molecular responses of the potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) plant to moderately elevated temperature

TY - JOUR

T1 - Physiological, biochemical and molecular responses of the potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) plant to moderately elevated temperature

AU - Hancock, Robert D.

AU - Morris, Wayne L.

AU - Ducreux, Laurence J. M.

AU - Morris, Jenny A.

AU - Usman, Muhammad

AU - Verrall, Susan R.

AU - Fuller, John

AU - Simpson, Craig G.

AU - Zhang, Runxuan

AU - Hedley, Pete E.

AU - Taylor, Mark A.

N1 - © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

PY - 2014/2

Y1 - 2014/2

N2 - Although significant work has been undertaken regarding the response of model and crop plants to heat shock during the acclimatory phase, few studies have examined the steady-state response to the mild heat stress encountered in temperate agriculture. In the present work, we therefore exposed tuberizing potato plants to mildly elevated temperatures (30/20?°C, day/night) for up to 5 weeks and compared tuber yield, physiological and biochemical responses, and leaf and tuber metabolomes and transcriptomes with plants grown under optimal conditions (22/16?°C). Growth at elevated temperature reduced tuber yield despite an increase in net foliar photosynthesis. This was associated with major shifts in leaf and tuber metabolite profiles, a significant decrease in leaf glutathione redox state and decreased starch synthesis in tubers. Furthermore, growth at elevated temperature had a profound impact on leaf and tuber transcript expression with large numbers of transcripts displaying a rhythmic oscillation at the higher growth temperature. RT-PCR revealed perturbation in the expression of circadian clock transcripts including StSP6A, previously identified as a tuberization signal. Our data indicate that potato plants grown at moderately elevated temperatures do not exhibit classic symptoms of abiotic stress but that tuber development responds via a diversity of biochemical and molecular signals.

AB - Although significant work has been undertaken regarding the response of model and crop plants to heat shock during the acclimatory phase, few studies have examined the steady-state response to the mild heat stress encountered in temperate agriculture. In the present work, we therefore exposed tuberizing potato plants to mildly elevated temperatures (30/20?°C, day/night) for up to 5 weeks and compared tuber yield, physiological and biochemical responses, and leaf and tuber metabolomes and transcriptomes with plants grown under optimal conditions (22/16?°C). Growth at elevated temperature reduced tuber yield despite an increase in net foliar photosynthesis. This was associated with major shifts in leaf and tuber metabolite profiles, a significant decrease in leaf glutathione redox state and decreased starch synthesis in tubers. Furthermore, growth at elevated temperature had a profound impact on leaf and tuber transcript expression with large numbers of transcripts displaying a rhythmic oscillation at the higher growth temperature. RT-PCR revealed perturbation in the expression of circadian clock transcripts including StSP6A, previously identified as a tuberization signal. Our data indicate that potato plants grown at moderately elevated temperatures do not exhibit classic symptoms of abiotic stress but that tuber development responds via a diversity of biochemical and molecular signals.

U2 - 10.1111/pce.12168

DO - 10.1111/pce.12168

M3 - Article

C2 - 23889235

SN - 1365-3040

VL - 37

SP - 439

EP - 450

JO - Plant, Cell & Environment

JF - Plant, Cell & Environment

IS - 2

ER -