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Using breeding and quantitative genetics to understand the C4 pathway.

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Simpson, Conor JC 
Reeves, Gregory 
Tripathi, Anoop 
Singh, Pallavi 

Abstract

Reducing photorespiration in C3 crops could significantly increase rates of photosynthesis and yield. One method to achieve this would be to integrate C4 photosynthesis into C3 species. This objective is challenging as it involves engineering incompletely understood traits into C3 leaves, including complex changes to their biochemistry, cell biology, and anatomy. Quantitative genetics and selective breeding offer underexplored routes to identify regulators of these processes. We first review examples of natural intraspecific variation in C4 photosynthesis as well as the potential for hybridization between C3 and C4 species. We then discuss how quantitative genetic approaches including artificial selection and genome-wide association could be used to better understand the C4 syndrome and in so doing guide the engineering of the C4 pathway into C3 crops.

Description

Keywords

C4 photosynthesis, hybridization, mapping population designs, natural variation, Crops, Agricultural, Genome-Wide Association Study, Photosynthesis, Plant Breeding, Plant Leaves

Journal Title

J Exp Bot

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0022-0957
1460-2431

Volume Title

Publisher

Oxford University Press (OUP)
Sponsorship
European Commission Horizon 2020 (H2020) ERC (206409)
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/P003117/1)
BBSRC (1943270)
BBSRC, ERC