The State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement of Huazhong Agricultural University, together with St. Louis, Missouri, found the potential application value of PLDa1 in improving crop drought resistance and seed yield, providing a new strategy for crop genetic improvement in the future. The research results show that the specific expression of PLD α 1 in guard cells can effectively improve the drought tolerance and seed yield of rapeseed, providing important theoretical basis for crop improvement.

This achievement was published in the Plant Biotechnology Journal under the title "lnincreased expression of phospholipase D α 1 in guard cells decreases water loss with improved seed production under drought in Brassica napus". Lu Shaoping, Associate Researcher of the School of Plant Science and Technology at Huazhong Agricultural University, was the first author, while Professor Hong Yueyun from Huazhong Agricultural University and Wang Xuemin from the Department of Biology at the University of Missouri in St. Louis, Missouri, USA were the corresponding authors. Through experiments, the changes in leaf weight of genetically modified plants and wild-type (WT) plants were evaluated, thus gaining a deeper understanding of their water retention capacity.

The opening and closing of guard cells control the transpiration of plants, which is a key factor affecting their water use efficiency and drought tolerance. The activation of phospholipase Da1 (PLDa1) produces lipid messenger phosphate in Arabidopsis and promotes stomatal closure. In order to explore the application of PLDa1 mediated signaling in reducing water loss in crops, the research team introduced the PLDa1 gene of Arabidopsis into two rapeseed varieties under the control of the guard cell specific promoter AtKatIpro in Brassica napus. Transgenic rapeseed exhibits lower water loss and improved biomass accumulation under drought and high salt stress conditions. Under drought conditions in the field, the seed yield of transgenic plants is higher than that of wild-type plants. The specific expression of PLD α 1 in guard cells has the potential to increase crop yield by enhancing drought tolerance.

Research has shown that specific expression of PLDa1 in guard cells can effectively improve drought tolerance and seed yield in rapeseed, providing a new strategy for crop drought resistance breeding. These genetically modified rapeseed exhibit reduced water loss and improved biomass accumulation under high osmotic stress conditions (including drought and high salinity). In addition, these plants produced more seeds than wild-type plants in field trials under drought conditions. The defense cell specific expression of PLDa1 has the potential to increase crop yield by enhancing drought resistance. Under drought conditions, plants were modified to express PLDa1 under the control of protective cell specific promoters, thereby reducing water loss and improving plant growth, providing important theoretical basis for crop improvement.

This study was conducted using a domestically produced portable photosynthetic transpiration meter, Yaxin-1102, which measures water transpiration and stomatal conductance and plays an important role in physiological processes related to photosynthesis and water loss.

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