Expression of the Arabidopsis vacuolar H+‐pyrophosphatase gene (AVP1) improves the shoot biomass of transgenic barley and increases grain yield in a saline field. Issue 3 (22nd November 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Schilling, Rhiannon K.; Marschner, Petra; Shavrukov, Yuri; Berger, Bettina; Tester, Mark; Roy, Stuart J.; Plett, Darren C.
• Is Part Of: Plant biotechnology journal. Volume 12:Issue 3(2014:Apr.)
• Page Start: 378
• Page End: 386
• Publication Date: 2013-11-22
• Subjects: Plant biotechnology -- Periodicals; Plant genetic engineering -- Periodicals; 630.272
• DOI: 10.1111/pbi.12145
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1467-7644

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="pbi12145-abs-0001"> <title>Summary</title> <p>Cereal varieties with improved salinity tolerance are needed to achieve profitable grain yields in saline soils. The expression of <italic>AVP1</italic>, an <italic>Arabidopsis</italic> gene encoding a vacuolar proton pumping pyrophosphatase (H<sup>+</sup>‐PPase), has been shown to improve the salinity tolerance of transgenic plants in greenhouse conditions. However, the potential for this gene to improve the grain yield of cereal crops in a saline field has yet to be evaluated. Recent advances in high‐throughput nondestructive phenotyping technologies also offer an opportunity to quantitatively evaluate the growth of transgenic plants under abiotic stress through time. In this study, the growth of transgenic barley expressing <italic>AVP1</italic> was evaluated under saline conditions in a pot experiment using nondestructive plant imaging and in a saline field trial. Greenhouse‐grown transgenic barley expressing <italic>AVP1</italic> produced a larger shoot biomass compared to null segregants, as determined by an increase in projected shoot area, when grown in soil with 150 m<sc>m</sc> NaCl. This increase in shoot biomass of transgenic <italic>AVP1</italic> barley occurred from an early growth stage and also in nonsaline conditions. In a saline field, the transgenic barley expressing <italic>AVP1</italic> also showed an increase in shoot biomass and, importantly, produced a greater grain yield per plant compared to wild‐type plants. Interestingly, the expression of <italic>AVP1</italic> did not alter barley leaf sodium concentrations in either greenhouse‐ or field‐grown plants. This study validates our greenhouse‐based experiments and indicates that transgenic barley expressing <italic>AVP1</italic> is a promising option for increasing cereal crop productivity in saline fields.</p> </abstract>