Improving Plant Nitrogen Use Efficiency through Alteration of Amino Acid Transport Processes. Issue 1 (21st July 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Perchlik, Molly; Tegeder, Mechthild
• Is Part Of: Plant physiology. Volume 175:Issue 1(2017)
• Page Start: 235
• Page End: 247
• Publication Date: 2017-07-21
• Subjects: Plant physiology -- Periodicals; Botany -- Periodicals; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 571.2
• DOI: 10.1104/pp.17.00608
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0032-0889

Abstract

Abstract : Pea plants with altered amino acid transport processes produce higher seed yields and use nitrogen (N) more efficiently than wild-type plants in N-poor and N-rich soils. Abstract: Improving the efficiency of nitrogen (N) uptake and utilization in plants could potentially increase crop yields while reducing N fertilization and, subsequently, environmental pollution. Within most plants, N is transported primarily as amino acids. In this study, pea ( Pisum sativum ) plants overexpressing AMINO ACID PERMEASE1 ( AAP1 ) were used to determine if and how genetic manipulation of amino acid transport from source to sink affects plant N use efficiency. The modified plants were grown under low, moderate, or high N fertilization regimes. The results showed that, independent of the N nutrition, the engineered plants allocate more N via the vasculature to the shoot and seeds and produce more biomass and higher seed yields than wild-type plants. Dependent on the amount of N supplied, the AAP1 -overexpressing plants displayed improved N uptake or utilization efficiency, or a combination of the two. They also showed significantly increased N use efficiency in N-deficient as well as in N-rich soils and, impressively, required half the amount of N to produce as many fruits and seeds as control plants. Together, these data support that engineering N allocation from source to sink presents an effective strategy to produce crop plants with improved productivity as well as N use efficiency in a range of N environments.