Quinoa Phenotyping Methodologies: An International Consensus

Quinoa is a crop originating in the Andes but grown more widely and with the genetic potential for significant further expansion. Due to the phenotypic plasticity of quinoa, varieties need to be assessed across years and multiple locations. To improve comparability among field trials across the globe and to facilitate collaborations, components of the trials need to be kept consistent, including the type and methods of data collected. Here, an internationally open-access framework for phenotyping a wide range of quinoa features is proposed to facilitate the systematic agronomic, physiological and genetic characterization of quinoa for crop adaptation and improvement. Mature plant phenotyping is a central aspect of this paper, including detailed descriptions and the provision of phenotyping cards to facilitate consistency in data collection. High-throughput methods for multi-temporal phenotyping based on remote sensing technologies are described. Tools for higher throughput post-harvest phenotyping of seeds are presented. A guideline for approaching quinoa field trials including the collection of environmental data and designing layouts with statistical robustness is suggested. To move towards developing resources for quinoa in line with major cereal crops, a database was created. The Quinoa Germinate Platform will serve as a central repository of data for quinoa researchers globally

SOS1 tonoplast neo-localization and the RGG protein SALTY are important in the extreme salinity tolerance of Salicornia bigelovii

Abstract The identification of genes involved in salinity tolerance has primarily focused on model plants and crops. However, plants naturally adapted to highly saline environments offer valuable insights into tolerance to extreme salinity. Salicornia plants grow in coastal salt marshes, stimulated by NaCl. To understand this tolerance, we generated genome sequences of two Salicornia species and analyzed the transcriptomic and proteomic responses of Salicornia bigelovii to NaCl. Subcellular membrane proteomes reveal that SbiSOS1, a homolog of the well-known SALT-OVERLY-SENSITIVE 1 (SOS1) protein, appears to localize to the tonoplast, consistent with subcellular localization assays in tobacco. This neo-localized protein can pump Na+ into the vacuole, preventing toxicity in the cytosol. We further identify 11 proteins of interest, of which SbiSALTY, substantially improves yeast growth on saline media. Structural characterization using NMR identified it as an intrinsically disordered protein, localizing to the endoplasmic reticulum in planta, where it can interact with ribosomes and RNA, stabilizing or protecting them during salt stress

Potassium uptake and homeostasis in plants grown under hostile environmental conditions, and its regulation by CBL-interacting protein kinases

Abiotic stresses impose major penalties on plant growth and agricultural crop production. Understanding the mechanisms by which plants perceive these abiotic stresses, and the subsequent signal transduction that activates their adaptive responses, is therefore of vital importance for improving plant stress tolerance in breeding programs. Among the plethora of second messengers employed by plant cells, calcineurin B–like proteins (CBLs) and CBL-interacting protein kinases (CIPKs) have emerged as critical components of the signal transduction pathways and regulators of plant ionic homeostasis under stress conditions. This chapter summarizes the current knowledge on interaction between CIPKs and K+ transport systems, and the role of the former in regulating cell ionic relations and K+ homeostasis in plants grown under adverse environmental conditions