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Multigene manipulation of photosynthetic carbon assimilation increases CO2 fixation and biomass yield in tobacco

Simkin, Andrew J., McAusland, Lorna, Headland, Lauren R., Lawson, Tracy, Raines, Christine A. (2015) Multigene manipulation of photosynthetic carbon assimilation increases CO2 fixation and biomass yield in tobacco. Journal of Experimental Botany, 66 (13). pp. 4075-4090. ISSN 0022-0957. E-ISSN 1460-2431. (doi:10.1093/jxb/erv204) (KAR id:93876)

Abstract

Over the next 40 years it has been estimated that a 50% increase in the yield of grain crops such as wheat and rice will be required to meet the food and fuel demands of the increasing world population. Transgenic tobacco plants have been generated with altered combinations of sedoheptulose-1,7-bisphosphatase, fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase, and the cyanobacterial putative-inorganic carbon transporter B, ictB, of which have all been identified as targets to improve photosynthesis based on empirical studies. It is shown here that increasing the levels of the three proteins individually significantly increases the rate of photosynthetic carbon assimilation, leaf area, and biomass yield. Furthermore, the daily integrated measurements of photosynthesis showed that mature plants fixed between 12–19% more CO2 than the equivalent wild-type plants. Further enhancement of photosynthesis and yield was observed when sedoheptulose-1,7-bisphosphatase, fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase, and ictB were over-expressed together in the same plant. These results demonstrate the potential for the manipulation of photosynthesis, using multigene-stacking approaches, to increase crop yields.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1093/jxb/erv204
Uncontrolled keywords: Biomass, Calvin–Benson cycle, chlorophyll fluorescence imaging, gas exchange, gene stacking
Subjects: Q Science
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Natural Sciences > Biosciences
Depositing User: Andrew Simkin
Date Deposited: 05 May 2022 18:04 UTC
Last Modified: 06 May 2022 08:37 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/93876 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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