Accounting for the impact of genotype and environment on variation in leaf respiration of wheat in Mexico and Australia

O Gaju; K J Bloomfield; A C A Negrini; A F Bowerman; D Cullerne; B C Posch; C Bryant; Y Fan; M Spence; B Stone; M Gilliham; R T Furbank; G Molero; B J Pogson; K Mathews; A H Millar; A L Pearson; M P Reynolds; E Stroeher; N L Taylor; M H Turnbull; O K Atkin

doi:10.1093/jxb/erae449

Accounting for the impact of genotype and environment on variation in leaf respiration of wheat in Mexico and Australia

J Exp Bot. 2024 Nov 16:erae449. doi: 10.1093/jxb/erae449. Online ahead of print.

Authors

O Gaju^{1

2}, K J Bloomfield³, A C A Negrini^{1

4}, A F Bowerman^{1

4}, D Cullerne⁴, B C Posch^{1

4}, C Bryant¹, Y Fan^{1

4}, M Spence^{1

5}, B Stone^{1

4}, M Gilliham⁶, R T Furbank^{4

7}, G Molero^{8

9}, B J Pogson^{1

4}, K Mathews¹⁰, A H Millar¹¹, A L Pearson⁶, M P Reynolds⁸, E Stroeher¹¹, N L Taylor⁶, M H Turnbull¹², O K Atkin^{1

4}

Affiliations

¹ ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
² College of Science, Lincoln Institute for Agri-Food Technology, University of Lincoln, Lincolnshire, LN2 2LG, UK.
³ Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Buckhurst Road, Ascot SL5 7PY, UK.
⁴ Division of Plant Sciences, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
⁵ Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
⁶ ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine & Waite Research Institute, University of Adelaide, Glen Osmond, SA 5064, Australia.
⁷ ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
⁸ International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Km. 45, Carretera Mexico, El Batan, Texcoco, 56237, Mexico.
⁹ KWS Momont Recherche, 7 Rue de Martinval, 56246 Mons-en-Pévèle, France.
¹⁰ Center for Bioinformatics and Biometrics, University of Wollongong, Northfields Ave, Wollongong NSW 2522, Australia.
¹¹ ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, School of Molecular Sciences & Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
¹² School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand.

PMID: 39548831
DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erae449

Abstract

An approach to improving radiation use efficiency (RUE) in wheat is to screen for variability in rates of leaf respiration in darkness (Rdark). We used a high-throughput system to quantify variation in Rdark among a diverse range of spring wheat genotypes (301 lines) grown in two countries (Mexico and Australia) and two seasons (2017 and 2018), and in doing so quantify the relative importance of genotype (G) and environment (E) in influencing variations in leaf Rdark. Through careful design, residual (unexplained) variation represented less than 10% of the total observed. Up to a third of the variation in Rdark (and related traits) was under genetic control. This suggests opportunities for breeders to use Rdark as a novel selection tool. In addition, E accounted for more than half of the total variation in area-based rates of Rdark. Here, the day of measurement was crucial, suggesting that day-to-day variations in the environment influence rates of Rdark measured at a common temperature. Overall, this study provides new insights into the role G and E play in determining variation in rates of leaf Rdark of one of the most important cereal crops, with implications for future improvements in carbon use efficiency and yield.

Keywords: environment; genotype; residual variance; respiration; selection; wheat.