About this Research Topic
Climate change is causing an increase in global temperature and altering the frequency and patterning of drought events, limiting crop yield worldwide. Therefore, developing new approaches to improving crop productivity has become paramount. Stomata regulate the amount of water lost by a plant and the uptake of CO2 it needs for photosynthesis, two key factors balancing each other for crop yield and productivity. Exploring natural variation in stomatal anatomy, distribution, and kinetics will provide novel breeding techniques to improve gas exchange between plants and the atmosphere, ensuring crop yield even in drought conditions. On the other hand, some of the genes controlling stomatal development and distribution are already known to have a beneficial effect on plant productivity. New breeding techniques (NBTs) offer a powerful tool for the genetic manipulation of crops to improve their yield in drought-prone environments. In this article collection, we aim to explore new genetic diversity for stomata-related traits, trade-offs as well as the manipulation of the existing traits through NBTs.
As climate change increases global temperatures and the rate at which a crop loses water through transpiration worldwide, we want to explore new genetic diversity or create new crops through NBT to manipulate stomata anatomy, number, and kinetics to limit water loss by the plant without limiting its productivity. To reach this goal, new and high-throughput phenotyping methods are needed to screen extensive genetic resources for novel genetic diversity. Moreover, large and diverse collections represent useful sources of diversity to search for new alleles that can help to improve water use efficiency. Finally, NBTs, such as CRISPR, offer the unique opportunity to precisely manipulate candidate genes to modify stomata behavior, leaf functional traits, and area crop canopy architecture to better address the issue.
We welcome submissions of Original Research, Reviews, and Opinion articles encompassing the breadth of stomatal research. In particular, we encourage manuscripts that address the topic in relevant crop species. This Research Topic addresses the following themes and related questions:
1. New tools and methods for stomata high-throughput phenotyping. What tools and methods can be used for high-throughput phenotyping of stomata in extensive collections grown in the field and/or controlled conditions?
2. Exploiting natural variation of stomata-related traits to discover new alleles or genes affecting water use in plants. Is there useful natural variation for stomata-related traits that can be leveraged by breeding programs?
3. Genetic manipulation of stomata density, number and kinetics to improve Water Use Efficiency in crop species. How can stomata traits be manipulated to provide “climate-ready” crops?
As climate change increases global temperatures and the rate at which a crop loses water through transpiration worldwide, we want to explore new genetic diversity or create new crops through NBT to manipulate stomata anatomy, number, and kinetics to limit water loss by the plant without limiting its productivity. To reach this goal, new and high-throughput phenotyping methods are needed to screen extensive genetic resources for novel genetic diversity. Moreover, large and diverse collections represent useful sources of diversity to search for new alleles that can help to improve water use efficiency. Finally, NBTs, such as CRISPR, offer the unique opportunity to precisely manipulate candidate genes to modify stomata behavior, leaf functional traits, and area crop canopy architecture to better address the issue.
We welcome submissions of Original Research, Reviews, and Opinion articles encompassing the breadth of stomatal research. In particular, we encourage manuscripts that address the topic in relevant crop species. This Research Topic addresses the following themes and related questions:
1. New tools and methods for stomata high-throughput phenotyping. What tools and methods can be used for high-throughput phenotyping of stomata in extensive collections grown in the field and/or controlled conditions?
2. Exploiting natural variation of stomata-related traits to discover new alleles or genes affecting water use in plants. Is there useful natural variation for stomata-related traits that can be leveraged by breeding programs?
3. Genetic manipulation of stomata density, number and kinetics to improve Water Use Efficiency in crop species. How can stomata traits be manipulated to provide “climate-ready” crops?
Keywords: stomata, genetic manipulation, climate change, climate-ready crops, plant phenotyping, NBTs
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
