Journal article
Carbon isotopes and water use efficiency in C4 plants
Current opinion in plant biology, Vol.31(C), pp.155-161
06/2016
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/113823
PMID: 27155062
Abstract
Drought is a major agricultural problem worldwide. Therefore, selection for increased water use efficiency (WUE) in food and biofuel crop species will be an important trait in plant breeding programs. The leaf carbon isotopic composition (δ(13)Cleaf) has been suggested to serve as a rapid and effective high throughput phenotyping method for WUE in both C3 and C4 species. This is because WUE, leaf carbon discrimination (Δ(13)Cleaf), and δ(13)Cleaf are correlated through their relationships with intercellular to ambient CO2 partial pressures (Ci/Ca). However, in C4 plants, changing environmental conditions may influence photosynthetic efficiency (bundle-sheath leakiness) and post-photosynthetic fractionation that will potentially alter the relationship between δ(13)Cleaf and Ci/Ca. Here we discuss how these factors influence the relationship between δ(13)Cleaf and WUE, and the potential of using δ(13)Cleaf as a meaningful proxy for WUE.
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Details
- Title
- Carbon isotopes and water use efficiency in C4 plants
- Creators
- Patrick Z Ellsworth - Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99163, United StatesAsaph B Cousins - Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99163, United States. Electronic address: acousins@wsu.edu
- Publication Details
- Current opinion in plant biology, Vol.31(C), pp.155-161
- Academic Unit
- Biological Sciences, School of
- Publisher
- England
- Identifiers
- 99900547468001842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article