Correlations between Circadian Rhythms and Growth in Challenging Environments.
In plants, the circadian system controls a plethora of processes, many with agronomic importance, such as photosynthesis, photoprotection, stomatal opening, and photoperiodic development, as well as molecular processes, such as gene expression. It has been suggested that modifying circadian rhythms may be a means to manipulate crops to develop improved plants for agriculture. However, there is very little information on how the clock influences the performance of crop plants. We used a noninvasive, high-throughput technique, based on prompt chlorophyll fluorescence, to measure circadian rhythms and demonstrated that the technique works in a range of plants. Using fluorescence, we analyzed circadian rhythms in populations of wild barley (Hordeum vulgaressp.spontaneum) from widely different ecogeographical locations in the Southern Levant part of the Fertile Crescent, an area with a high proportion of the total genetic variation of wild barley. Our results show that there is variability for circadian traits in the wild barley lines. We observed that circadian period lengths were correlated with temperature and aspect at the sites of origin of the plants, while the amplitudes of the rhythms were correlated with soil composition. Thus, different environmental parameters may exert selection on circadian rhythms.
Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Silberman Institute for Life Sciences, Hebrew University, Givat Ram, Jerusalem 91904, Israel (D.H., Y.D., R.G.).|Plant Sciences Institute, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel (E.F.); and.|Department of Life Sciences, Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences, Eilat 8810, Israel (M.K.).
Yuri
Y
Dakhiya
Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Silberman Institute for Life Sciences, Hebrew University, Givat Ram, Jerusalem 91904, Israel (D.H., Y.D., R.G.).|Plant Sciences Institute, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel (E.F.); and.|Department of Life Sciences, Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences, Eilat 8810, Israel (M.K.).
Duaa
D
Hussien
Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Silberman Institute for Life Sciences, Hebrew University, Givat Ram, Jerusalem 91904, Israel (D.H., Y.D., R.G.).|Plant Sciences Institute, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel (E.F.); and.|Department of Life Sciences, Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences, Eilat 8810, Israel (M.K.).
Eyal
E
Fridman
Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Silberman Institute for Life Sciences, Hebrew University, Givat Ram, Jerusalem 91904, Israel (D.H., Y.D., R.G.).|Plant Sciences Institute, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel (E.F.); and.|Department of Life Sciences, Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences, Eilat 8810, Israel (M.K.).
Moshe
M
Kiflawi
Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Silberman Institute for Life Sciences, Hebrew University, Givat Ram, Jerusalem 91904, Israel (D.H., Y.D., R.G.); rgreen@mail.huji.ac.il.|Plant Sciences Institute, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel (E.F.); and rgreen@mail.huji.ac.il.|Department of Life Sciences, Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences, Eilat 8810, Israel (M.K.) rgreen@mail.huji.ac.il.
Rachel
0000-0003-1894-4010
R
Green
D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D002734:Chlorophyll / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D017753:Ecosystem; D005453:Fluorescence; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D014644:Genetic Variation; D001467:Hordeum / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D008957:Models, Genetic; D017440:Photoperiod; D063245:Plant Development / Q000235:genetics*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D010944:Plants / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D013696:Temperature
D010940:Plant Proteins; D002734:Chlorophyll