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Genetic Approaches to Develop Salt Tolerant Germplasm

View more insights in Sciences - Life Sciences - Biology - Natural Sciences

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Mark Tester discusses the use of forward genetic approaches for discovery of genes related to salinity tolerance.

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Image courtesy of interviewee. August 26, 2022

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This video discusses the sustainability issues associated with current food production methods. Agriculture uses a significant portion of land and water resources, contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, and is deemed unsustainable in its current form. To address these challenges, there is a need for innovative technologies that minimize the environmental impact of food production, such as developing crops that can thrive with less freshwater and resist salinity.

This video highlights the importance of understanding genetic variations among plants to enhance their performance in challenging conditions, such as high salt levels. An example provided is the hkt gene, which helps plants maintain lower sodium levels in their shoots by retaining sodium in their roots, thereby reducing toxicity and promoting growth.

While laboratory results may indicate promising traits, the text notes that real-world field testing often reveals complexities that laboratory settings cannot predict. However, advancements in genomics have accelerated the ability to identify and utilize these genetic variations, offering new opportunities to create crops that are more resilient to environmental stresses and even capable of growing in seawater. Ultimately, the author emphasizes the potential of new genetic technologies to significantly improve the sustainability of food production.

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X-TIMESTAMP-MAP:LOCAL=00:00:00.000,MPEGTS=900000

00:06.600 --> 00:09.600
the broadest context is related to our sustainable

00:09.600 --> 00:13.400
food security the production of

00:13.400 --> 00:17.500
our food to put the food on our plate users half

00:16.500 --> 00:19.800
the land that humans use it uses

00:19.800 --> 00:22.900
3/4 of all the water humans use

00:22.900 --> 00:25.300
on the planet and it's one

00:25.300 --> 00:25.600
of the biggest

00:26.700 --> 00:29.800
emitters of greenhouse gases from human

00:29.800 --> 00:31.500
activities. So the broadest

00:32.400 --> 00:35.400
Context is that the current production of

00:35.400 --> 00:38.200
our food is unsustainable and it has

00:38.200 --> 00:41.900
to change and so we have to develop and deliver

00:41.900 --> 00:44.700
technologies that are going to reduce the

00:44.700 --> 00:48.000
environmental footprint of our food production. If we're

00:47.200 --> 00:50.800
able to grow plants better with less

00:50.800 --> 00:53.200
fresh water. For example, that's going

00:53.200 --> 00:56.800
to reduce that enormous currently enormous use

00:56.800 --> 00:59.200
of water for food production. And one way

00:59.200 --> 01:03.100
to do this is to use the naturally occurring variability that

01:02.100 --> 01:05.600
we have in our plants. And

01:05.600 --> 01:08.400
so what we have is an chance to

01:08.400 --> 01:11.500
for example identify the

01:11.500 --> 01:14.400
basis for the ability of some plants

01:14.400 --> 01:17.900
to grow better in Saline conditions relative

01:17.900 --> 01:20.500
to other plants. So there's lots of natural differences

01:20.500 --> 01:23.300
between the different plants. And so if we can understand

01:23.300 --> 01:26.400
the genetic basis of those differences we can

01:26.400 --> 01:29.400
then introduce those differences into crops and help

01:29.400 --> 01:31.500
crops grow with lower Quality Water.

01:32.400 --> 01:35.700
Sample, hkt is an abbreviation for

01:35.700 --> 01:38.200
a gene which is one version of

01:38.200 --> 01:41.700
which is found in the roots of plants and it

01:41.700 --> 01:45.200
helps minimize the transfer of

01:44.200 --> 01:47.700
sodium ions from the roots to

01:47.700 --> 01:51.000
the shoots. So when this Gene is expressed more

01:50.400 --> 01:53.300
highly it's got a greater ability

01:53.300 --> 01:56.100
to help retain sodium in the

01:56.100 --> 01:59.200
roots and that reduces the accumulation of

01:59.200 --> 02:02.300
sodium in the shoots and the benefit of that is

02:02.300 --> 02:05.900
that when sodium accumulates in the shoots, it's toxic.

02:05.900 --> 02:08.500
It's inhibits the growth of plants. It makes

02:08.500 --> 02:11.500
the older leaves on the plants die prematurely. So

02:11.500 --> 02:14.400
the plant doesn't get its money's worth if you like out if

02:14.400 --> 02:18.000
it's investment in those leaves and overall sodium

02:17.400 --> 02:20.400
in the shoot generally is a bad

02:20.400 --> 02:23.200
thing and inhibits the growth of plants and

02:23.200 --> 02:26.700
reduces yields reduces that food production. We can

02:26.700 --> 02:29.400
get all sorts of results on a petri dish

02:29.400 --> 02:32.100
or in a grocery in the laboratory.

02:32.400 --> 02:36.500
and those can be indicative of positive effects

02:35.500 --> 02:38.900
and useful traits those

02:38.900 --> 02:41.400
ultimately we have to be out in

02:41.400 --> 02:44.800
the field because frankly it's very complex and

02:44.800 --> 02:46.100
it's more complex than

02:47.400 --> 02:50.500
Our human brains can really ultimately predict

02:50.500 --> 02:53.300
so far. And so what we have

02:53.300 --> 02:57.200
to do is get results in the laboratory results,

02:56.200 --> 02:59.600
which say well that looks like it's a

02:59.600 --> 03:02.600
promising lead, but ultimately have to go out and test

03:02.600 --> 03:05.300
it and I can tell you probably nine out

03:05.300 --> 03:08.300
of 10 of those promising leads fall over when you

03:08.300 --> 03:11.400
get out into the field because there's something else that we haven't thought of

03:11.400 --> 03:14.400
which comes in and hits the plants The Beneficial

03:14.400 --> 03:17.700
results that we find when we measure when we're in the laboratory often,

03:17.700 --> 03:20.700
they don't they don't get they don't get a chance

03:20.700 --> 03:23.400
to show themselves when you're out there in the

03:23.400 --> 03:27.000
field at the moment genetic approaches are becoming rapidly

03:26.300 --> 03:29.600
more powerful because of genomics so

03:29.600 --> 03:32.400
with genomics are able to sequence whole genomes and

03:32.400 --> 03:35.200
be able to do genetics much more

03:35.200 --> 03:38.200
rapidly and much more powerfully. And so this

03:38.200 --> 03:41.700
gives us opportunities to access naturally occurring

03:41.700 --> 03:44.200
variation much more than ever before

03:44.200 --> 03:47.300
in human history, and this gives us EXC.

03:47.400 --> 03:50.600
Opportunities both to increase the

03:50.600 --> 03:53.700
tolerance to stresses of our existing

03:53.700 --> 03:56.300
crops and it also gives

03:56.300 --> 03:59.900
us the opportunity to get plants which for example naturally grow

03:59.900 --> 04:02.600
even in full seawater and turn them

04:02.600 --> 04:05.000
into crops. So for me

04:05.600 --> 04:08.100
at the moment the new genetics as I call

04:08.100 --> 04:08.900
it has

04:09.800 --> 04:12.100
Got powers, which have never been

04:12.100 --> 04:15.500
previously possible which gives us exciting opportunities to

04:15.500 --> 04:18.800
try to do our bit to address these

04:18.800 --> 04:21.500
issues around the sustainability of food

04:21.500 --> 04:21.800
production.

00:06 - the broadest context is related to our sustainable food security the production of our food to put the food on our plate users half the land that humans use it uses 3/4 of all the water humans use on the planet and it's one

00:25 - of the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases from human activities. So the broadest Context is that the current production of our food is unsustainable and it has to change and so we have to develop and deliver technologies that are going to reduce the environmental footprint of our food production. If we're able to grow plants better with less fresh water. For example, that's going

00:53 - to reduce that enormous currently enormous use of water for food production. And one way to do this is to use the naturally occurring variability that we have in our plants. And so what we have is an chance to for example identify the basis for the ability of some plants to grow better in Saline conditions relative to other plants. So there's lots of natural differences between the different plants. And so if we can understand

01:23 - the genetic basis of those differences we can then introduce those differences into crops and help crops grow with lower Quality Water. Sample, hkt is an abbreviation for a gene which is one version of which is found in the roots of plants and it helps minimize the transfer of sodium ions from the roots to the shoots. So when this Gene is expressed more highly it's got a greater ability

01:53 - to help retain sodium in the roots and that reduces the accumulation of sodium in the shoots and the benefit of that is that when sodium accumulates in the shoots, it's toxic. It's inhibits the growth of plants. It makes the older leaves on the plants die prematurely. So the plant doesn't get its money's worth if you like out if it's investment in those leaves and overall sodium in the shoot generally is a bad thing and inhibits the growth of plants and

02:23 - reduces yields reduces that food production. We can get all sorts of results on a petri dish or in a grocery in the laboratory. and those can be indicative of positive effects and useful traits those ultimately we have to be out in the field because frankly it's very complex and it's more complex than Our human brains can really ultimately predict so far. And so what we have

02:53 - to do is get results in the laboratory results, which say well that looks like it's a promising lead, but ultimately have to go out and test it and I can tell you probably nine out of 10 of those promising leads fall over when you get out into the field because there's something else that we haven't thought of which comes in and hits the plants The Beneficial results that we find when we measure when we're in the laboratory often, they don't they don't get they don't get a chance to show themselves when you're out there in the

03:23 - field at the moment genetic approaches are becoming rapidly more powerful because of genomics so with genomics are able to sequence whole genomes and be able to do genetics much more rapidly and much more powerfully. And so this gives us opportunities to access naturally occurring variation much more than ever before in human history, and this gives us EXC. Opportunities both to increase the tolerance to stresses of our existing

03:53 - crops and it also gives us the opportunity to get plants which for example naturally grow even in full seawater and turn them into crops. So for me at the moment the new genetics as I call it has Got powers, which have never been previously possible which gives us exciting opportunities to try to do our bit to address these issues around the sustainability of food

04:21 - production.

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