[Seminar] Optimising CO2 assimilation and crop yields in fluctuating environments
Elizabete Carmo-Silva, Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, UK
| When |
19 Dec, 2016
from
11:00 am to 12:00 pm |
|---|---|
| Where | Auditorium |
| Add event to your calendar |
iCal
|
Seminar
Title: Optimising CO2 assimilation and crop yields in fluctuating environments
Speaker: Elizabete Carmo-Silva
Affiliation: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, UK
Abstract:
Field-grown plants experience an environment in constant fluctuation. Light at the top of the canopy oscillates continuously and temperatures have become volatile. The rate of photosynthetic response to changes in the environment is not optimal for crop productivity under fluctuating conditions. Central to photosynthesis, the activity of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) is highly regulated and involves interaction with its catalytic chaperone Rubisco activase (Rca). Rca activity is modulated by the chloroplast redox status and ADP/ATP ratio, thereby mediating Rubisco activation and photosynthetic induction in response to light. Rca is also extremely thermal sensitive and limits CO2 assimilation at moderately high temperatures. We are characterising natural diversity in the light and temperature response of Rubisco and Rca to increase the climate resilience of CO2 assimilation in current and future crops.
