[Seminar] Pampered inside, pestered outside? Ways to bridge the gap between lab and field experiments

Seminar

Title: Pampered inside, pestered outside? Ways to bridge the gap between lab and field experiments

Speaker: Hendrik Poorter

Affiliation: Plant Sciences (IBG2), Research Centre Jülich, Germany

Host: Nelson Saibo - Plant Gene Regulation Lab (GPlantS Unit)

Abstract:

In this talk I discuss how representative plants grown under controlled conditions (growth chamber, glasshouse) are for those growing in the field. A meta-analysis showed that lab-grown plants had faster growth rates, higher N concentrations, and higher SLA. They remained smaller, however, because lab plants are grown for much shorter time. We compared glasshouse and growth chamber conditions with those in the field and found that the ratio between the daily amount of light and daily temperature (photothermal ratio) was consistently lower under controlled conditions, especially for experiments with Arabidopsis. This may strongly affect a plant's source:sink ratio and hence their overall morphology and physiology.

Plants in the field also grow at higher plant densities. A subsequent meta-analysis showed that a doubling in density leads on average to 34% smaller plants with strong negative effects on tiller or side-shoot formation and yield per plant, moderate effects on allocation and photosynthesis, but little effect on plant height or reproductive effort. We found the r2 between lab and field phenotypic data rather modest (0.26), although still larger than the across-genotype r2 for year-to-year variation in yield in the field (0.08). Based on these insights, I discuss various alternatives to facilitate the translation from lab results to the field, including options to apply growth regimes closer to field conditions.

• Poorter et al. (2016) Pampered inside, pestered outside? Differences and similarities between plants growing in controlled conditions and in the field. New Phytol. 212: 838.
• Poorter et al. (2012a) The art of growing plants for experimental purposes: a practical guide for the plant biologist. Funct. Plant Biol. 39: 821.
• Poorter et al. (2012b) Pot size matters: a meta-analysis of the effects of rooting volume on plant growth. Funct. Plant Biol. 39. 839.