Influence of elevated CO2 concentration on salt and drought resistance mechanisms of a C3 (Chenopodium quinoa) and a C4 (Atriplex nummularia) xero-halophyte

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Hans-Werner Koyro
• Subject Area: Ecology and Biodiversity of Plants and Ecosystems
• Term: from 2012 to 2015
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 224641284

Taking Chenopodium quinoa (C3 plant) and Atriplex nummularia (C4 plant) as an example, the planned study intends to answer the question if elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration has a different effect on the salt and drought resistance of C3 and C4 xero-halophytes. It is hypothesized that elevated CO2 concentration significantly enhances the salt and drought resistance of C. quinoa (C3), while it has only a slightly positive effect on the resistance of A. nummularia (C4). This hypothesis will be tested by comparing and interrelating the transcriptome and corresponding eco-physiological parameters of the mentioned species at different levels of NaCl salinity and drought stress under ambient and elevated CO2 concentration. The addressed topic is of major importance in the course of global climate change which is caused by rising atmospheric concentration of trace gases such as CO2 and has devastating effects on agriculture because it exacerbates soil salinisation and drought. The results of the project will provide a basis for the future sustainable use of C3 and C4 xero-halophytes on dry and/or saline soils, which can mitigate the cause and the consequences of climate change. Furthermore, transcriptome profiling is thought to lay a foundation stone for the development of C. quinoa and A. nummularia as the first xero-halophytic C3 model plants regarding the interaction of salinity/drought and elevated CO2, which can be of major importance for assessing the performance of C3 and C4 crop plants in a world of climate change and for increasing their salt and/or drought resistance.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants