Project Details
Projekt
Molecular adaptation to contrasting stress regimes (SP3)
Subject Area
Plant Cultivation, Plant Nutrition, Agricultural Technology
Term
since 2026
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 571153016
Climate change and evolving agricultural challenges demand the development of resilient crop varieties capable of withstanding multiple abiotic and biotic stressors. Concurrent stress scenarios such as drought and pathogen pressure are increasingly frequent, yet the genetic mechanisms enabling tolerance or resistance under such complex conditions remain poorly understood. The proposed project addresses this knowledge gap by investigating the genetic, transcriptomic, and post-transcriptional regulatory bases of maize response and adaptation to combined environmental stresses. Our approach integrates historical selection and adaptation as well as experimental evidence to dissect the molecular underpinnings of stress responses. We will assess polygenic signals of selection and adaptation in genetically diverse temperate and tropical maize inbred line populations and link these to stress-resilience traits through genome-wide association studies (GWAS). In parallel, transcriptomic plasticity and variability in stress response will be explored in these inbred line populations. Additionally, the six commercial hybrids of the central experiment of the research unit will be exploited for in-depth characterization of gene expression regulation in concurrent stress situations under controlled field conditions. High-throughput sequencing technologies, including 3'-DGE, mRNA-seq, sRNA-seq, and degradome sequencing, will be used to profile transcriptional responses and reveal regulatory mechanism. These data and GWAS will help to identify key regulators such as transcription factors and sRNA-target genes, offering insights into how gene expression is modulated to support adaptation and performance in single and combined stress conditions. In preparation of the intended Phase 2 of this research unit, both datasets will be used to define key genetic parameters for the development of integrated biophysical crop modelling approaches in close collaboration with crop modeling subprojects. Additionally, our genetic information will contribute to the selection of experimental hybrids that are optimized for high genetic diversity and contrasting stress response to broaden the range of identifiable stress-related mechanisms.
DFG Programme
Research Units
