Because nitrogen fertilizers contribute to global greenhouse gas emissions, scientists are looking for ways to modify agricultural plants so that they rely on less nitrogen. In research published in New Phytologist, investigators have found that blocking a particular protein may achieve this goal in potatoes.
The protein, called Solanum tuberosum CYCLING DOF FACTOR 1 (StCDF1), binds to DNA and plays a key role in regulating tuberization in potatoes. In this latest research, investigators found that StCDF1 modulates nitrogen-related gene expression. Blocking StCDF1 improved plant performance in low nitrogen environments.
"Natural variation in StCDF1 binding to the single potato NITRATE REDUCTASE gene emerges as a promising strategy to reduce potato needs of nitrogen fertilizers, as this gene encodes a limiting step for nitrate reduction and later assimilation," said co-corresponding author Salomé Prat, Research Professor, of the Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics, in Spain.
URL upon publication: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nph.20186
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New Phytologist is an international journal publishing outstanding original research in plant science and its applications. Research falls into five sections: Physiology & Development, Environment, Interaction, Evolution, and Transformative Plant Biotechnology. Topics covered range from intracellular processes through to global environmental change. New Phytologist is owned by the New Phytologist Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of plant science.
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