Flinders University Researchers Using New Tools For Better Future Food Crops

With millions around the world suffering from hunger throughout the world, Flinders University researchers are investigating unique features of edible plants that might improve future food crop production. 

The new research, conducted in collaboration with Australian and international partners, looks at how legumes employ an alternate "respiration" as a stress response, as well as how a popular pulse crop finds strength in a "ménage à trois" three-way relationship with soil and root systems. 

Food security and nutrition for people in Asia, Africa, and other nations are expected to worsen by 2030, with outbreaks, conflict, and economic downturns increasing supply challenges caused by climate change, according to the UN Food and Agricultural Organization. 

Flinders University experts focused on the complex procedures legumes go through to have a backup or alternate respiration in the first study, which was published in Frontiers in Plant Science. According to first author Dr. Crystal Sweetman, this can act similarly to an antioxidant, avoiding damage during times of stress or difficulty. 

"Alternative respiration differs greatly amongst crops such as legumes and cereals because various plants have distinct versions of alternative respiration genes and proteins," she adds. "This indicates that some plants are better at fine-tuning their stress response than others. 

"Variation between populations of the same species is also possible, making this an intriguing prospect for breeding new crop varieties with increased resistance to heat, drought, salt, and other stressors. 

Flinders researchers focused on how legume plants enlist the support of beneficial microorganisms in the soil to boost development and stress tolerance in another publication published last week in Plant and Soil. The most recent study of the "tripartite" symbiosis in chickpea plants builds on previous research into actinobacteria that boost rhizobial root N-fixing capacities in chickpea development and grain yield. 

According to senior researcher Professor Chris Franco, the research is critical to gain insights into proper management of chickpea production as differential soil pH, nutrients, and moisture, as well as hotter weather, become more common in Australia, the world's second-largest producer of chickpeas after India. 

"Our research demonstrates that this critical symbiotic relationship between legume and rhizobium is a ménage à trois with these actinobacteria, opening the door for the development of more efficient inoculants to maximize growth." 

"This is critical for developing better soil and growth conditions for premium chickpea production in an environmentally sustainable manner," he says.