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WRI Seminar: Dr Bo Xu & Dr Yi Zhou
May 27, 2021, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
The WRI seminar series showcases the excellent science our members, affiliates and collaborators are undertaking across the agriculture, food and wine sectors. Expand your network and find new collaborators!
Everyone is welcome – seminars are generally scheduled at 12pm on Thursdays, with some exceptions. Registration is required.
Dr Bo Xu – GABA is a novel guard cell signal
WRI, ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology and School of Ag, Food and Wine
Dr Yi Zhou – Increasing crop productivity by hologenome concept
WRI and School of Ag, Food and Wine
WHEN: Thursday 27th May 2021, 12pm, followed by coffee
Bo Xu – Abstract: The non-protein amino acid γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) has been proposed to be an ancient messenger for cellular communication conserved across biological kingdoms. GABA has well defined signalling roles in animals; however, whilst GABA accumulates in plants under stress. Using Arabidopsis thaliana, we show guard cell GABA production is necessary and sufficient to reduce stomatal opening and transpirational water loss, which improves water use efficiency and drought tolerance, via negative regulation of a stomatal guard cell tonoplast-localised anion transporter. We find GABA modulation of stomata occurs in multiple plants, including dicot and monocot crops. This study highlights a role for GABA metabolism in fine tuning physiology and opens alternative avenues for improving plant stress resilience.
Yi Zhou – Abstract: A holobiont is an ecological and evolutionary unit encompassing both the host and its associated microbiome. The hologenome theory of evolution has postulated that evolutionary selection likely occurs between the host genome and the microbiome, so the soil microbiome closely associated with plant roots can be considered as an expansion of the plant genome, providing additional genes to the host that are involved in adaptation to local environmental conditions. Based on the hologenome concept, my research focused on (1) soil microbiome diversity in cropping systems; (2) the assemblage of crop-associated microbiome influenced by cultivars and soil types; and (3) crop beneficial microbes: isolation, characterisation, and application in agriculture.
The seminar will be both face-to-face in Charles Hawker Conference Centre and as a webinar.
Due to a limit of 70 people in Charles Hawker if you wish to attend in person you must register at this Eventbrite link
Alternatively register for the Webinar at
https://adelaide.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_N8bV0MHjSdW1kiCtLcVapw