14CONFAP Comparative genomic and physiological analysis of C4 plant-microbe symbiosis

The overall aim of this project is to exploit beneficial plant-microbe interactions in sugarcane and Miscanthus for sustainable sugar and bioenergy crop production in Brazil and the UK respectively. This project brings together world experts on beneficial endophytic bacterial interactions with C4 crops. Expertise within the partners comprises genomics, transcriptomics, physiology and signalling of both plants and microbes. Targets for this collaboration are biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) and drought tolerance, as these represent two of the most pressing environmental challenges for crop production under current and future climates. Sustainable production of high yielding energy crops is essential in order to meet targets for fossil fuel substitution and atmospheric carbon reduction. Plants sequester atmospheric carbon via photosynthesis, which can be used as feedstock for renewable fuels and chemicals. Endophytic bacteria with the potential to promote plant growth have been identified in two of the world's leading bioenergy crops: sugarcane and Miscanthus. The crops are very closely related, and so are conducive to comparative genomics studies, yet also demonstrate a number of adaptive differences. Sugarcane has been extensively bred for its sugar content, making it a high value crop; however in common with the majority of C4 grasses, its growth is limited to the tropics. Miscanthus is an undomesticated genus with a wide geographic range across South East Asia. It is of great interest as a lignocellulosic energy crop due to its rapid growth even in low temperatures. IBERS has a large collection of diverse Miscanthus genotypes which form the basis of the UK breeding programme.

Miscanthus (grown in the UK) is a perrenial crop containing large amounts of carbon, that we can burn in power stations to produce energy, or digest biologically to produce useful chemicals (e.g. for production of bioplastics). Sugarcane (grown in Brazil) is a very similar crop, bred for its sugar content. Both plants have bacteria called endophytes living in their roots. The plant has a symbiotic relationship with these bacteria; some of the bacteria help the plant fix nitrogen, others may help the plant tolerate drought stress. This project aims to exchange knowledge and expertise on these endophytes including what types of endophytes are present and how they function. In the long term, this could lead to us being able to innoculate plants with specific beneficial bacteria, thereby making them more tolerant to drought, and to increase their growth.