Researchers from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto (FCUP) verified that the symbiotic relationship between fungi and the root makes chestnut trees more resilient to the effects of climate change, it was revealed this Friday.
The study, published in the scientific journal Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, “brings good news for the future of the chestnut tree,” says the FCUP in a statement.
Although the benefits of the symbiotic relationship are known to increase the absorption of water and nutrients by plants, as well as to mitigate stress, this is “One of the first studies to address” this strategy in a situation of exposure to high temperatures and lack of water.
“After about two years of work, we have shown that the presence of mycorrhizal fungi increases the tolerance of young chestnut trees to lack of water and heat, modulating various physiological responses related to photosynthesis and plant defense pathways. “, says researcher Filipa Sousa in the statement.
To reproduce conditions similar to those in the field, the plants were exposed, for 21 days, to temperatures of 42 degrees Celsius for a period of four hours a day and to dryness.
The team’s goal was to evaluate physiological and biochemical responses, as well as photosynthetic activity.
“Compared to plants not inoculated with the mycorrhizal fungus, mycorrhizal plants [nas quais existem associações simbióticas entre o fungo e a raiz]When subjected to exposure to high temperatures and lack of water, they managed to activate defense mechanisms and maintain an adequate water status,” highlights the FCUP.
Currently, researchers are developing new assays to study the efficiency of another strategy, stress preparation in chestnut.
“The concept behind stress preparation It is based on the activation of the plant’s memory, so that the plant, when exposed again to unfavorable conditions, is able to activate the defense mechanisms sooner,” says researcher Cristiano Soares.
To prepare the chestnut tree for stressful conditions, researchers are evaluating whether prior exposure of young specimens to moderately dry conditions can stimulate memory mechanisms that later result in “more efficient metabolic and biochemical adjustments.”
“Although preliminary, the most recent results suggest that, in fact, chestnut trees are capable of remembering past events, allowing them to react more easily to the imposed dry conditions,” adds Fernanda Fidalgo.
The results that are being discovered in a laboratory context will later be validated in the field.
This study was developed within the scope of the “Castanheiro vs Climate Change” project, financed by the BPI Promote Program, the La Caixa Foundation and the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT).
The project began in 2023 and, in addition to researchers from FCUP and GreenUPorto — Center for Research in Sustainable Agri-Food Production, it has researchers from the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD) and the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (IPB ), and the collaboration of the company Deifil — Green Biotechnology.
Source: Observadora
