Modification of surface waxes for improved water retention in canola

Term: 3 years, ending March 2025
Status: Ongoing
Researchers: Mark Smith, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; Karen Tanino, University of Saskatchewan
SaskCanola Investment: $44,550
Total Project Cost: $178,200
Funding Partners: Agriculture Development Fund, Western Grains Research Foundation

Objectives

To gain knowledge on the positive or negative role of wax components in maintaining the cuticular water barrier of canola, and to identify DNA regions conferring epidermal transcription of genes. The ultimate goal will be to use a technique like genome editing to specifically prevent expression of target genes in in the epidermis, without disrupting wax in other parts of the plant such as pollen.

1. To improve the cuticular water barrier of canola by modifying levels of secondary alcohols/ketones, alkylesters or triterpenes. 2. To evaluate prototype lines with altered wax composition under dehydration stress. 3. Identification of genetic sequences conferring epidermal gene expression.

Benefits to the Industry

The proposed project is a proof of concept exploration of a potential novel method to help canola better tolerate periods of stress from water limitation. The results will have practical application with some additional effort after this work is completed. Modified plants should be better prepared to withstand stress, resulting in increased yield in adverse conditions with a reduction in grower risk. Due to the limited chemical diversity in the crop Brassica species, achieving these objectives through conventional breeding is unlikely to be achievable. Conducting this work will enable the careful choice of targets and strategies that can then be applied to achieve the intended goals with a very much reduced risk of undesirable phenotypes.

Overview/Abstract/Summary

Surface wax functions as a barrier to water loss in plants. Under water limitation, canola plants react by increasing wax production. Wax is a mixture of hydrophobic chemicals but not all components have the same ability to block water loss. This project will assess if wax composition can be modified to proactively improve the effectiveness of the water barrier without the need to react and make more wax. Resulting plants would be better prepared for sudden heat and water stress. The project will also determine regulatory sequences that control gene expression in the epidermis. These are unknown in canola and identification would enable control of gene expression in this tissue. We will test the hypothesis that wax composition and not just wax amount is critical for function.