6533b82efe1ef96bd1293a34

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Research of genetic and molecular determinants involved in the nodulated root system architecture of legumes and contributing to improved nitrogen nutrition

subject

description

Grain legume pulse crops are of great interest to allow a production of seeds high nutritional value without any contribution of nitrate fertilizer. The nitrogen nutrition of legumes depends indeed mainly on the fixation in nodules of atmospheric dinitrogen through the plant-rhizobium symbiosis, and to a lesser extent, absorption by roots of soil mineral nitrogen.A better understanding has been obtained on the genetic control of the development of roots and nodules and on their impact on nitrogen nutrition. High genetic variability of these characters has been detected, and the existence of genetic correlations between them demonstrated. A quantitative genetic approach has identified several genomic regions that may be involved in their variations. The two different ways to improve nitrogen nutrition were also studied: the improvement of nitrogen acquisition by roots through a detailed study of a root architecture mutant, and the improvement of symbiosis via the study of the ability of peas to promote symbiotic associations with the most effective rhizobia.The results provide interesting bases for the design of a pea nitrogen-nutrition ‘ideotype’. Beyond the essential complementarity between the two pathways of nitrogen acquisition, it is necessary to optimize the interaction between the two symbiotic partners, which is a complex mechanism involving nodules formation and functioning in connection with complex signaling and trophic interactions between the partners and intra-plant.