Evaluation of photosynthetical and growth parameters in sorghum (v BRS330) grown in elevated CO2 and water deficit

• Grant number: 13/10771-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2013
• End date: August 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Botany - Pant Physiology
• Principal Investigator: Amanda Pereira de Souza
• Grantee: Ana Carolina Garcia
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Climate changes are predicted to occur due the increase of atmospheric CO2 concentration with a concomitant increase in temperature and water availability and they will affect the environmental, social and economical sectors in the world. Among the expected consequences, those related with food security is one of the most important due its impact in world population. For C4 plants, that include a great part of crops, there is an uncertainty and a contradiction in the literature about the way that these plants will respond to climate change. One of the ways to investigate deeper and to help in the comprehension of how C4 plants respond to predicted climate changes is to analyze plant using system biology approach, evaluating different organs at different organization levels. Following this idea, the Laboratório de Fisiologia Ecológica de Plantas (LAFIECO-IB/USP), has a project Microsoft-FAPESP, nÚ 2011/52065-3 that has as objective understand the interaction among the different organizational levels using physiological, metabolic and gene expression data from a C4 plant grown at elevated [CO2] and water stress. This proposal is part of that project and aim to contribute with physiological data evaluating growth and photosynthetic parameters of sorghum. Sorghum besides having an economical importance to Brazil has a short life cycle, which allow the evaluation along the plant development. In this proposal, two experiments will be set. The first experiment has as objective to provide basic knowledge about sorghum growth at lab conditions and establish the different developmental stages to be analyzed in the second experiment. The second experiment will be made at Open Top Chambers where the plants will grow at elevated [CO2] with or without water deficit to evaluation of growth, photosynthetic rates, leaf water potential and leaf water content. (AU)