Improving crop yield and resilience through optimization of photosynthesis: panacea or pipe dream?

34 páginas, 4 figuras, 3 tablas. -- This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in Journal of Experimental Botany following peer review. The version of record Araus JL, Sanchez-brado R, Vicente R. 2021. Improving crop yield and resilience through optimization ofphotosynthesis: panacea or pipe dream? Journal of Experimental Botany, 72(11): 3936–395, is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erab097

Increasing the speed of breeding to enhance crop productivity and adaptation to abiotic stresses is urgently needed. The perception that a second Green Revolution should be implemented is widely established within the scientific community and among stakeholders. In recent decades, different alternatives have been proposed for increasing crop yield through manipulation of leaf photosynthetic efficiency. However, none of these has delivered practical or relevant outputs. Indeed, the actual increases in photosynthetic rates are not expected to translate into yield increases beyond 10-15%. Furthermore, instantaneous rates of leaf photosynthesis are not necessarily the reference target for research. Yield is the result of canopy photosynthesis, understood as the contribution of laminar and non-laminar organs over time, within which concepts such as canopy architecture, stay-green, or non-laminar photosynthesis need to be taken into account. Moreover, retrospective studies show that photosynthetic improvements have been more common at the canopy level. Nevertheless, it is crucial to place canopy photosynthesis in the context of whole-plant functioning, which includes sink-source balance and transport of photoassimilates, and the availability and uptake of nutrients, such as nitrogen in particular. Overcoming this challenge will only be feasible if a multiscale crop focus combined with a multidisciplinary scientific approach is adopted.

We acknowledge the support of the Spanish project PID2019-106650RB-C21 from the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. J.LA acknowledges support from the Institució Catalana de Investigació i Estudis Avançats (ICREA) Academia, Generalitat de Catalunya, Spain. RV acknowledges the support of the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia through the R&D Unit, UIDB/04551/2020 (GREEN-IT - Bioresources for Sustainability), Portugal.

Peer reviewed