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“Researchers from the Centre for Agricultural Genomics and Biotechnology (MÉK) at the University of Debrecen investigated the chemical or physical means of plant communication in the framework of the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST). Their results have been published in Trends in Plant Science, the leading international journal in plant science,” as can be read at the website of the University of Debrecen.
“Plants communicate with each other and with other living organisms in a very sophisticated way. During plant communication, the emitted chemical information about environmental threats and opportunities is given to neighboring plants or other living organisms living in the plant’s environment. These signals can indicate danger, such as an attack by parasites, water shortage, the appearance of competitors of the same or different species competing for resources. But they can also communicate opportunities, such as the presence of potential symbiotic partners in the environment. According to the latest research, these contacts and communications are epigenetically regulated,” Scientific Advisor and Head of the Agricultural Genomics and Biotechnology Center, Judit Dobránszki told hirek.unideb.hu.
In their study, the researchers showed how chemical or physical signals from communication are translated into the language of epigenetics, namely how communication signals modify the epigenome, how these modifications affect plant life processes, stress tolerance and adaptation, and how long a plant remembers a communication.
“Understanding how plants communicate with each other about previous encounters or stressful experiences, whether plants and microorganisms identify each other as “friends” or “enemies”, seems at first glance to be a basic scientific question. But this is not the case. The identification of epigenetic modifications that regulate these plant capabilities allows the selection of plants with enhanced ability to “sense” the nearby environment. This could lead to the development of so-called climate-smart plants, which are more flexible and efficient in adapting to sudden environmental changes,” Judit Dobránszki explained.
The Center Manager emphasised that the selected types require less “care”, which means less chemical use and less watering. All of this contributes to environmental protection and the improvement of human health.
“The identification of molecular mechanisms allows the preparation of plants and their use as donor plants that transfer stress tolerance to unprepared neighboring plants, “ she added.
The study by the international research team demonstrated the role of epigenetics as a common “primordial language” in biocommunication, as well as its importance in plant adaptation. It described the possibilities through which this ability of plants can be best exploited in agriculture. The study was published in the leading international journal of plant science, Trends in Plant Science.
Source and photo credit:dehir.hu
