Crop yield is a function of the balance between the capacities of green source organs to supply assimilates through photosynthesis, and the ability of sink organs to use or to store them. Although a vast body of research is available for individual biochemical and genetic aspects of plant carbon metabolism, the nature and regulation of the source-sink equilibrium is still a knowledge gap in plant science. Understanding passive and active processes in the plant’s prioritizing between the production and allocation of assimilates during reproductive development is challenged by finely tuned interactions at physiological, genetic, and environmental levels. Because of the complex quantitative inheritance of biomass partitioning, which is difficult to decode even with advanced genomics, and largely lacking non-destructive phenotyping tools and proxies for physiological selection, more integrative research is needed to dissect the phenomena in a targeted way.
To ensure crop production stability, researchers need to provide fundamental knowledge on factors ruling yield potential and adaptation ability, which then can be efficiently exploited in breeding. The main goal is to benefit from the advanced opportunities for analysis of different data sets to elucidate the underlining genetic and physiological factors and dynamics of the source-to-sink carbon route. This should help to upgrade ecophysiological and crop models that often have a simplified, and mostly source-driven view of source-sink relationships, despite sink strength being a key driver of biomass accumulation and yield formation. Association of new models allowing for the accurate recognition of novel traits/proxies with genetic studies will provide the basis for the prediction of useful and untapped genetic variability to exploit in breeding programs. Identifying new genetic variability and improving the transfer of knowledge from model to crop species is necessary to achieve a sustainable yield boost in a changing climate.
In this Research Topic, we welcome original research, including meta-analyses, that provides new insights into key determinants of the source-sink relationship and how plants maintain the balance at different growth stages and in stressed conditions, as well as how best to use this knowledge for impact in production. We will welcome papers on model and crop species. Please note that purely descriptive reviews and studies that report findings without any new insight will not be considered. Some of the targeted topics include:
• Physiological and molecular controls of source- and sink-driven biomass accumulation;
• Dynamics of carbon and nitrogen accumulation;
• Plasticity of source-sink balance under stress;
• Role and availability of sugars for fruit and seed set;
• Role of plant hormones in assimilate partitioning;
• Exploitation of new genetic variability, wild relatives included, for balanced source-sink interplay;
• Engineering and breeding of crops for relevant physiological traits.
Crop yield is a function of the balance between the capacities of green source organs to supply assimilates through photosynthesis, and the ability of sink organs to use or to store them. Although a vast body of research is available for individual biochemical and genetic aspects of plant carbon metabolism, the nature and regulation of the source-sink equilibrium is still a knowledge gap in plant science. Understanding passive and active processes in the plant’s prioritizing between the production and allocation of assimilates during reproductive development is challenged by finely tuned interactions at physiological, genetic, and environmental levels. Because of the complex quantitative inheritance of biomass partitioning, which is difficult to decode even with advanced genomics, and largely lacking non-destructive phenotyping tools and proxies for physiological selection, more integrative research is needed to dissect the phenomena in a targeted way.
To ensure crop production stability, researchers need to provide fundamental knowledge on factors ruling yield potential and adaptation ability, which then can be efficiently exploited in breeding. The main goal is to benefit from the advanced opportunities for analysis of different data sets to elucidate the underlining genetic and physiological factors and dynamics of the source-to-sink carbon route. This should help to upgrade ecophysiological and crop models that often have a simplified, and mostly source-driven view of source-sink relationships, despite sink strength being a key driver of biomass accumulation and yield formation. Association of new models allowing for the accurate recognition of novel traits/proxies with genetic studies will provide the basis for the prediction of useful and untapped genetic variability to exploit in breeding programs. Identifying new genetic variability and improving the transfer of knowledge from model to crop species is necessary to achieve a sustainable yield boost in a changing climate.
In this Research Topic, we welcome original research, including meta-analyses, that provides new insights into key determinants of the source-sink relationship and how plants maintain the balance at different growth stages and in stressed conditions, as well as how best to use this knowledge for impact in production. We will welcome papers on model and crop species. Please note that purely descriptive reviews and studies that report findings without any new insight will not be considered. Some of the targeted topics include:
• Physiological and molecular controls of source- and sink-driven biomass accumulation;
• Dynamics of carbon and nitrogen accumulation;
• Plasticity of source-sink balance under stress;
• Role and availability of sugars for fruit and seed set;
• Role of plant hormones in assimilate partitioning;
• Exploitation of new genetic variability, wild relatives included, for balanced source-sink interplay;
• Engineering and breeding of crops for relevant physiological traits.
