A study led by the University of East Anglia (UEA) is the first to reveal how plants make an “anti-stress” molecule called dimethylsulfoniopropionate, or DMSP.
It shows that while most plants make DMSP, high-level production of this molecule allows plants to grow under stress, for example in salty conditions at the coast.
Researchers studied a species of saltmarsh cordgrass – Spartina anglica – which produces high levels of DMSP, and then compared its genes with those from other plants that mainly produce the molecule at low concentration, including barley and wheat crops.
The study also shows that plants can be grown under other stressful conditions, such as drought, when they are supplemented with DMSP – or if plants are created that make their own DMSP.
This approach could benefit crops in nitrogen-poor soils and help improve agricultural productivity amid the challenges of climate change.
Prof Jon Todd, of UEA’s School of Biological Sciences, said: “Excitingly, our study shows that most plants make the anti-stress compound DMSP, but that the saltmarsh grass Spartina is special due to the high levels it accumulates.
“This is important because Spartina saltmarshes are global hotspots for DMSP production and for generation of the climate-cooling gas dimethylsulfide through the action of microbes that breakdown DMSP.”
Lead author Dr Ben Miller, also from UEA’s School of Biological Sciences, added: “This discovery provides fundamental understanding about how plants tolerate stress and offers promising avenues for improving the tolerance of crops to salinity and drought, which is important for enhancing agricultural sustainability in the face of global climate change.”
The team included scientists from UEA’s School of Biological Sciences, School of Chemistry, Pharmacy and Pharmacology, and Ocean University of China.
The research, published in the journal Nature Communications, was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).
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