Environmental Stresses in Soybean Production

Soybean Production Volume 2

Mohammad Miransari

• Publisher: Academic Press
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9780128015353
• eBook ISBN: 9780128017289
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Agriculture
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Environmental Stress Conditions in Soybean Production: Soybean Production, Volume Two, examines the impact of conditions on final crop yield and identifies core issues and methods to address concerns. As climate and soil quality changes and issues continue to manifest around the world, methods of ensuring sustainable crop production is imperative. The care and treatment of the soil nutrients, how water availability and temperature interact with both soil and plant, and what new means of crop protection are being developed make this an important resource for those focusing on this versatile crop. The book is a complement to volume one, Abiotic and Biotic Stresses in Soybean Production, providing further insights into crop protection.- Presents insights for addressing specific environmental stress conditions in soybean production, including soil, atmospheric, and other contributing factors- Facilitates translational methods based on stress factors from around the world- Examines the future of soybean production challenges, including those posed by climate change- Complements volume one, Abiotic and Biotic Stresses in Soybean Production, providing further insights into crop protection

1

Use of Biotechnology in Soybean Production Under Environmental Stresses

M. Miransari AbtinBerkeh Scientific Ltd. Company, Isfahan, Iran

Abstract

Due to the importance of the soybean [Glycine max L. (Merr.)] as a source of food, protein, and oil, it has become one of the most produced and consumed crop plants worldwide. The plant is able to develop a symbiotic association with the N fixing bacteria, Bradyrhizobium japonicum, and acquire most of its essential N for growth and yield production. However, the plant and bacteria are not tolerant under environmental stresses, and their growth and activity is adversely affected. Different methods have been used to increase the plant and bacterial tolerance under the stress, among which the biotechnological ones are the most effective. It is accordingly possible to produce genetically modified plants and bacteria, which can tolerate the stress, while their growth and activity is not affected or partially affected. For the production of tolerant plants, the related gene, which is activated under the stress, must be inserted in the plant so that the plant becomes tolerant. Tolerant bacteria can be produced by genetic modification or be isolated from stress conditions. Some of the most important details related to the effects of biotechnological techniques on the growth and activity of soybeans and B. japonicum under stress are presented, reviewed, and analyzed.

Keywords

Arabidopsis; Biotechnology; Bradyrhizobium japonicum; Environmental stresses; Salinity; Soybean [Glycine max L. (Merr.)]

Introduction

The production of food for the increasing world population is among the most important goals of research work, globally. However, the production of crop plants is facing some restriction worldwide, including the limitation of agricultural fields and the presence of environmental stresses. The soybean is an important source of food, protein, and oil and is able to develop a symbiotic association with the nitrogen (N)-fixing bacterium, Bradyrhizobium japonicum, to acquire most of its essential nitrogen for growth and yield production (Davet, 2004; Schulze, 2004).

Soybeans are the number one economic oil seed crop, and the processed soybeans are the major source of vegetable oil in the world. Soybeans also contain metabolites including saponins, isoflavone, phytic acid, goitrogens, oligosaccharides, and estrogens (Sakai and Kogiso, 2008; Ososki and Kennelly, 2003). Soybean products are used worldwide because of their benefits, such as decreasing cholesterol, controlling diabetes and obesity, cancer prevention, and improving kidney and bowel activities (Friedman and Brandon, 2001).

It has been indicated that only 10% of agricultural fields are not under stress, and the remaining parts of the world are subjected to stress. Accordingly, it is important to find methods, techniques, and strategies including biotechnology, which may result in the alleviation of stresses and increases in soybean growth and yield production under stress. Biotechnology is a tool contributing to sustainable agriculture; different biotechnological techniques can be used to increase plant resistance under stress. The biological techniques, which are used for the improvement of plant tolerance under stress, include the use of molecular breeding, tissue culture, mutagenesis, and transformation of genes. Some of the most important details related to the use of biotechnology on soybean growth and yield production are presented in the following sections.

Soybean, Bradyrhizobium japonicum, Stress, and Biotechnology

Soybean response under stress is indicated by the following equation: Y = HI × WUE × T in which HI is harvest index, WUE is water use efficiency, and T is the rate of transpiration (Turner et al., 2001). If the reduction of water is controlled by plan, it results in the increase of WUE. The following are traits in plant control T: leaf area, root depth and density, phenology, developmental plasticity, water potential, regulation of osmotic potential, heat tolerance, and sensitivity of photoperiod. Plant stress physiology is a useful tool for improving plant tolerance under stress. However, mimicking the field environment must be among the important views of future research for the development of tolerant crop plants under multistressful conditions (Chen and Zhu, 2004; Luo et al., 2005).

Under abiotic stresses, different cellular and genetic mechanisms are activated to make the plant tolerate the stress. However, because more details have yet to be indicated on plant response under stress, a more detailed understanding of plant physiology and molecular biology under stress for the successful transformation of plants is essential (Umezawa et al., 2002). For example, the use of genetic, mutagenic, and transgenic approaches has been really useful for a better understanding related to plant response under salinity stress and hence for the production of more tolerant plants under stress (Foolad, 2004). It was accordingly indicated that if a single gene, which controls the antiport protein of Na⁺/H⁺ vacuolar or plasma membrane is overexpressed in Arabidopsis and tomatoes, their tolerance under greenhouse salinity is enhanced (Zhang and Blumwald, 2001; Shi et al., 2003).

The important point about using biotechnological techniques, used for improving legume resistance under stress, is the large genome size of some legumes. However, to make the use of such techniques easier and investigate the process of nodulation and legume response under stress, the two legume models including Lotus japonicus and Medicago trancatula have been used. The properties, including a smaller genome size and diploid genomes, autogenously nature, generation at reasonable time, and production of seed in a prolific manner, make such legumes suitable choices as model legumes (Cook, 1999).

Ever since, effective genetic and genomic tools have been developed and used, including their genome sequencing, the isolation of sequence tags, and the establishment of a genetic map for each legume (Dita et al., 2006). The increasing data related to the genomic and genetics and the high genetic similarity between legumes make the two legume species suitable for genetic research under different conditions, including stress. However, most of the research related to stress has been conducted using Arabidopsis as a model plant. The similarities and differences between Arabidopsis and legumes are significant.

Research work has indicated that it is possible to develop tolerant legumes under salinity stress using genetic tools (Foolad, 2004; Bruning and Rozema, 2013). The other important parameters affecting the expression of genes under different conditions, including stress, are the transcription factors. If their activity is modified, it is possible to produce legumes, which are tolerant under stress (Shinozaki and Yamaguchi-Shinozaki, 2000). Ethylene-responsive element-binding factors are among the most interesting transcription factors, and over 60 of them have been indicated in M. trancatula and their closely related drought-responsive element-binding (DREB) and cyclic adenosine monophosphate responsive element binding proteins (Yamaguchi-Shinozaki and Shinozaki, 2005).

Such transcription factors are responsive to stresses such as cold, drought, wounding, and pathogen infection. The other important class of transcription factors is the WRKY, which are able to modify the response of plant stress genes, including receptor protein kinases, the genes of cold and drought, and the basic leucine zipper domain regulating the activity of genes such as Glutathione STranferase and PR-1 (Chen and Singh, 1999; Yamaguchi-Shinozaki, and Shinozaki, 2005). A transcription-like factor, Mtzpt2-1, affecting plant tolerance under salinity stress, has also been found in M. Trancatula (Zhu, 2001; Dita et al., 2006).

In molecular breeding, the DNA regions, which are the cause of agronomical traits in crop plants (molecular marker), are determined and used for improving crop response under stress. Although tissue culture is a method to produce tissues by organogenesis and embryogenesis, it is not yet a suitable method for legumes as it is not an efficient method for the production of transgenic legume plants. In the method of mutagenesis, mutants with the favorite traits are produced and diversity is created, which is the main goal of breeding. Improving crop response using gene transfer by Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a reality, and it is now possible to produce transgenic legumes, although in some cases legume response may not be high. Using such a method, DNA is inserted into the embryogenic or organogenic cultures (Vasil, 1987; Buhr et al., 2002).

Proteomics is a useful tool for the evaluation of plant response under stress, because the levels of mRNA are not sometimes correlated with the accumulation of proteins. A large number of research work has investigated the behavior of plant proteins under stress (Lee et al., 2013; Hirsch, 2010). The other important reason for the use of proteomic in parallel with metabolome and transcriptome is for understating the complete details related to gene activity and molecular responses controlling complex plant behavior. Such an approach has been investigated in M. trancatula response to environmental stimuli and in the metabolic alteration, during the process of biological N fixation by L...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Copyright
• Dedication
• List of Contributors
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• 1. Use of Biotechnology in Soybean Production Under Environmental Stresses
• 2. Soybean Production Under Flooding Stress and Its Mitigation Using Plant Growth-Promoting Microbes
• 3. Soybean Tillage Stress
• 4. Soybean Production and Environmental Stresses
• 5. Soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) Production Under Organic and Traditional Farming
• 6. Soybeans and Plant Hormones
• 7. Soybean, Protein, and Oil Production Under Stress
• 8. Soybeans, Stress, and Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria
• 9. Role of Genetics and Genomics in Mitigating Abiotic Stresses in Soybeans
• 10. Soybean and Acidity Stress
• 11. Soybean Production and Compaction Stress
• 12. Soybeans, Stress, and Nutrients
• Index