Life Sciences & Biotechnology
Title : | Implementing multi-omics approachesto probe thermal sensitivity of C4 grain amaranths (Amaranthus hypochondriacus, A. cruentus and A. caudatus) |
Area of research : | Life Sciences & Biotechnology |
Principal Investigator : | Ms. Asha kiran, CSIR-Institute Of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Himachal Pradesh |
Timeline Start Year : | 2022 |
Timeline End Year : | 2024 |
Contact info : | singhashakiran@gmail.com |
Details
Executive Summary : | Global climate change poses a significant threat to agricultural productivity and nutritional quality, with extreme heat events being the most prevalent feature. Heat stress affects plant growth and development, leading to negative consequences on fitness and yield. Plants evoke different adaptive strategies to deal with heat stress at both organismal and molecular levels. There is an urgent need for crop diversification to feed the world's growing population. Underutilized crops, such as grain amaranths, are stress-resilient and nutritionally rich, making them suitable for future climate and crop diversification. Grain amaranths are highly nutritious pseudo-cereal crops, containing higher protein and mineral contents than cereal crops like wheat, maize, and rice. They have high lysine content, an essential amino acid limiting in most cereals and C4 crops, and are highly adaptable to environmental perturbations such as drought and salinity. The effects of climate change factors on crop species are investigated by quantifying physiological and biochemical parameters. Non-targeted approaches, such as transcriptomics and metabolomics, provide holistic insights on altered cell metabolism. Amaranths are resistant to several abiotic stresses, but the effects of heat stress in grain amaranths remain unexplored at eco-physiological, biochemical, and molecular levels. This project aims to advance our knowledge on C4 crop adaption to climate change, enabling the breeding of climate-proof and nutritionally rich amaranth varieties in the face of ongoing climate change. |
Organizations involved