Arka Acharyya, Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Centenary College, Rahara
We live on a rotating planet and that has an immense impact on Chronobiology. Like humans and other animals, plants also have an ‘internal clock’ that controls the daily and seasonal rhythms. According to the plant scientists of Cambridge University, the genetic architecture of circadian oscillators should be targeted in agriculture and crop breeding. Circadian rhythm-based agronomy is a driving force of future agriculture to produce higher yields with reduced input. A Plant’s circadian clock plays a vital role in various functions like photosynthesis, flowering time, biomass, water consumption, temperature-stress responses, pathogen defenses. The genes of circadian oscillation are similar in all major crop plants. These genetic similarities make them a potential target for crop breeders to have more control over these functions. Modification and improving genetic tools of the rhythmic clock make global agriculture systems more sustainable and cost-efficient. The entire process is defined as ‘Chronoculture’, published in the Journal Science.
Alex Webb, plant scientist of Cambridge University and senior author of the study says that the easiest and simplest approach of chronoculture would be to use knowledge about a crop’s internal clock. With the base of knowledge and gene analysis, applying water, pesticides or herbicides can be more effective at a certain time of day or night. Other techniques required for improving crop yielding through alignment with time and seasons, he also adds. For example, drones and low-cost signal-board computers can be used in biological clock-based agriculture. Drones are used with sensors to collect round-the-clock data about plant growth and health and monitoring photosynthesis, gas exchange, stomatal movements, water use. Farmers get more advantage to know the perfect time to apply treatments to their specific crop, precise location, and weather conditions. At the same time, indoor ‘vertical farming ‘ is becoming more common in modern agronomy. In indoor farming, crops are grown under artificial light conditions and temperature. Undoubtedly, using chronoculture, indoor ‘vertical farming’ can also be improved. Through genetic modification, indoor light and heating cycles could be matched to the plant’s internal clock, and that highly effective plant’s growth. That also increases the accuracy of the vertical farming and reduces the resource requirement and optimizes water consumption, researchers explain. Another potential aspect of chronoculture is post-harvest when crops slowly deteriorate and continue to be eaten by pests. There is good evidence that pest damage can be reduced by optimizing the circadian rhythms of the harvested crops. According to Alex Webb, just on and off a simple electrical light in a refrigerated lorry mimics the day-night cycle. That would use the plant’s internal clock to reduce waste and help in the storage system.
Researchers say, in the future, transgenic approaches and gene editing could be used to modify the crops. For example, plants with slow-running internal clocks might be better adapted to high altitudes. Webb also says more research is required in chronoculture that makes agriculture more climate-friendly and boosting up crop production. But he is confident about chronoculture as it will be a smart solution for feeding our growing population sustainably.
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Source:Steed, Gareth, et al. “Chronoculture, Harnessing the Circadian Clock to Improve Crop Yield and Sustainability.” Science, vol. 372, no. 6541, Apr. 2021, p. eabc9141, doi:10.1126/science.abc9141
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