Constitutively overexpressing a tomato fructokinase gene (LeFRK1) in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L. cv. Coker 312) positively affects plant vegetative growth, boll number and seed cotton yield
Thiya Mukherjee A , Mariana Ivanova A , Marisela Dagda A , Yoshinori Kanayama B , David Granot C and A. Scott Holaday A D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409, USA.
B Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University Aoba-ku, Sendai 981-8555, Japan.
C Department of Vegetables Research, Institute of Plant Sciences, Agricultural Research Organisation, The Volcani Center, PO Box 6, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel.
D Corresponding author. Email: scott.holaday@ttu.edu
Functional Plant Biology 42(9) 899-908 https://doi.org/10.1071/FP15035
Submitted: 14 February 2015 Accepted: 12 June 2015 Published: 14 July 2015
Abstract
Increasing fructokinase (FRK) activity in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) plants may reduce fructose inhibition of sucrose synthase (Sus) and lead to improved fibre yield and quality. Cotton was transformed with a tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) fructokinase gene (LeFRK1) under the control of the CMV 35S promoter. In a greenhouse, the LeFRK1 plants had increased fibre and leaf FRK activity over nonexpressing nulls, but not improved fibre length and strength. Compared with the nulls, LeFRK1 plants yielded 13–100% more seed-cotton mass per boll and more bolls per plant, and therefore more seed cotton and fibre yield per plant. The enhanced yield was related to a greater seed number per boll for LeFRK1 plants. Photosynthetic rates were not appreciably different among genotypes. However, more area per leaf and leaf number (in some instances) for LeFRK1 plants than for nulls enhanced the capacity for C gain. Larger leaf areas for LeFRK1 plants were associated with larger stem diameters. Lower sucrose levels in developing leaves of LeFRK1 plants suggest that LeFRK1 overexpression leads to improved in vivo Sus activity in developing leaves and possibly in developing seeds. The improvement in yield for LeFRK1 plants may also be the result of improvements in photosynthate supply as a consequence of greater leaf area.
Additional keywords: cellulose synthesis, leaf area, sucrose synthase.
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