Effect of Ozone Stress on Soybean Productivity

Tropospheric ozone (O₃) is a greenhouse gas with concentrations high enough to decrease soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) productivity by 6% to 16%. In order to understand the mechanisms of yield loss in soybean, University of Illinois' Elizabeth A Ainsworth and her team examined the transcriptome of soybean flower and pod tissues exposed to elevated O₃ using RNA-sequencing.

Results revealed a strong transcriptional response in flower and pod tissues exposed to ozone stress. Flower tissues responded to elevated O₃ by increasing expression of genes encoding matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). MMPs are endopeptidases involved in programmed cell death, senescence and stress response. Meanwhile, pod tissues responded to elevated O₃ by increasing the expression of genes involved with increased pod opening.

The study established that gene expression in reproductive tissues of soybean is impacted by ozone stress, and that flowers and pods have distinct transcriptomic responses to elevate it.

For more information, read the full article here: http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/s12870-014-0335-y.pdf.