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ARS Home » Plains Area » Bushland, Texas » Conservation and Production Research Laboratory » Soil and Water Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #330854
Title: 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.

Author
item MUKHERJEE, THIYA - Texas Tech University
item IVANOVA, MARIANA - Texas Tech University
item DAGDA, MARISELA - Texas Tech University
item KANAYAMA, YOSHINORI - Tohoku University
item GRANOT, DAVID - Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center
item HOLADAY, SCOTT - Texas Tech University

Submitted to: Functional Plant Biology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/12/2015
Publication Date: 7/14/2015
Citation: Mukherjee, T., Ivanova, M., Dagda, M., Kanayama, Y., Granot, D., Holaday, S. 2015. 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. Functional Plant Biology. 42(9):899-908.

Interpretive Summary: As water availability from the Ogallala Aquifer decreases, farmers will need to take advantage of unique genetic resources to maintain yields. Fructokinase, an enzyme key to sugar metabolism, may alter how plants convert sugars into other carbohydrates. Scientists from Texas Tech University, Tohoku University and Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center in an ARS led Ogallala Aquifer Program examined cotton lint fiber as affected by overexpressing professional fructokinase. Plants over expressing fructokinase had larger leaf area and enhanced lint yield. These results to plant breeders trying to create plants for water limited environments.

Technical 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 to 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.