Analyzing phenotypic plasticity for climate-adapted practices
Adapting agricultural systems to climate change involves implementing
changes in agronomic practices or cultivar selection to ensure
successful crop cultivation in altered environmental conditions (Sloat
et al., 2020). To achieve these changes,
it is important to understand the
gene × environment interaction and how it affects crop performance.
Equally important is translating this mechanistic understanding into
practical solutions for agronomic practices or cultivar selection
(Bailey-Serres et al., 2019). This study focuses on analyzing phenotypic
plasticity to identify environmental indices, genes and their modes of
action. We then used this information to predict ideal planting dates
for various environmental conditions and determine the optimal
haplotypes for future climates. In the case of B. napus , a key
trait is SOC. We identified three environmental indices
(DTR183–192, PR166–195 and
UVB144–186) and five responsive genes (MYB106 ,HAD , MIPS3 , DGD1 and PSD1 ) that influence
SOC. Using this information, we predicted the SOC for various planting
dates and validated these predictions in two new environments. By
considering the plasticity of allele combinations from the five
identified genes, we determined an optimal haplotype for each production
site, which demonstrates the ability to adapt to future climate
projections. The identification of production-limiting factors and the
development of strategies for agricultural adaptation to climate change
are essential for mitigating concerns regarding food security
(Mourtzinis et al., 2019).