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Title: Etopic expression of "Arabidopsis" H(+)-pyrophosphatase AVP1 enhances drought resistance in bottle gourd

Author
item PARK, MEHEA - National Institute Of Horticultural & Herbal Science (NIHHS)
item HAN, JEUNGSUL - Kyungpook National University
item AHN, YEULKYUN - National Institute Of Horticultural & Herbal Science (NIHHS)
item KIM, JEONGHO - National Institute Of Horticultural & Herbal Science (NIHHS)
item LEE, HYEEUN - National Institute Of Horticultural & Herbal Science (NIHHS)
item JANG, YOONAH - National Institute Of Horticultural & Herbal Science (NIHHS)
item GAXIOLA, ROBERTO - Arizona State University
item HIRSCHI, KENDAL - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item PARK, SUNGHUN - Kansas State University

Submitted to: Plant Cell Tissue and Organ Culture
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/9/2014
Publication Date: 4/23/2014
Citation: Park, M., Han, J., Ahn, Y., Kim, J., Lee, H., Jang, Y., Gaxiola, R., Hirschi, K.D., Park, S. 2014. Etopic expression of "Arabidopsis" H(+)-pyrophosphatase AVP1 enhances drought resistance in bottle gourd. Plant Cell Tissue And Organ Culture. 118(3):383-389.

Interpretive Summary: Agriculture is the primary use of water in the world, accounting for at least 70% of fresh water withdrawal. Water allocation, usage and quality are changing as increased demand from agricultural and urban users strain the world's fresh water supply. Here we have developed a technology to enhance drought resistance in gourd plants. We have developed a novel technology to enhance the allocation of nutrients during drought stress so that plant yield is not negatively impacted by a lack of water. This approach is equivalent to providing an energy reservoir for the plant to mine during water loss. This energy reserve means that plants can grow without as much water. In the future, this strategy can be used in various crop plants to minimize water use for agricultural production. This approach is important and can be used to produce robust crop plants while saving our world's fresh water supply.

Technical Abstract: Bottle gourd ("Lagenaria siceraria" Standl.) has been used as a source of rootstock for grafting watermelon to improve its fruit quality. We report here the development of a bottle gourd with resistance to drought by ectopic expression of the "Arabidopsis AVP1" gene that encodes a vacuolar H(+)-pyrophosphatase. The drought resistance of "AVP1"-expressing and wild-type plants was assessed by growing plants under drought conditions. After 12 days of water deprivation, both "AVP1"-expressing and wild-type plants demonstrated reduced growth. After 10 days of re-watering, wild-type plants showed minimal growth while the "AVP1"-expressing plants resumed rapid growth. Further, "AVP1"-expressing plants displayed longer primary roots and more robust root systems than wild-type plants.