By Jamie Martin
Plant scientists from the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, led by Dr. Ru Zhang, have secured new National Science Foundation funding to study how photosynthetic cells retain “heat stress memory” (HSM). This mechanism could be the key to helping crops survive more frequent and intense heat waves caused by climate change.
Photosynthesis drives plant growth but is easily disrupted by high temperatures that limit crop yields. The team aims to uncover how plants adapt to repeated heat exposure at the molecular and genetic level to maintain productivity.
“Plants often face the same stresses repeatedly, yet they have remarkable strategies for maintaining stress memory and recovering growth,” said Zhang. “By learning how photosynthetic cells ‘respond to and ‘remember’ heat at a molecular and genetic level, we can lay the foundation for future approaches to strengthen crop performance under high temperatures.”
Using cutting-edge tools like genome-scale and high-throughput analysis, the study will investigate heat memory regulation in both algal cultures and soil-grown plants under natural conditions. This research marks a major step forward from earlier short-term experiments.
Collaborators include Dr. Xuehua Zhong from Washington University and Dr. Jianlin Cheng from the University of Missouri. The initiative also promotes education and outreach, training young scientists and offering computational tools to the broader research community.
Through projects like this, the Danforth Center continues its mission to advance plant science and ensure global food security while tackling environmental challenges.
Photo Credit: istock-pkujiahe
Categories: National