Leveraging phenotypic plasticity in seed oil content for climate-adapted
breeding and production
Abstract
Phenotypic plasticity is the ability of organisms to respond to
environmental changes. Understanding and leveraging crop phenotypic
plasticity is crucial for mitigating the threats caused by climate
change. Here, we assessed phenotypic plasticity in multi-environment
trials over 4 years, covering a wide geographical area, using 505 inbred
lines from a Brassica napus genetic diversity panel. The observed
phenotypic variation for seed oil content (SOC) was influenced by three
environmental indices, i.e., precipitation, diurnal temperature range,
and ultraviolet B during the flowering or pod-filling stage, alongside
five plasticity genes. Leveraging this information with climate records,
we developed a predictive model to estimate SOC for various planting
dates in seven major production regions, and validated the accuracy of
our predictions in new environments. With the quantified plasticity
conferred by genetic variation in the five plasticity genes, we
identified an optimal haplotype for each production region for
adaptability to future climate projections. This study offers valuable
insights and selection of materials to mitigate the adverse effects of
climate change on agriculture.