technical paper
Image-based phenotyping protocol revealed the dynamic responses under combined abiotic stresses in potato plants
keywords:
combined abiotic stresses
image-based phenotyping
potato cultivars
phenomics
Plants are frequently exposed to multiple stresses under field conditions where the occurrence of severe heat waves, flooding, and drought events threaten crop productivity. Thus, investigating the underlying mechanism of plants under combined stresses to find traits of interest for climate-resilient crops is highly demanded. This study in the frame of ADAPT project aimed to investigate the dynamic morphological and physiological responses of potato plants to single and combined abiotic stresses by using an image-based high throughput phenotyping protocol. The applied approach elucidates how plants respond to drought, heat, and waterlogging stresses individually and in combination. Moreover, it enabled the identification of early and late responses. Different responses including plant biomass, photosynthetic efficiency, canopy temperature, and leaf reflectance indices were observed under single and combined stresses. Overall plants were severely affected primarily by waterlogging reflecting the detrimental effect of this stress on potato plants. The drastic reduction in the quantum yield and efficiency of photosystem II was observed with an increase in canopy temperature and water index due to stomatal closure under waterlogging followed by stress combining drought, heat, and waterlogging in combination. The negative impact of stress was reflected in the reduction of final yield. Reduction in the harvest index was observed in all stresses, however severe effect was detected under waterlogging and combined stresses. Here we show that applied phenotyping protocol based on using a combination of multiple imaging sensors is a valuable tool for revealing new insights into understanding plant mechanisms in coping with rapid climate change.