Scientists identify protein and growth hormone that accelerate plant growth under sunlight and heat

Date:09-01-2022

Plants are known for using sunlight, along with water and carbon dioxide, to produce oxygen into the atmosphere and create energy in the form of sugar.

This process is called photosynthesis; it is by far the most important biological process that sustains life on Earth, and was responsible for the evolution of complex life forms from single-celled organisms billions of years ago.

Apart from this photosynthesis, there are other botanical processes and features that have surprised scientific community in the past.

For centuries, scientists have observed that plants increase their length and bend to ensure access to sunlight.

However, despite such observations, the community still does not fully understand the nature of such process.

Now, a new study led by researchers from the United States have discovered that the protein PIF7 and the growth hormone auxin are responsible for accelerating plant growth when covered by canopy and exposed to heat or warm temperatures at the same time.

The findings could reportedly help scientists develop means to make plants more resilient against climate change.

Furthermore, the discovery could help scientists and authorities in the agriculture industry to increase crop productivity and crop yield despite the growing threat of global warming.

This year alone, various research showed that the continuance of a warming planet could also indirectly affect plant growth, including crops.

Still, plants are known for surviving previous major climatic events, including the catastrophic ones.

Thermomorphogenesis in Shade

The new research was published in the journal Nature Communications on Monday, August 29, where researchers from the Salk Institute in San Diego, California, considered PIF7 as a master regulator of the said process scientifically known as "thermomorphogenesis in shade."

This confirmed that plant organ is highly responsive to its surrounding environment, especially from light and temperature. It also affirms the complex mechanisms possessed by "shade avoiding species," which elongates to outcompete nearby plants to secure their spot of being hit by sunlight.

Understanding the molecular basis of how plants respond to light and temperature will allow us to optimize crop density to make the best yields, as cited by Science Daily.

Excess Energy Rejection

In a separate yet related study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2018, researchers developed a new mechanism of understanding on how and why plants reject excess energy they absorb from sunlight to it does not cause damage to key proteins.

At the time of the institute's media release through MIT News in December 2018, it was projected that such insights could one day result to yields in biomass and crops.

The MIT researchers found the said process is called photoprotection, which works at the molecular level.

In particular, the process allowed plants to convert excess energy into heat and send it out again.

In some circumstances, the MIT team says plants can reject as high as 70% of all the solar energy that they had absorbed.