Breeding for Drought Tolerance by Monitoring Chlorophyll Content
Mariela Inés Monteoliva, María Carla Guzzo, Gisella Anabel Posada
Abstract
Crop yields have increased substantially during the last 50 years, but the traits that drove these remarkable \nimprovements, such as plant architecture, have a little remaining potential for improvement. New traits such as \nphotosynthesis, as the ultimate determinant of yield, must be explored to support future demands. However, \nimproving photosynthetic efficiency has played only a minor role in improving crop yield to date. Chlorophylls \nare the pigments allowing light to be transformed into carbohydrates, and therefore help to maintain crop yield \nunder stress. Chlorophyll content correlates with higher yields in diverse conditions. In this review, we discuss using \nchlorophyll content as the basis of screens for drought tolerance. We review chlorophyll-related responses to drought \nin different plants and summarize the advantages and disadvantages of current methods to measure chlorophyll \ncontent, with the ultimate goal of improving the efficiency of crop breeding for drought tolerance.