Resurrection plants
Angiosperms that exhibit vegetative desiccation tolerance, and why they matter for crops.
About the project
Goal and objectives
RESIST — “Resurrection plants reveal secrets of vegetative desiccation tolerance” — received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (Grant Agreement No 823746).
Main goal
The major goal of RESIST is to unravel the genetic determinants of desiccation tolerance in resurrection plants and to identify similarities and differences with model and crop species. The newly acquired fundamental knowledge on resurrection plants will be translated to economically important species.
Secondary objective
A secondary objective will be to explore the possibility of integrating seaweed based stress mitigation technology to improve crop tolerance to drought.
Scientific objectives
Seven scientific objectives
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Objective 1: Resurrection plant genomes
Sequencing, assembly, annotation and analysis of the genomes of the resurrection species Haberlea rhodopensis and Xerophyta elegans;
GenomicsH. rhodopensisX. elegans -
Objective 2: Comparative genomics
Comprehensive genome comparison of publicly available genomes of extremophile species (including the abovementioned resurrection plants) and mesophiles;
Comparative genomicsExtremophilesMesophiles -
Objective 3: Transcriptome, metabolome & lipidome
Comparative transcriptome, metabolome and lipidome analyses of Haberlea rhodopensis and Xerophyta elegans during desiccation and other extreme stress conditions;
TranscriptomicsMetabolomicsLipidomics -
Objective 4: Drought responses in model & crop species
Detailed evaluation of the physiological and molecular drought stress responses in model and crop species and juxtaposition to those in resurrection plants;
Plant physiologyModel & crop species -
Objective 5: Functional analysis of genes
Functional analysis of drought-responsive genes from the desiccation resistant Haberlea rhodopensis and Xerophyta sp.;
Functional analysisDrought-responsive genes -
Objective 6: Bioinformatics & computational modelling
Bioinformatics and computational modelling of desiccation tolerance in angiosperm resurrection species;
BioinformaticsComputational modelling -
Objective 7: Seaweed-based biostimulants
Assessment the potential of seaweed–based biostimulants to enhance yield, quality and post-harvest shelf life of stressed and unstressed crops and optimization of the treatment regimes.
BiostimulantsYield & quality
Networking objective
Exchange of knowledge and technologies
Extensive exchange of knowledge and technologies related to resurrection plant research, genome analysis, comparative genomics, and bioinformatics between the European and South African partners, as well as between the academic institutions and the industrial representative BioAtlantis.
CPSBB (Bulgaria) · MPG (Germany) · UP (Germany) · BGU (Israel) · BioAtlantis (Ireland) · UCT (South Africa)
Background
Haberlea rhodopensis
The “Orpheus flower”, endemic to the Balkan Peninsula.
Xerophyta
A genus of monocot resurrection plants; X. humilis and X. elegans are the focus of RESIST.