Guest Speaker- Chase Mason
Affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Biology – UBC, Okanagan Campus
Host: Marco Todesco
Title: An evolutionary lens on crop physiology and improving plant-biotic interactions in sunflower
Abstract:
Domestication has often been reported to reduce crop plant genetic and phenotypic diversity in relation to wild progenitors. However, the process of crop improvement and cultivar divergence can generate substantial trait diversity among breeding pools and market classes. Here I document the degree of functional trait diversity present in the germplasm of cultivated sunflower (Helianthus annuus) in relation to crop-wild relatives (genus Helianthus), with a focus on chemical, morphological, and physiological traits that influence plant growth rate, pest and pathogen resistance, pollinator attraction, and symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Results highlight the impact of historical breeding practices on breeding pool divergence, and the relative importance of constraints on the simultaneous optimization of plant functions through targeted breeding. As the third-largest oilseed crop globally, optimization of plant-biotic interactions is a route to improved yields and more sustainable production under a changing climate.