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**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THE DECREASE IN GLOBAL FRESHWATER SUPPLY IS OF GROWING CONCERN FOR CROP PRODUCTION. IRRIGATION OF FARMLAND WITH POOR QUALITY WATER CAN LEAD TO BUILD-UP OF IONS, ESPECIALLY SALT, IN THE SOIL, FURTHER REDUCING CROP PRODUCTIVITY. AS A RESULT, DROUGHT AND SOIL SALINIZATION FREQUENTLY OCCUR TOGETHER IN THE FIELD.ALTHOUGH A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF RESEARCH HAS BEEN DONE ON PLANT SALT AND DROUGHT TOLERANCE SEPARATELY, MUCH LESS RESEARCH EXISTS ON THE EFFECT OF COMBINED SALT AND DROUGHT STRESS ON CROPS. WORK ON TREE CROPS IS ESPECIALLY AN AREA OF CONCERN, DUE TO THE LENGTH OF TIME IT REQUIRES TO STUDY ADAPTATION RESPONSES IN THESE LONG-LIVED SPECIES. HOWEVER, DUE TO THEIR LONG LIVES, TREE CROPS MAY USE DIFFERENT METHODS OF HANDLING DROUGHT AND SALT STRESS THAN ANNUAL CROPS. THEREFORE, IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN CROP PRODUCTIVITY FOR MANY FRUIT AND NUT CROPS AS THE FRESHWATER SUPPLY DWINDLES, IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT WE UNDERSTAND HOW THE COMBINATION OF DROUGHT AND SALT STRESS AFFECTS TREE CROPS, AND WHATKIND OF TRAITS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH BETTER TREE HEALTH UNDER STRESSED CONDITIONS.PISTACHIO IS A TREE CROP KNOWN TO HAVE RELATIVELY HIGH SALT AND DROUGHT TOLERANCE. LIKE MANY TREE CROPS, IT IS GROWN AS A SCION, WHICH PRODUCES THE FRUIT WITH THE IDEAL TRAITS, THAT IS GRAFTED ON TOP OF A ROOTSTOCK, WHICH SUPPORTS THE SCION AND CONTROLS MANY ASPECTS OF THE PLANT'S STRESS TOLERANCE. IN THIS PROJECT, POPULAR ROOTSTOCKS USED BY THE US PISTACHIO GROWERS WILL BE GROWN UNDER DIFFERENT SEVERITY AND COMBINATIONS OF DROUGHT AND SALINITY STRESS. THE ROOTSTOCKS WILL BE SCORED FOR THEIR HEALTH AND STRESS TOLERANCE UNDER EACH CONDITION TO IDENTIFY THOSE BEST SUITED FOR EACH CONDITION. IN ADDITION, GENE EXPRESSION ANALYSIS ON THE TREATED PLANTS WILL IDENTIFY THE GENES THAT ARE MOST PREDICTIVE FOR STRESS TOLERANCE. THIS INFORMATION WILL THEN BE USED TO DEVELOP GENETIC MARKERS TO GUIDE THE DEVELOPMENT OF FUTURE CULTIVARS WITH IMPROVED STRESS TOLERANCE UNDER EACH CONDITION.ULTIMATELY, THE GOALS OF THISPROJECT ARE TO: 1) IDENTIFY TOLERANT ROOTSTOCKS THAT ARE THE MOST SUITED FOR DIFFERENT STRESS CONDITIONS, THEREFORE IMPROVING OVERALL CROP HEALTH UNDER CLIMATE CHANGED CONDITIONS AND 2) UNDERSTAND THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS INVOLVED IN SALINITY AND DROUGHT TOLERANCE AND USE THIS INFORMATION TO DEVELOP TOOLS FOR CREATING CULTIVARS THAT CAN MAINTAIN CROP PRODUCTIVITY UNDER STRESS CONDITIONS.

$119,273FY2023National Institute of Food and AgricultureUSDA

University Of California, Davis

Investigators

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**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THE DECREASE IN GLOBAL FRESHWATER SUPPLY IS OF GROWING CONCERN FOR CROP PRODUCTION. IRRIGATION OF FARMLAND WITH POOR QUALITY WATER CAN LEAD TO BUILD-UP OF IONS, ESPECIALLY SALT, IN THE SOIL, FURTHER REDUCING CROP PRODUCTIVITY. AS A RESULT, DROUGHT AND SOIL SALINIZATION FREQUENTLY OCCUR TOGETHER IN THE FIELD.ALTHOUGH A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF RESEARCH HAS BEEN DONE ON PLANT SALT AND DROUGHT TOLERANCE SEPARATELY, MUCH LESS RESEARCH EXISTS ON THE EFFECT OF COMBINED SALT AND DROUGHT STRESS ON CROPS. WORK ON TREE CROPS IS ESPECIALLY AN AREA OF CONCERN, DUE TO THE LENGTH OF TIME IT REQUIRES TO STUDY ADAPTATION RESPONSES IN THESE LONG-LIVED SPECIES. HOWEVER, DUE TO THEIR LONG LIVES, TREE CROPS MAY USE DIFFERENT METHODS OF HANDLING DROUGHT AND SALT STRESS THAN ANNUAL CROPS. THEREFORE, IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN CROP PRODUCTIVITY FOR MANY FRUIT AND NUT CROPS AS THE FRESHWATER SUPPLY DWINDLES, IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT WE UNDERSTAND HOW THE COMBINATION OF DROUGHT AND SALT STRESS AFFECTS TREE CROPS, AND WHATKIND OF TRAITS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH BETTER TREE HEALTH UNDER STRESSED CONDITIONS.PISTACHIO IS A TREE CROP KNOWN TO HAVE RELATIVELY HIGH SALT AND DROUGHT TOLERANCE. LIKE MANY TREE CROPS, IT IS GROWN AS A SCION, WHICH PRODUCES THE FRUIT WITH THE IDEAL TRAITS, THAT IS GRAFTED ON TOP OF A ROOTSTOCK, WHICH SUPPORTS THE SCION AND CONTROLS MANY ASPECTS OF THE PLANT'S STRESS TOLERANCE. IN THIS PROJECT, POPULAR ROOTSTOCKS USED BY THE US PISTACHIO GROWERS WILL BE GROWN UNDER DIFFERENT SEVERITY AND COMBINATIONS OF DROUGHT AND SALINITY STRESS. THE ROOTSTOCKS WILL BE SCORED FOR THEIR HEALTH AND STRESS TOLERANCE UNDER EACH CONDITION TO IDENTIFY THOSE BEST SUITED FOR EACH CONDITION. IN ADDITION, GENE EXPRESSION ANALYSIS ON THE TREATED PLANTS WILL IDENTIFY THE GENES THAT ARE MOST PREDICTIVE FOR STRESS TOLERANCE. THIS INFORMATION WILL THEN BE USED TO DEVELOP GENETIC MARKERS TO GUIDE THE DEVELOPMENT OF FUTURE CULTIVARS WITH IMPROVED STRESS TOLERANCE UNDER EACH CONDITION.ULTIMATELY, THE GOALS OF THISPROJECT ARE TO: 1) IDENTIFY TOLERANT ROOTSTOCKS THAT ARE THE MOST SUITED FOR DIFFERENT STRESS CONDITIONS, THEREFORE IMPROVING OVERALL CROP HEALTH UNDER CLIMATE CHANGED CONDITIONS AND 2) UNDERSTAND THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS INVOLVED IN SALINITY AND DROUGHT TOLERANCE AND USE THIS INFORMATION TO DEVELOP TOOLS FOR CREATING CULTIVARS THAT CAN MAINTAIN CROP PRODUCTIVITY UNDER STRESS CONDITIONS. · GrantIndex