Summary
This study employs machine learning-enabled phenotyping of leaf cell kinematics to characterise trade-offs between domestication and drought stress tolerance across six grass species. Domesticated plants exhibited longer leaves, larger division zones, and higher cell production rates than wild species. Whilst final drought-stressed leaf length showed no trade-off, a developmental trade-off emerged: wild species maintained elongation zone size better under drought, suggesting domesticated grasses compensate through extended elongation duration or elevated cell production rather than stress-protective developmental plasticity.
UK applicability
These findings are relevant to UK cereal breeding and climate adaptation strategies, particularly for wheat and barley resilience. The identification of compensatory mechanisms in domesticated grasses may inform breeding programmes seeking to enhance drought resilience without sacrificing yield potential in future climates.
Key measures
Leaf length, division zone size, cell production rates, elongation zone size, cell dimensions and positions (extracted via machine learning from microscope images), drought response in six grass species
Outcomes reported
The study quantified leaf elongation traits (cell dimensions, division zone size, cell production rates) in domesticated versus wild grass species under control and drought conditions using machine learning image analysis. Trade-offs in developmental response to drought were identified: domesticated species showed greater reductions in elongation zone size under drought stress compared with wild species, despite similar final leaf length outcomes.
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