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New plant enzyme research could save ag industry millions annually
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Researchers from The University of Western Australia have discovered that plant enzyme ATP Synthase affects how plants respond to the cold. This discovery could help farmers protect their crops from significant weather events by producing frost-resistant crops.
Published in The New Phytologist , these findings emerge in the aftermath of record low temperatures in the WA Wheatbelt this year, which wiped out a million tonnes of wheat. As such, researchers say these findings could save the agricultural industry millions of dollars every year.
Dr Nicholas Taylor from UWA’s School of Molecular Sciences and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology (PEB) said that as the climate changes, it is becoming increasingly important to understand how plants respond to temperature.
“In our study, we observed plants in near-freezing conditions and saw there was a decrease in the production of ATP, a plant cell’s main energy currency, which led to reduced growth,” Dr Taylor said. “Based on a number of international studies it was previously thought that other components of energy production were more sensitive than this enzyme, however we were surprised to identify ATP Synthase as the culprit.”
Dr Sandra Kerbler, from UWA and the ARC Centre of Excellence in PEB said that understanding the temperature-sensitive nature of ATP Synthase will benefit the agricultural industry and help to produce frost-resistant crops by informing the science behind them.
“The research has changed previous thoughts of how plants cope with temperature stress and has highlighted new angles for investigation,” Dr Kerbler said. “A better understanding of how a plant’s energy production is altered in response to changing temperatures could inform how we breed plants that are more adaptive to climate change.”
By: Carla Wong
NEWS
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Australia’s climate is tougher than ever. Heat spikes, dry periods, salinity, waterlogging and sudden frost events are becoming an everyday part of farmers lives.
Trace minerals are required for optimal growth, reproduction, and immunity. Optimising trace mineral status relying solely on oral supplements across a herd may fail because of variation in individual intake and reduced absorption due to antagonism of other ration components and minerals. The use of injectable trace mineral supplements has been associated with positive reproductive outcomes including improved conception rate, increased odds of pregnancy and greater final in calf rate. A study conducted on 2,168 dairy cows, administered injectable trace minerals, four weeks prior to calving and again four weeks prior to the start of mating showed treated animals had a 3.3 per cent greater final in-calf rate, and a reduced time from start of mating to conception, compared to control animals 1 . The Importance of B12 Dr Carl Eden, Technical Services Veterinarian with Boehringer Ingelheim says “Vitamin B12 is sometimes referred to as a ‘super vitamin’ because it is only required in very small amounts but vital to many essential metabolic pathways. However, demand for B12 can vary considerably during the year and we see serum levels of B12 fall at critical times, such as the first few months after calving.” Vitamin B12 contains cobalt, so deficiency in cobalt can lead to deficiency in vitamin B12 because ruminants get most of their B12 as a byproduct of ruminal fermentation where the bacteria in their rumen assemble B12 from cobalt for use by the cow. Sub-optimal trace mineral and vitamin B12 status at calving, mating, and drying off has been shown to negatively impact growth, reproduction, and immunity. Using a trace mineral injectable containing vitamin B12 can improve trace mineral and vitamin B12 status at these critical times. Marks-Min with Vitamin B12 – The Evidence In the largest trace element study to date, Marks-Min Injectable Trace Mineral with Vitamin B12 demonstrated remarkable results when compared to a reference trace mineral injection. “Given the differences between Marks-Min and other products on the market, we wanted to generate a compelling data set to demonstrate how effective it was compared to the pioneer product. We entrusted this work to a third-party research company” says Dr Eden. “We chose farms that were at the top of their game from a reproductive perspective. We made sure that the farms had no evidence of trace element or vitamin B12 deficiencies or excess.” Across all outcomes of interest, Marks-Min demonstrated clear non-inferiority when compared to the reference product. Outcomes measured included submission, pregnancy and conception rates, and six week in-calf rate. Marks-Min demonstrated it is highly suited as an alternative treatment to the reference product. Reference: 1. Hawkins, D., and B. V. S. Franklin. New Zealand Dairy Veterinarians Newsletter 24 (2007): 12-16 Company website: livestockfirst.com.au Company email address: CustomerCare.Australia@boehringer-ingelheim.com Company video: https://vimeo.com/1138807630?fl=pl&fe=cm
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