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conference schedule and program with abstracts - Horticulture ...

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P-29<br />

NCED expression <strong>and</strong> ABA concentrations vary <strong>with</strong> genotype in response to water deficit.<br />

R. Ghan, D. Hopper*, G.R. Cramer<br />

Department of Biochemistry <strong>and</strong> Molecular Biology University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557<br />

USA<br />

*Corresponding author: hopperd2@gmai.com<br />

Grape production is one of the most important agricultural commodities in the USA <strong>and</strong> is<br />

threatened by global warming. This is particularly relevant in a semi-arid state such as Nevada<br />

<strong>with</strong> a rapidly growing population competing for scarce water resources. Abscisic acid (ABA), a<br />

plant stress hormone, regulates water use efficiency <strong>and</strong> drought resistance in plants. 9-cisepoxycarotenoid<br />

dioxygenase (NCED) is the rate-limiting step in ABA biosynthesis, through the<br />

cleavage of a C 40 precursor into C 15 <strong>and</strong> C 25 products. NCED expression <strong>and</strong> ABA<br />

concentrations were determined over the course of the day. A controlled water deficit assay was<br />

developed. Preliminary results indicated varying levels of NCED transcript abundance in<br />

response to controlled water deficit in different genotypes. A large screen of 200 different<br />

genotypes is in progress. Our hypothesis is that the response of NCED to water deficit will be<br />

correlated <strong>with</strong> water use efficiency <strong>and</strong> drought resistance; that is, a larger response of NCED in<br />

different genotypes will be associated <strong>with</strong> greater drought resistance <strong>and</strong> water use efficiency.<br />

Experiments are in progress to test this hypothesis. A summary of these results will be presented.<br />

105


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