Research Projects

The drivers of climate change - rising temperature and water scarcity, have been negatively impacting rice production and productivity endangering food security worldwide. Surprisingly, the night time minimum (Tmin) temperatures has been increasing at 1.4 times the rate of daytime temperatures (Sadok & Schoppach, 2019) persisting throughout crop cycles and influencing large geographical areas, leading to adverse effects on crop growth & development, phenology and yield (Bheemanahalli et al., 2021). Nocturnal stomatal conductance (gsn) is a significant pathway for water loss, impacting plant metabolism, thermal regulation, and water-use efficiency, although its function remains unclear as photosynthesis does not occur at night. While traditionally assumed that stomata close at night, partial nocturnal opening is observed, suggesting possible active regulation rather than simple leakiness. Recent findings reveal that C3 and C4 plants can lose up to 30% of their daytime water through nocturnal stomatal transpiration with nocturnal stomatal conductance influenced by factors such as plant type, genetic diversity, leaf age, and environmental conditions. Although, a few experiments have been conducted which has linked stomatal anatomy to gsn, and stomatal density to nighttime transpiration, the scientific evidences that relate nocturnal stomatal conductance (gsn) to stomatal architecture are scarce and unsatisfactory. Moreover, there are no research data available which elucidates the impact of high night temperature (HNT) and drought stress on nocturnal stomatal conductance and stomatal architecture. Furthermore, the role of trait plasticity for stomatal architecture in the adaptation to HNT and drought stress is yet to be investigated. The present study will aid to unravel the relation of gsn to stomatal architecture in the presence and absence of HNT and drought. It is believed that HNT and drought stress modulate nocturnal stomatal conductance (gsn) through alterations in stomatal architecture and trait plasticity in rice. The role of trait plasticity for stomatal architecture in the adaptation to HNT and drought stress will be explored. Considering the fact that the simultaneous occurrence of drought and heat stress (often referred to as "companion stress") is very common in field conditions under rice cultivation, the diverse set of rice genotypes that will be investigated for the its resilience would accelerate the identification and characterization of potential donors and desirable traits for [HNT + drought] combination.