What is it about?
During salt exposure key metabolic enzymes required for the production of cellular energy in plants are inhibited. This inhibition is overcome by the GABA shunt which provides an alternative carbon source for mitochondria that bypasses specific salt-sensitive enzymes to facilitate the growth of wheat leaves.
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Why is it important?
It has been estimated that 69% of the Australian cereal belt is susceptible to developing salinity each year. In 2000, 5.7 million ha in Australia were classified at risk from salinity; this number is predicted to triple by 2050. The biggest impact is felt in Western Australia, with 7,000 farms and 1.2m ha affected; the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development estimates agricultural losses due to salinity to have a cost ~$350m per annum from 2003–2009, and over $500m per annum from 2009–2014, with dryland salinity threatening up to 4.5m ha in WA alone.
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Wheat mitochondrial respiration shifts from the TCA cycle to the GABA shunt under salt stress, New Phytologist, January 2019, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1111/nph.15713.
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