Researchers at the UJI identify citrus genes that biotechnology could improve to cope with climate change



[Valencià](/upo/rest/publicacion/idioma/ca?urlRedirect=https://www.uji.es/com/investigacio/arxiu/noticies/2017/12/citrics-canvi-climatic/&url=/com/investigacio/arxiu/noticies/2017/12/citrics-canvi-climatic/&urlRedirect=http://www.uji.es/com/investigacio/arxiu/noticies/2017/12/citrics-canvi-climatic/ "Cambiar idioma a català")
[Español](/upo/rest/publicacion/idioma/es?urlRedirect=https://www.uji.es/com/investigacio/arxiu/noticies/2017/12/citrics-canvi-climatic/&url=/com/investigacio/arxiu/noticies/2017/12/citrics-canvi-climatic/&urlRedirect=http://www.uji.es/com/investigacio/arxiu/noticies/2017/12/citrics-canvi-climatic/ "Cambiar idioma a español")
[English](#0)

Mobile menu

* [Profile](#0)
  + [Future students](/perfils/futurs/)
  + [UJI students](/perfils/estudiantat/uji/)
  + [PDI-PI](/perfils/pdipas/base/pdi/)
  + [PTGAS](/perfils/pdipas/base/pas/)
  + [AlumniSAUJI](/serveis/alumnisauji/)
  + [Companies and institutions](/perfils/empresa/)
* [Tools](#0)
  + [Virtual Classroom](https://aulavirtual.uji.es/)
  + [CAU](https://cau.uji.es/)
  + [Directory](//www.uji.es/institucional/contacta/)
  + [Gmail](http://gmail.uji.es/)
  + [Intranet (IGLU)](//www.uji.es/upo/rest/iglu/)
  + [Virtual Office](/seu/)
  + [Academic information (SIA)](http://sia.uji.es/)
  + [Others](//www.uji.es/serveis/scp/eines/)
* [Valencià](/upo/rest/publicacion/idioma/ca?urlRedirect=https://www.uji.es/com/investigacio/arxiu/noticies/2017/12/citrics-canvi-climatic/&url=/com/investigacio/arxiu/noticies/2017/12/citrics-canvi-climatic/&urlRedirect=http://www.uji.es/com/investigacio/arxiu/noticies/2017/12/citrics-canvi-climatic/ "Cambiar idioma a català")
  [Español](/upo/rest/publicacion/idioma/es?urlRedirect=https://www.uji.es/com/investigacio/arxiu/noticies/2017/12/citrics-canvi-climatic/&url=/com/investigacio/arxiu/noticies/2017/12/citrics-canvi-climatic/&urlRedirect=http://www.uji.es/com/investigacio/arxiu/noticies/2017/12/citrics-canvi-climatic/ "Cambiar idioma a español")
  [English](#0)

[# Universitat Jaume I](/)

* [# Universitat Jaume I](/)
* [Profile](#0)
  + [Future students](/perfils/futurs/)
  + [UJI students](/perfils/estudiantat/uji/)
  + [PDI-PI](/perfils/pdipas/base/pdi/)
  + [PTGAS](/perfils/pdipas/base/pas/)
  + [AlumniSAUJI](/serveis/alumnisauji/)
  + [Companies and institutions](/perfils/empresa/)
* [Tools](#0)
  + [Virtual Classroom](https://aulavirtual.uji.es/)
  + [CAU](https://cau.uji.es/)
  + [Directory](//www.uji.es/institucional/contacta/)
  + [Gmail](http://gmail.uji.es/)
  + [Intranet (IGLU)](//www.uji.es/upo/rest/iglu/)
  + [Virtual Office](/seu/)
  + [Academic information (SIA)](http://sia.uji.es/)
  + [Others](//www.uji.es/serveis/scp/eines/)
* [Studies](/mapa/estudis/)
  + [Studies](/mapa/estudis/)
  + [Bachelor’s degrees](/estudis/)
  + [University master’s degrees](/estudis/?p_estudio=m)
  + [Doctoral studies](/estudis/oferta/doctorat/)
  + [Lifelong learning](/estudis/base/formacio-permanent/)
* [Research and innovation](/investigacio/)
  + [Research and innovation](/investigacio/)
  + [Research portal](/investigacio/)
  + [Innovation](/innovacio/)
  + [Doctoral studies](/centres/escola-doctorat/)
  + [HRS4R](/investigacio/hrs4r/)
* [International](/internacional/)
  + [International](/internacional/)
  + [International Students](/internacional/base/estudiantat/estudiantado-internacional/)
  + [Exchange Programmes](/serveis/ori/base/programes-intercanvi/)
  + [Study Abroad](/internacional/base/study-abroad/)
* [UJI](/mapa/uji/)
  + [UJI](/mapa/uji/)
  + [Get to know the UJI](/mapa/uji/coneix-uji/)
  + [Structure and organisation](/institucional/estructura/)
  + [Strategy and quality](/institucional/estrategia/)
  + [Transparency](/transparencia/)
  + [Public integrity](/transparencia/liniaetica/)
  + [News](/actualitat/)
  + [Contact the UJI](/institucional/contacta/)
* [University life](/mapa/vida-universitaria/)
  + [University life](/mapa/serveis/)
  + [Library](/serveis/cd/)
  + [Campus](/mapa/uji/coneix-uji/campus/)
  + [Culture](/cultura/)
  + [Sports](/esports/)
  + [InfoCampus](/serveis/infocampus/)

[UJI](/)
[News](/com/sumari/noticies/)

## Researchers at the UJI identify citrus genes that biotechnology could improve to cope with climate change The Biotechnology group studies plant hormones to achieve plants that are more tolerant to flood stress in crop soils

21/12/2017 |
SCP

Compartir

Compartir

×

Linkedin

BlueSky

Facebook

Mastodon

Whatsapp

Gmail

Imprimir

Photograph of the researchers citrics-canvi-climatic investigadors-citrics
Current slide

Photograph citrus flooded citrics-canvi-climatic Citrus\_flooding\_2

* [![Photograph of the researchers citrics-canvi-climatic investigadors-citrics](/com/investigacio/arxiu/noticies/2017/12/citrics-canvi-climatic/investigadors-citrics.jpg)](#)
* [![Photograph citrus flooded citrics-canvi-climatic Citrus_flooding_2](/com/investigacio/arxiu/noticies/2017/12/citrics-canvi-climatic/Citrus_flooding_2.JPG)](#)

A research carried out by the Department of Agricultural Sciences and the Natural Environment of the Universitat Jaume I has identified citrus genes that biotechnology could improve to cope with climate change. The work led by the lecturer Vicent Arbona advances in the knowledge of a pathway signalling a plant hormone that will produce citrus plants more tolerant to flood stress. The conclusions are published in the journal *Plant Molecular Biology*.

One of the negative environmental conditions that will worsen with the effects of global warming is the flooding of crop soils, due to torrential rains. For this reason, "we have studied at the laboratory a plant hormone, abscisic acid or ABA, which is key in the regulation of tolerance to adverse environmental conditions in plants, and we have observed that there are specific hormonal and molecular responses in stress by flooding of the substrate”, argues Arbona, a member of the Ecophysiology and Biotechnology research group.

The UJI researchers have identified genes associated with the signalling mediated by this hormone and have cloned them, that is, they have extracted and isolated them from the plants to be able to study them in more detail. "What is really relevant from the point of view of basic research is that, for the first time, the decrease in the levels of a plant hormone with respect to the control values ​​in response to environmental stress could constitute a physiologically significant response and data point in that direction", in Vicent Arbona’s opinion.

The response of this plant hormone, at the biochemical level, seems to be regulated and specific to this type of stress, in addition to being specific to the roots, which are in direct contact with the flooded land. On the other hand, at the molecular level, the researchers found that there is a specific response adjusted to the levels of hormone present in the tissue, in such a way that the plant could differentiate the type of stress to which it is subjected and, consequently, induce the physiological responses more suitable to combat it.

**ORANGE TREES MORE TOLERANT TO STRESS**  
The next step in this research, already under development, is to find out how molecular responses vary at the cellular level in roots of flooded plants in the absence of the hormone, which would allow to elaborate a response model where this hormonal signalling path would have a fundamental role. “It is remarkable - in Arbona’s words - that this work is being done with a woody crop, citrus, difficult to handle in the laboratory, but that has the advantage that the results can be easily extrapolated to real conditions”. In this sense, the basic knowledge of how this signalling route is organised and its key role in the tolerance of vegetables to the flooding of the substrate constitutes a first pillar for the biotechnological production of citrus fruits that are more tolerant to this stress.

The lecturer Vicent Arbona belongs to the Department of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Environment of the Universitat Jaume I and develops his research in the research group Ecophysiology and Biotechnology, directed by Professor Aurelio Gómez Cadenas. The main lines of research of this group include the responses and tolerance mechanisms of citrus and other crops to abiotic stresses, such as droughts, floods or salinity, and their hormonal control. In addition, they apply biotechnology techniques such as in vitro culture and determine the metabolic changes of plants in response to stress.

Arbona V, Zandalinas SI, Manzi M, González-Guzmán M, Rodriguez PL, Gómez-Cadenas A (2017) Depletion of abscisic acid levels in roots of flooded Carrizo citrange (Poncirus trifoliata L. Raf. × Citrus sinensis L. Osb.) plants is a stress-specific response associated to the differential expression of PYR/PYL/RCAR receptors. Plant Mol Biol 0:0. doi: 10.1007/s11103-017-0587-7

Information provided by:
[Communication and Publications Service](/serveis/scp/)

About us

[Home](/com/investigacio/cienciauji/)
[UCC+I](/serveis/scp/ucc/)

Research dissemination

[Ciència TV blog](/com/investigacio/arxiu/ciencia-uji-tv/)
[Ciència UJI newsletter](/com/investigacio/arxiu/ciencia-uji/)
[Horizon Europe newsletter](/com/investigacio/docs/butlleti-horizon-europe/)
[Comboi, a trip through science](/com/investigacio/docs/podcast-comboi-viatge-per-la-ciencia/)
[Scientific news](/com/investigacio/sumari/noticies/ )
[Easy reading news](/com/investigacio/docs/noticies-de-lectura-facil)
[News magazine. Research](/com/revista/tematica/investiga/)
[Radio](http://www.radio.uji.es/programa.php?id=46 )

Scientific divulgation

[Experimenta UJI](/com/investigacio/docs/experimenta-uji/)
[Innobar, con b de bar (Espaitec)](https://espaitec.uji.es/podcast-innobar-con-b-de-bar/)
[Magazine «Humanes i Socials»](https://humanesisocials.uji.es)
[H2020 Projects](/com/investigacio/docs/butlleti-h2020/)
[Projects and papers COVID-19](/com/investigacio/docs/estudis-articles-covid-19/)
[Research pitches](/com/investigacio/research-pitches/)
[The Conversation](/com/investigacio/docs/the-conversation/)
[UJI Divulga (Onda Cero)](/com/investigacio/docs/uji-divulga-onda-cero/)
[Scientific vocabulary](/com/investigacio/docs/vocabulari-cientific/)

Projects and studies

[Projects and studies](/serveis/scp/ucc/projectes/)

Resources of interest

[Divulgateca](http://www.divulgateca.es)

External networks

[CRUE](https://www.crue.org/)
[FECYT](https://www.fecyt.es/es/info/que-son)
[RUVID](https://ruvid.org/)



Useful links

[University card](http://www.carnet.uji.es/)

[Multimedia catalogue](http://jecom.uji.es/)

[University press](/serveis/scp/publ/)

[Web map](//www.uji.es/mapa/)

[Educational model](//www.uji.es/institucional/estrategia/modeleducatiu/)

[Language Observatory](/serveis/ol/)

[Open Knowledge Portal](/serveis/cd/bib/pco/)

[UJI shop](http://www.tenda.uji.es/)

[Security and privacy center](https://www.uji.es/organs/ouag/sg/docs/politiques/gen/)
|
[Website legal notice](https://www.uji.es/comu/avislegal/avislegalicondicions/)
|
[Accessibility policy](https://www.uji.es/serveis/ura/base/accessibilitat/)

Information and queries:
[UJI suggestion box](/comu/forms/bustia)

Universitat Jaume I CIF: Q-6250003-H Av. Vicent Sos Baynat, s/n 12071
Castellón de la Plana,
España

Tel.: +34 964 72 80 00