Gorka Erice

• PhD
• Managing Director at Atens

Climate change due to anthropogenic CO2 emissions affects plant performance globally. To improve crop resilience, we need to understand the effects of elevated CO2 concentration (e[CO2]) on CO2 assimilation and Rubisco biochemistry. However, the interactive effects of e[CO2] and abiotic stress are especially unclear. This study analyses the CO2 eff...

Purpose Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) may help plants to overcome abiotic stresses, in part by improving their water uptake capacity. However how different AMF isolated from different climatic regions regulate plant abiotic stress tolerance and water uptake capacity is barely studied. The aim of this study was to reveal how three AMF isolated...

The demand for high-quality strawberries continues to grow, emphasizing the need for innovative agricultural practices to enhance both yield and fruit quality. In this context, the utilization of natural products, such as biostimulants, has emerged as a promising avenue for improving strawberry production while aligning with sustainable and eco-fri...

In this study, a first experiment was conducted with the objective of determining how drought stress alters the radial water flow and physiology in the whole maize nested association mapping (NAM) population and to find out which contrasting maize lines should be tested in a second experiment for their responses to drought in combination with an ar...

Stomata are adjustable pores on leaf surfaces that regulate the trade-off of CO2 uptake with water vapor loss, thus having critical roles in controlling photosynthetic carbon gain and plant water use. The lack of easy, rapid methods for phenotyping epidermal cell traits have limited discoveries about the genetic basis of stomatal patterning. A high...

Low atmospheric relative humidity (RH) accompanied by elevated air temperature and decreased precipitation are environmental challenges that wheat production will face in future decades. These changes to the atmosphere are causing increases in air vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and low soil water availability during certain periods of the wheat-growi...

Microbial-based biostimulants can improve crop productivity by modulating cell metabolic pathways including hormonal balance. However, little is known about the microbial-mediated molecular changes causing yield increase. The present study elucidates the metabolomic modulation occurring in pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) leaves at the vegetative and re...

Stomata are adjustable pores on leaf surfaces that regulate the trade-off of CO 2 uptake with water vapor loss, thus having critical roles in controlling photosynthetic carbon gain and plant water use. The lack of easy, rapid methods for phenotyping epidermal cell traits have limited the use of quantitative, forward and reverse genetics to discover...

Microbial-based biostimulants can improve crop productivity by modulating cell metabolic pathways including hormonal bal-ance. However, little is known about the microbial-mediated molecular changes causing yield increase. The present studyelucidates the metabolomic modulation occurring in pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) leaves at the vegetative and re...

Boron (B) is an essential micronutrient for higher plants, having structural roles in primary cell walls, but also other functions in cell division, membrane integrity, pollen germination or metabolism. Both high and low B levels negatively impact crop performance. Thus, plants need to maintain B concentration in their tissues within a narrow range...

This study investigates the possible involvement of maize aquaporins which are regulated by arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) in the transport in planta of ammonium and/or urea under well-watered and drought stress conditions. The study also aims to better understand the implication of the AM symbiosis in the uptake of urea and ammonium and its effect on...

Drought stress is one of the most devastating abiotic stresses, compromising crop growth, reproductive success and yield. The arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis has been demonstrated to be beneficial in helping the plant to bear with water deficit. In plants, development and stress responses are largely regulated by a complex hormonal crosstalk....

In roots, water flows radially through three parallel pathways: apoplastic, symplastic and transcellular (the last two referred as the cell-to-cell), with a different contribution depending on the environmental conditions. Thus, during drought, the cell-to-cell pathway, which is largely regulated by aquaporins, dominates. While it is accepted that...

Studies have suggested that increased root hydraulic conductivity in mycorrhizal roots could be the result of increased cell‐to‐cell water flux via aquaporins. This study aimed to elucidate if the key effect of the regulation of maize aquaporins by the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis is the enhancement of root cell water transport capacity. T...

Wheat grain represents an important source of carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and minerals. Durum wheat is used mainly for the preparation of pasta, and in some Mediterranean areas is used for bread making. The atmospheric CO 2 concentration influences wheat growth, yield and quality. The present work focuses on kernel quality under conditions of e...

As for all living organisms, water is fundamental for plants, not only because water is the origin of life (Daniel et al. 2006), but because plants use water loss by transpiration as a mechanisms of heat dissipation and cooling of leaves (Curtis 1936; Pallas et al. 1967), and furthermore, water is essential to maintain plant cell turgor and favor p...

Climate change is leading to the intensification of drought effects worldwide, which considerably reduce crop production. A better understanding of the drought-tolerance mechanisms would lead into a more productive agriculture. The arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis has been shown to improve plant tolerance to drought. Salicylic acid (SA) is a p...

Exposure to elevated tropospheric ozone concentration ([O3]) accelerates leaf senescence in many C3 crops. However, the effects of elevated [O3] on C4 crops including maize (Zea mays L.) are poorly understood in terms of physiological mechanism and genetic variation in sensitivity. Using free air gas concentration enrichment, we investigated the ph...

The use of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) is a proven management strategy to improve plant growth. The aim was to reveal the genomic and proteomic basis of the plant tolerance to saline soil conditions. Combination of whole transcriptome analysis and proteomic profiling helped further the understanding of the complexity of salt toleran...

Exposure to elevated tropospheric ozone concentration ([O 3 ]) accelerates leaf senescence in many C 3 crops. However, the effects of elevated [O 3 ] on C 4 crops including maize ( Zea mays L.) are poorly understood in terms of physiological mechanism and genetic variation in sensitivity. Using Free Air gas Concentration Enrichment (FACE), we inves...

The arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis has been shown to improve maize tolerance to different drought stress scenarios by regulating a wide range of host plants aquaporins. The objective of this study was to highlight the differences in aquaporin regulation by comparing the effects of the AM symbiosis on root aquaporin gene expression and plant...

Pearson correlation coefficients between Lo and expression of the different maize aquaporin genes in a drought-sensitive and a drought-tolerant genotype.

Expression of ZmPIP1;2 (A), ZmPIP1;4 (B), ZmTIP1;2 (C), ZmNIP1;1 (D), ZmNIP2;2 (E), and ZmSIP2;1 (F) in two maize genotypes differing in drought tolerance and inoculated or not with an AM fungus. Data represents the means of three values ± SE. Different letter indicates significant differences between treatments (p < 0.05) based on Duncan’s test fo...

C sink/source balance and N assimilation have been identified as target processes conditioning crop responsiveness to elevated CO2 . However, little is known about phenology-driven modifications of C and N primary metabolism at elevated CO2 in cereals such as wheat. Here, we examined the differential effect of elevated CO2 at two development stages...

According to global climate model predictions, environmental conditions such as temperature are going to be altered. Plants will be facing hightemperature conditions that affect their development. Within this context, it is crucial to identify the target processes that infl uence N2 fixation and crop production under elevated temperature conditions...

Despite its relevance, few studies to date have analysed the role of harvest index (HI) in the responsiveness of wheat (Triticum spp.) to elevated CO2 concentration ([CO2]) under limited water availability. The goal of the present work was to characterise the role of HI in the physiological responsiveness of durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) expos...

Although responsiveness of N-2-fixing plants to elevated CO2 conditions have been analyzed in previous studies, important uncertainties remain in relation to the effect enhanced CO2 in nodule proteomic profile and its implication in leaf responsiveness. The aim of our study was to deepen our understanding of the relationship between leaf and nodule...

Medicago sativa L. (alfalfa) can exhibit photosynthetic down-regulation when grown in greenhouse conditions under elevated atmospheric CO2. This forage legume can establish a double symbiosis with nitrogen fixing bacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), which may increase the carbon sink effect of roots. Our aim was to assess whether the as...

The contribution of carbon and nitrogen reserves to regrowth following shoot removal has been studied in the past. However, important gaps remain in understanding the effect of shoot cutting on nodule performance and its relevance during regrowth. In this study, isotopic labelling was conducted at root and canopy levels with both 15 N2 and 13C-depl...

The expansion of the world’s population requires the development of high production agriculture. For this purpose, it is essential to identify target points conditioning crop responsiveness to predicted [CO2]. The aim of this study was to determine the relevance of ear sink strength in leaf protein and metabolomic profiles and its implications in p...

Elevated CO2 leads to a decrease in potential net photosynthesis in long-term experiments and thus to a reduction in potential growth. This process is known as photosynthetic down-regulation. There is no agreement on the definition of which parameters are the most sensitive for detecting CO2 acclimation. In order to investigate the most sensitive p...

The influence of mycorrhizal symbiosis, atmospheric CO2 concentration and the interaction between both factors on biomass production and partitioning were assessed in nodulated alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) associated or not with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and grown in greenhouse at either ambient (392 μmol mol−1) or elevated (700 μmol mol−1...

Drought is recognised as the major environmental factor that constrains productivity and stability of plants. Crop yield under future climatic conditions has increased the interest in “water stress physiology”. Plant development under limited water availability together with increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration is of primary interest to ensure...

The aim of the present study was to analyse the effect of elevated CO2 at different temperature, inoculation with three Sinorhizobium meliloti strains and growth in two seasons (summer and autumn) on plant growth, photosynthesis and N2 fixation (estimated as apparent nitrogenase activity, ANA). One of the objectives was to demonstrate that most eff...

The predicted worldwide increase in arid areas and water stress episodes will strongly affect crop production. Plants have developed a wide diversity of physiological mechanisms for drought tolerance. A decline in photosynthesis and thus yield production is a common response to drought, as are increases in the water use efficiency of photosynthesis...

Future climatic conditions, including rising atmospheric CO(2) and temperature may increase photosynthesis and, consequently, plant production. A larger knowledge of legume performance under the predicted growth conditions will be crucial for safeguarding crop management and extending the area under cultivation with these plants in the near future....

Increasing atmospheric CO2 results in enhanced photosynthesis in C3 plants like alfalfa. However, after long-term exposure, the photosynthetic rate decreases. This phenomenon, often described as down-regulation, is explained by most authors as the consequence of the disappearance of strong plant sinks leading to leaf carbohydrate accumulation and t...

Despite its relevance, protein regulation, metabolic adjustment, and the physiological status of plants under drought is not well understood in relation to the role of nitrogen fixation in nodules. In this study, nodulated alfalfa plants were exposed to drought conditions. The study determined the physiological, metabolic, and proteomic processes i...

Increasing atmospheric CO₂ concentrations are expected to enhance plant photosynthesis and yield. Nevertheless, after long-term exposure, plants acclimate and show a reduction in photosynthetic activity (called down-regulation), which may cause a reduction in potential yield. Some authors suggest that down-regulation is related to nutrient availabi...

The predicted worldwide increase of arid areas and water stress episodes will strongly affect crop production. Numerous plants have developed specific morphological and physiological mechanisms as a means to increase their tolerance to drought. Water stress modifies dry matter partitioning and morphological components such as leaf area ratio (LAR),...

In a previous study, we found that enhanced CO2 subjected to nodulated alfalfa plants grown at different temperatures (ambient and ambient + 4 °C) and water availability regimes could protect PSII from photodamage. The main objective of this study was to determine the mechanism(s) involved in the photoprotection of PSII at elevated CO2 levels in th...

The increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration resulting as a consequence of economic development generally leads to increased plant biomass production. However, little attention has been paid to the effects of combined factors, such as CO2, temperature or water availability, on plant regrowth after cutting or grazing, which represent the usual metho...

Atmospheric CO2 is a major contributor to the greenhouse effect and is one of the main inducers of climate change. Previous studies with nodulated alfalfa plants have shown that elevated CO2 increased the growth of plants grown under well-watered or limited water supply conditions. The beneficial effects of atmospheric CO2 enrichment included highe...

The rising atmospheric CO2 concentration resulting from industrial development may enhance photosynthesis and plant growth. However, there is a lack of research concerning the effect of combined factors such as CO2, temperature and water availability on plant regrowth following cutting or grazing, which represent the usual methods of managing forag...

Rising atmospheric CO2 may increase potential net leaf photosynthesis under short-term exposure, but this response decreases under long-term exposure because plants acclimate to elevated CO2 concentrations through a process known as downregulation. One of the main factors that may influence this phenomenon is the balance between sources and sinks i...

– The rising atmospheric CO 2 concentration resulting from industrial development may change photosynthesis and plant growth. However, there is a lack of information concerning the combined effect of factors such as CO 2 , temperature and water availability on plant regrowth following cutting or grazing, the usual managing methods of forage legumes...

Tropospheric ozone (O3) is an air pollutant that costs ~$14-26 billion in global crop losses and is projected to worsen in the future. Potential sites of O3 sensitivity in maize were tested by growing 200 inbred lines, including the nested association mapping population founder lines, under ambient (~40 ppb) and elevated O3 concentrations (100 ppb)...