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To study growth-defense trade-offs in the context of metabolism in crops, scientists from the Universities of Potsdam and Erlangen, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Â鶹ÒùÔºiology, and the National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, have generated the genome-scale metabolic model potato-GEM. The first large-scale metabolic reconstruction of its kind presents a useful resource to breed plant varieties with improved stress tolerance and high yields in the future.

With a rising global population, the demand for food is growing, too. Changing environmental conditions lead to annual losses amounting to billions of euros per crop. To ensure food supply for people, crops must be made fit for the future in terms of yield and quality.

The potato is one of the most important crops worldwide. Viral infections and herbivore infestations, including the Colorado potato beetle, can lead to yearly losses of up to 80% of crop yield. Plants attacked by these biotic stressors slow down their growth to preserve molecular resources, including production of signaling as well as defense compounds. Conversely, rapid plant growth is often accompanied by increased susceptibility to pests and pathogens, as growth is prioritized over defense.

The team investigated this growth-defense trade-off using modeling approaches based on genome-scale metabolic models (GEM) of potatoes. Their findings have been in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"The large-scale metabolic reconstruction potato-GEM captures the full known secondary metabolism in this major crop species," reports Zoran Nikoloski, Professor for Bioinformatics at the University of Potsdam and group leader at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Â鶹ÒùÔºiology. The mathematical model enables extensive analysis of the interplay between growth and defense processes and is an excellent platform for further development and application.

"Understanding the molecular mechanisms behind plant response to stress can enhance breeding strategies and help us design crop varieties with improved stress tolerance, yield and quality."