Post-germination field rolling of cereals for increased lodging resistance, winter hardiness, drought tolerance and biotic-stress resistance

Perhaps surprisingly, plants are sensitive to mechanical stimulation caused by wind, water drops, and even to gentle touching by insects or neighbouring plants.

Mechanical stimuli can change the plant’s physical appearance and flowering time, a process called ‘thigmomorphogenesis’, which can easily be observed in plants growing in wind-exposed places.

There is also clear evidence that regular ‘touching’ may increase a plant’s resistance to pathogens and insects by stimulating its immune system.

Therefore, controlled application of mechanical stimulation of crop species at the right developmental stage(s) or environmental condition has the potential to improve agricultural productivity.This project aims to greatly increase our understanding of touch-related responses in agricultural cereal species, which will contribute to novel farming practices that increase yield in a cost-effective, sustainable and chemical-free way.

The project will also increase our molecular understanding of touch-responses in cereals, which can be used towards breeding more productive crops.

We propose four complementary approaches to understand the effects of mechanical stimulation on yield and resistance to highly-relevant threats including fungal infection, frost and drought, paving the way for agricultural application.This approach will target the sustainable development goals set by the UN for 2030 of ‘No Hunger’, ‘Sustainable production’ and ‘Combating climate change’.