The Genetic Control of Stomatal Development in Barley: New Solutions for Enhanced Water-Use Efficiency in Drought-Prone Environments

Increased drought frequency due to climate change is limiting the agronomic performance of cereal crops globally, where cultivars often experience negative impacts on yield. Stomata are living interface responsible for >90% plant water loss through transpiration. Thus, stomata a prospective target improving tolerance by enhancing water-use efficiency (WUE) in economically important cereals. Reducing stomatal density molecular approaches has been shown improve WUE many species, including commercial cereals barley, rice, wheat and maize. Rice with reduced exhibit yields 27% higher than controls under conditions, reflecting amenability grasses modification. This review presents comprehensive overview development, specific emphasis genetic improvement grass lineage. Improved understanding regulation development grasses, provides significant promise adaptivity drought-prone environments whilst maximising yield potential. Rapid advances gene-editing ‘omics’ technologies may allow accelerated adaption future varieties restriction. be achieved combination genomic sequencing data CRISPR-Cas9-directed modification approaches.