Polyamines and drought tolerance: Cross-talk of polyamine and calcium signalling in stress tolerance of barley

Drought is a major limitation for crop yield, and drought-tolerant crop cultivars are a world-wide requirement. Polyamines were shown to improve tolerance and recovery from drought, and recent results place spermine at a prime position for this effect. This project aims at investigating spermine formation and action in the crop Hordeum vulgare, distinguishing spermine from the positional isomer thermospermine. To clarify mechanism(s) of spermine action, effects of genetic and pharmacological alteration of spermine levels on various drought and salt stress parameters will be determined in whole plant, cell culture and epidermal strip assays.