Innovative strategies in breeding climate resilient sunflower

Suncokret je najznačajnija uljarica u Srbiji i četvrta po važnosti u svetu. Oplemenjivanje suncokreta u Institutu za ratarstvo i povrtarstvo ima tradiciju dugu preko pet decenija. U toku ovog perioda glavni ciljevi oplemenjivanja su bili povećanje prinosa semena i ulja, kao i tolerantnosti na biotički stres. U današnje vreme, sa klimatskim promenama koje ugrožavaju proizvodnju suncokreta, povećanje tolerancije na abiotički stres postaje važan cilj u oplemenjivanju. Suša kao glavni abiotički stres izaziva odgovor biljaka na različitim nivoima: morfološkom, fiziološkom, biohemijskom i molekularnom. Na molekularnom nivou izaziva promene u ekspresiji gena, akumulaciju različitih metabolita i sintezu specifičnih proteina. Pošto je tolerantnost na sušu složena kvantitativna osobina, potrebno je korišćenje sveobuhvatnog pristupa za otkrivanje mehanizama koje suncokret razvija da bi se izborio sa stresom.Sunflower is the most important oil crop in Serbia and the fourth most important oil crop worldwide. There is a five decade-long tradition of sunflower breeding at the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops. Besides the main breeding objectives such as breeding for high seed and oil yield, enhancing biotic stress tolerance has been one of the priorities throughout the past. Nowadays with the climate change jeopardizing sunflower production, increasing abiotic stress tolerance is becoming an important breeding goal. Drought as a major abiotic stress induces plant response on different levels: morphological, physiological, biochemical and molecular. On molecular level it causes alteration in gene expression, accumulation of different metabolites and synthesis of specific proteins. As drought tolerance is such a complex quantitative trait, it requires exploiting a holistic approach for the detection of mechanisms sunflower develops to withstand it