Plant Ecophysiology and Metabolism Lab

	Rubén Vicente
	Principal Investigator
	ruben.vicente@itqb.unl.pt
	Plant Ecophysiology and Metabolism Lab

Current members
Omar Vergara Díaz	Post-Doc Researcher
Ander Yoldi Achalandabaso	Post-Doc Researcher
Artūrs Katamadze	PhD Student
João Reis	PhD Student

Collaborators
Rosa Morcuende	Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology, IRNASA-CSIC
José Luis Araus	University of Barcelona
Shawn C. Kefauver	University of Barcelona
Benvindo Maçãs	INIAV-Elvas
John Lunn	Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, MPIMP
Nieves Aparicio	Instituto Tecnológico Agrario de Castilla y León, ITACyL
Usue Pérez López	University of Basque Country

Current Projects
2023 - 2027 \| Pan-European Network of Green Deal Agriculture and Forestry Earth Observation Science; PANGEOS; CA22136. Project Coordinator: Kefauver SC (University of Barcelona)
2023-2027 \| Tools and methods for extended plant PHENotyping and EnviroTyping services of European Research Infrastructures, PHENET. Funding agency: European Commission, Horizon Europe Framework Programme (HORIZON), Next generation of scientific instrumentation, tools and methods (2022) (HORIZON-INFRA-2022-TECH-01). Participants: 20 European partners and 3 associated institutions.
2023 - 2025 \| Research Network in Resilient and Quality Cereals for Spanish Food Security; RED2022-134922-T; Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. Project Coordinator: Igartua Arregui E (EEAD-CSIC)
2022-2027 \| Integrated SERvices supporting a sustainable AGROecological transition, AgroServ. Funding agency: European Commission, Horizon Europe Framework Programme (HORIZON), Research infrastructure services to support health research, accelerate the green and digital transformation, and advance frontier knowledge (2021) (HORIZON-INFRA-2021-SERV-01). Participants: 73 European Institutions.
2020-2024 \| Variability in wheat species response to water deficit under elevated CO2 and temperature: impact on primary, secondary and antioxidant metabolism and grain quality (WHEATERMET). Funding Agency: Spanish National Plan R+D+i of the Ministry of Science and Innovation. Main institution: Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology of Salamanca (IRNASA-CSIC).

Past Projects
2021-2023 \| Effect of nitrogen availability in grain yield and bioactive compound composition in durum wheat varieties grown under elevated CO2 and high temperatures. Funding Agency: Junta de Castilla y León, Spain. Main institution: Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology of Salamanca (IRNASA-CSIC).
2020-2023 \| Multiscale wheat phenotyping: from ideotype to regional adaptation. Yield and stability (WheatPhenoScale). Funding Agency: Spanish National Plan R+D+i of the Ministry of Science and Innovation. Main institution: University of Barcelona (UB).
2018-2019 \| Optimization of an enzyme activity assay platform to investigate genetic variation in wheat performance at the high temperature and CO2 concentration foreseen with climate change and its dependence on nitrogen availability (OPTENZWHEAT). Funding Agency: European Plant Phenotyping Network EPPN2020. Participants: Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology of Salamanca (IRNASA-CSIC) and Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology (MPIMP)
2017-2019 \| Phenotyping in durum wheat: physiological basis, selection criteria and evaluation platforms (FENOTRIGO). Funding Agency: Spanish National Plan R+D+i of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. Main institution: University of Barcelona (UB).
2014-2016 \| Advance and high throughput precision phenotyping in durum wheat: physiological basis and tools for selection (FENOMED). Funding Agency: Spanish National Plan R+D+i of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. Main institution: University of Barcelona (UB).
2010-2013 \| Integration of gene expression with metabolism and photosynthesis for assessing the impacts on durum wheat of the increases in CO2 and temperature foreseen with climate change. Funding Agency: Spanish National Plan R+D+i of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. Main institution: Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology of Salamanca (IRNASA-CSIC).

Main Publications
2023
KATAMADZE A, Vergara-Díaz O, Uberegui E, Yoldi-Achalandabaso A, Araus JL, Vicente R (2023) Evolution of wheat architecture, physiology, and metabolism during domestication and further cultivation: lessons for crop improvement. The Crop Journal, 11(4):1080-1096. doi: 10.1016/j.cj.2023.06.006
KERBLER SM, Armijos-Jaramillo V, Lunn JE, Vicente R* (2023) The trehalose 6-phosphate phosphatase family in plants. Physiologia Plantarum, 175(6): e14096. doi: 10.1111/ppl.14096
MARTÍNEZ-PEÑA R, Rezzouk FZ, Díez-Fraile MC, Nieto-Taladriz MT, Araus JL, Aparicio N, Vicente R (2023) Genotype-by-environment interaction for grain yield and quality traits in durum wheat: identification of ideotypes adapted to the Spanish region of Castile and León. European Journal of Agronomy, 151:126951. doi: 10.1016/j.eja.2023.126951
MARTÍNEZ-PEÑA R, Vergara-Díaz O, Schlereth A, Höhne M, Morcuende R, Nieto-Taladriz MT, Araus JL, Aparicio N, Vicente R (2023) Analysis of durum wheat photosynthetic organs during grain filling reveals the ear as a water stress-tolerant organ and the peduncle as the largest pool of primary metabolites. Planta, 257:81. doi: 10.1007/s00425-023-04115-1
2022
WISZNIEWSKI A, Uberegui E, Messer M, Sultanova G, Borghi M, Turqueto Duarte G, Vicente R, Sageman-Furnas K, Fernie AR, Nikoloski Z, Laitinen RAE (2022) Temperature-mediated flower size plasticity in Arabidopsis. iScience in press. DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105411
VICENTE R, Annunziata MG, Santelia D (2022) Editorial: Insights and regulation of plant carbon metabolism. Frontiers in Plant Science 13, 1011224. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1011224
MARTÍNEZ-PEÑA R, Schlereth A, Höhne M, Encke B, Morcuende R, Nieto-Taladriz MT, Araus JL, Aparicio N, Vicente R (2022) Source-sink dynamics in field-grown durum wheat under contrasting nitrogen supplies: key role of non-foliar organs during grain filling. Frontiers in Plant Science 13, 869680. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.869680
2021
PEIXOTO B, Moraes TA, Mengin V, Margalha L, Vicente R, Feil R, Höhne M, Sousa AG, Lilue J, Stitt M, Lunn JE (2021) Impact of the SnRK1 protein kinase on sucrose homeostasis and the transcriptome during the diel cycle. Plant physiology, 187(3), pp.1357-1373. DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiab350
ARAUS JL, Sanchez-Bragado R, Vicente R (2021) Improving crop yield and resilience through optimization of photosynthesis: panacea or pipe dream?. Journal of Experimental Botany, 72(11), pp.3936-3955. DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erab097
MORENO JC, Rojas B, Vicente R, Gorka M, Matz T, Chodasiewicz M, Peralta-Ariza JS, Zhang Y, Alseekh S, Childs D, Luzarowski M, Nikoloski Z, Zarivach R, Walther D, Hartman MD, Figueroa CM, Iglesias AA, Fernie AR, Skirycz A (2021) Tyr-Asp inhibition of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase affects plant redox metabolism. EMBO Journal 40, e106800. DOI: 10.15252/embj.2020106800
LUZAROWSKY M, Vicente R, Kiselev A, Wagner M, Schlossarek D, Erban A, Perez de Souza L, Childs D, Wojciechowska I, Luzarowska U, Górka M, Sokołowska EM, Kosmacz M, Moreno JC, Brzezińska A, Vegesna B, Kopka J, Fernie A, Willmitzer L, Ewald J, Skirycz A (2021) Global mapping of protein–metabolite interactions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae reveals that Ser-Leu dipeptide regulates phosphoglycerate kinase activity. Communications Biology 4, 181. DOI: 1038/s42003-021-01684-3
Other Selected Publications
SÁNCHEZ-BRAGADO R, Vicente R, Molero G, Serret MD, Maydup ML, Araus JL (2020) New avenues for increasing yield and stability in C3 cereals: exploring the ear photosynthesis. Current Opinion in Plant Biology 56: 223-234. DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2020.01.001
ESTÉVEZ-GEFFRIAUD V, Vicente R, Vergara-Díaz O, Reinaldo JJN, Trillas MI (2020) Application of Trichoderma asperellum T34 on maize (Zea mays) seeds protects against drought stress. Planta, 252(1), pp.1-12. DOI: 10.1007/s00425-020-03404-3
VERGARA-DIAZ O, Vatter T, Vicente R, Obata T, Nieto-Taladriz MT, Aparicio N, Carlisle Kefauver S, Fernie A, Araus JL (2020) Metabolome profiling supports the key role of the spike in wheat yield performance. Cells, 9(4), p.1025. DOI: 10.3390/cells9041025
GÁMEZ AL, Vicente R, Sánchez-Bragado R, Jauregui I, Morcuende R, Goicoechea N, Aranjuelo I (2020) Differential flag leaf and ear photosynthetic performance under elevated [CO2] conditions during the grain filling period in durum wheat. Frontiers in Plant Science 11, 2064. DOI: 3389/fpls.2020.587958
VICENTE R, Bolger AM, Martínez-Carrasco R, Pérez P, Gutiérrez E, Usadel B, Morcuende R (2019) De novo transcriptome analysis of durum wheat flag leaves provides new insights into the regulatory response to elevated CO2 and high temperature. Frontiers in Plant Science 10: 1605. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.01605
VICENTE R, Vergara-Diaz O, Kerfal S, López A, Melichar J, Bort J, Serret MD, Araus JL Kefauver SC (2019) Identification of traits associated with barley yield performance using contrasting nitrogen fertilizations and genotypes. Plant Science 282, 83-94. DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2018.10.002
TORRALBO F, Vicente R, Morcuende R, González-Murua C, Aranjuelo I (2019) C and N metabolism in barley leaves and peduncles modulates responsiveness to changing CO₂. Journal of Experimental Botany 70 (2), 599-611. DOI: 10.1093/jxb/ery380
VICENTE R, Vergara-Diaz O, Medina S, Chairi F, Kefauver SC, Bort J, Serret MD, Aparicio N, Araus JL (2018) Durum wheat ears perform better than the flag leaves under water stress: gene expression and physiological evidence. Environmental and Experimental Botany 153: 271-285. DOI: 10.1016/j.envexpbot.2018.06.004
KEFAUVER SC, Vicente R, Vergara-Diaz O, Fernández-Gallego JA, Kerfal S, López A, Melichar JPE, Serret Molins MD, Araus JL (2017) Comparative UAV and field phenotyping to assess yield and nitrogen use efficiency in hybrid and conventional barley. Frontiers in Plant Science 8: 1733. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2017.01733
VICENTE R, Pérez P, Martínez-Carrasco R, Usadel B, Kostadinova S, Morcuende R (2015) Quantitative RT-PCR platform to measure transcript levels of C and N metabolism-related genes in durum wheat: transcript profiles in elevated [CO2] and high temperature at different N supplies. Plant and Cell Physiology 56(8): 1556-1573. DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pcv079

Current Projects
2023 - 2027 \| Pan-European Network of Green Deal Agriculture and Forestry Earth Observation Science; PANGEOS; CA22136. Project Coordinator: Kefauver SC (University of Barcelona)
2023-2027 \| Tools and methods for extended plant PHENotyping and EnviroTyping services of European Research Infrastructures, PHENET. Funding agency: European Commission, Horizon Europe Framework Programme (HORIZON), Next generation of scientific instrumentation, tools and methods (2022) (HORIZON-INFRA-2022-TECH-01). Participants: 20 European partners and 3 associated institutions.
2023 - 2025 \| Research Network in Resilient and Quality Cereals for Spanish Food Security; RED2022-134922-T; Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. Project Coordinator: Igartua Arregui E (EEAD-CSIC)
2022-2027 \| Integrated SERvices supporting a sustainable AGROecological transition, AgroServ. Funding agency: European Commission, Horizon Europe Framework Programme (HORIZON), Research infrastructure services to support health research, accelerate the green and digital transformation, and advance frontier knowledge (2021) (HORIZON-INFRA-2021-SERV-01). Participants: 73 European Institutions.
2020-2024 \| Variability in wheat species response to water deficit under elevated CO2 and temperature: impact on primary, secondary and antioxidant metabolism and grain quality (WHEATERMET). Funding Agency: Spanish National Plan R+D+i of the Ministry of Science and Innovation. Main institution: Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology of Salamanca (IRNASA-CSIC).

Past Projects
2021-2023 \| Effect of nitrogen availability in grain yield and bioactive compound composition in durum wheat varieties grown under elevated CO2 and high temperatures. Funding Agency: Junta de Castilla y León, Spain. Main institution: Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology of Salamanca (IRNASA-CSIC).
2020-2023 \| Multiscale wheat phenotyping: from ideotype to regional adaptation. Yield and stability (WheatPhenoScale). Funding Agency: Spanish National Plan R+D+i of the Ministry of Science and Innovation. Main institution: University of Barcelona (UB).
2018-2019 \| Optimization of an enzyme activity assay platform to investigate genetic variation in wheat performance at the high temperature and CO2 concentration foreseen with climate change and its dependence on nitrogen availability (OPTENZWHEAT). Funding Agency: European Plant Phenotyping Network EPPN2020. Participants: Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology of Salamanca (IRNASA-CSIC) and Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology (MPIMP)
2017-2019 \| Phenotyping in durum wheat: physiological basis, selection criteria and evaluation platforms (FENOTRIGO). Funding Agency: Spanish National Plan R+D+i of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. Main institution: University of Barcelona (UB).
2014-2016 \| Advance and high throughput precision phenotyping in durum wheat: physiological basis and tools for selection (FENOMED). Funding Agency: Spanish National Plan R+D+i of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. Main institution: University of Barcelona (UB).
2010-2013 \| Integration of gene expression with metabolism and photosynthesis for assessing the impacts on durum wheat of the increases in CO2 and temperature foreseen with climate change. Funding Agency: Spanish National Plan R+D+i of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. Main institution: Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology of Salamanca (IRNASA-CSIC).