Scientific question

The sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is the second most important oil plant in Europe. Its oil is a high-quality cooking oil and, with a high oleic acid content, is also of interest for technical applications. The composition of fatty acids and other lipids is strongly influenced by environmental factors; however, the underlying molecular and biochemical mechanisms are still poorly understood.

Approach

This project will analyze effects of abiotic stress, especially drought, on the proteome and lipidome of sunflower seeds and compare the proteome of sunflower with those of other oil crops, such as the oilseeds canola and soybean and the oil fruits olive and avocado

Expected results

This will identify factors responsible for the synthesis of fatty acids and other lipids in sunflower seeds and will show how these are regulated by abiotic stress. It will also reveal differences in the proteomes of oilseeds and oil fruits that are relevant, for example, to fatty acid composition.