Carbohydrate Metabolism in Geophyte Development
Summary
Carbohydrate metabolism underpins the life cycle of geophytes by regulating the synthesis, storage and mobilisation of sugars within underground organs such as bulbs, corms and tubers. Photosynthetically derived sucrose is loaded into the phloem and unloaded into sink tissues, where invertases or sucrose synthase cleave it to generate hexoses for immediate use or channel it into starch biosynthesis via ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase and starch synthases. During dormancy, starch accumulates in specialised scales or tuber parenchyma, securing reserves for future growth. Upon dormancy release, amylases degrade starch to supply soluble sugars that fuel cell division, organogenesis and sprouting. Hormonal signals—particularly auxin, gibberellin and abscisic acid—coordinate with environmental cues such as temperature to reprogramme expression of carbohydrate-metabolising enzymes. Recent advances in transcriptomics and metabolite profiling have revealed integrated networks that synchronise sugar flux, gene regulation and hormone action, offering new avenues to optimise geophyte propagation, improve bulb yield and enhance resilience in ornamental and crop species worldwide.
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Carbohydrate Metabolism in Geophyte Development publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in carbohydrate metabolism in geophyte development across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Geophyte: A plant that survives adverse seasons through underground storage organs such as bulbs, corms or tubers.
Sucrose synthase (SuSy): An enzyme that catalyses conversion of sucrose and UDP into UDP-glucose and fructose, strengthening sink tissues and facilitating starch synthesis.
Invertase: An enzyme that irreversibly cleaves sucrose into glucose and fructose, regulating apoplastic sugar unloading and osmotic balance.
ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase): The key regulatory enzyme initiating starch biosynthesis by producing ADP-glucose.
Starch branching enzyme (SBE): An enzyme that introduces α-1,6 linkages in amylopectin, shaping starch granule structure.
Symplastic unloading: Transport of solutes between cells through plasmodesmata, bypassing the cell wall.
Bulblet initiation: The formation of new bulb organs from meristematic tissues on mother scales or underground stems.
References
- Full-length transcriptome analysis revealed that 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid promoted in vitro bulblet initiation in lily by affecting carbohydrate metabolism and auxin signaling. Frontiers in Plant Science (2023).
- Changes of starch and sucrose content and related gene expression during the growth and development of Lanzhou lily bulb. PLOS ONE (2022).
- Changes in carbohydrate metabolism and endogenous hormone regulation during bulblet initiation and development in Lycoris radiata. BMC Plant Biology (2020).
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