Heat tolerance as a function of membrane lipid remodeling in the major US oilseed crops (soybean and peanut)

With a steadily increasing population, the demand for crops to feed the world population and satisfy the energy needs is also increasing. The diminishing land resources and changing environmental conditions, specifically global warming, have further exacerbated these problems. Developing heat-tolerant crops that maintain yield under stress is one way to keep pace with future demands. Heat stress tolerance is a complex trait; hence it is vital to identify major contributors to heat stress tolerance and develop molecular markers to breed for them. The present communication reviews the recent progress made in this direction in oilseed crops soybean and peanuts, where heat-induced membrane lipid unsaturation was identified as an indicator of heat tolerance and the heat-induced changes in the expression pattern of the fatty acid desaturase gene as a marker to select for this trait. The further efforts underway and the future research needed in this direction are discussed.