Kanyanat Kasetsuntorn

I am from Thailand and have come to the UK to pursue a PhD in the School of Biosciences at the University of Sheffield. My current research is focused on cold adaptation in the C4 grass family (Poaceae).

We know that C4 plants can continue to increase photosynthesis as available light increases, whereas C3 plants have limited ability to utilise light energy under high irradiance conditions. Generally C4 plants originate from tropical or sub-tropical regions, where their benefits in terms of higher-efficiency production and use of light, water, and nitrogen are greatest. However, some C4 grasses are able to grow in temperate and cold regions. Moreover, some of them can adapt and survive across a broad temperature range. These pieces of evidence show that some C4 grasses have developed adaptations to tolerate freezing and prevent cellular damage from cold stress.

Although some research shows that there is physiological and biological adaptation among multiple C4 grass species, the mechanisms of response to cold are still best understood in some species such as maize (Zea mays) and Miscanthus giganteus. This leads to my research question, which is what physiological and biochemical mechanisms protect the photosynthetic system from light-induced damage under chilling conditions and were the same mechanisms recruited in each cold-climate lineage? Thus, in my study, I am going to elucidate the mechanisms underlying photoprotection among chilling-tolerant C4 grass lineages by focusing on three different biological levels; physiological, gene expression, and leaf structural changes.