[2S01a] 10. ASPIRE - Part 5

3:22 PM - 3:41 PM JST(6:22 AM - 6:41 AM UTC)

[2ASPR-14] Discovery of Natural Bioactive Compounds to Enhance Plant Stress Resilience

○Katherine Rivera-Zuluaga¹ (1. Michigan State University - Plant Resilience Institute (USA))

Keywords:

Natural compounds,stomata,fungi,mid- and high-throughput screening,plant resilience

Plants are exposed to a diversity of biotic and abiotic stresses that threaten crop yield and global food security. The Center for Sustainable Plant Innovation and Resilience Through International Teamwork (C-SPIRIT) aims to identify bioactive compounds from natural sources that enhance plant resilience to heat, drought, and disease. Our discovery pipeline integrates multi-omics approaches to identify novel metabolites associated with stress responses in both resistant and susceptible plants. In parallel, we have assembled libraries of natural compounds for in vitro testing. To evaluate candidate compounds, we developed and optimized mid- and high-throughput in vitro assays that measure bioactivity through stomatal aperture phenotypes and inhibition of fungal growth. Compounds demonstrating promising activity are advanced through our discovery pipeline for in vivo characterization under controlled environmental conditions. The identification of novel bioactive metabolites from natural sources will provide new opportunities to develop sustainable strategies for crop protection and to improve plant resilience in climate-challenged agricultural systems.