Enhanced photoprotection in allopolyploid Glycine dolichocarpa

Allopolyploidy is often associated with increased photosynthetic capacity as well as enhanced stress tolerance. Excess light is a ubiquitous plant stress associated with photosynthetic light harvesting. The capacity for nonphotochemical quenching (NPQmax) was higher in a recently formed natural allotetraploid (Glycine dolichocarpa, designated “T2”) than in its diploid progenitors (G. tomentella, “D3”; and G. syndetika, “D4”). This enhancement in NPQmax was due to an increase in energy-dependent quenching (qE) relative to D3, combined with an increase in zeaxanthin-dependent quenching (qZ) relative to D4. The RNA-Seq libraries in this study were produced to explore the genetic underpinnings of these phenotypes.