Metabolomics of plant phosphorus-starvation response

Plant metabolism is significantly affected by environmental stresses, such as phosphorus starvation, and plants have evolved various strategies to cope with this pressure. Metabolomics is a measure of the overall metabolic response and, particularly in association with other ‘omic’ technologies and some more traditional science disciplines such as plant physiology, provides an invaluable tool for the characterisation of plant material when subjected to these stresses. Recent advances establishing this technology platform have been enabled by significant improvements in analytical instrumentation, complemented by the development of substantial database resources. This chapter describes how these advances have been used to advance the understanding of plant responses to stresses, and how this capability offers new opportunities to begin to unravel the complex mechanisms that facilitate these responses. The diversity of biochemical reactions captured by metabolomics studies can also be used to identify and select plants with improved P-uptake and metabolism. It is suggested how this can be applied as part of a whole-systems approach towards the development of more P-efficient cultivars.