Abstract

Under the current global climate change scenario, the discovery and characterization of plant species adapted to extreme environmental conditions has become increasingly important. Hoffmannseggia doelli (“mutukuru”) is an endemic perennial herb of the Chilean Atacama Desert that grows between 2900 and 3800 meters above sea level (m a.s.l.) in the western Andes Mountains. Its growing habitat is characterized by high radiation (³620 watt/m2 ), low water availability (~ 76 mm annually) and nutrient-poor soils. Under these conditions, H. doelli is able to develop a tuberous root, which has served as a food source for Atacama natives over centuries. This work constitutes the first attempt to establish H. doelli cultures under laboratory conditions. We optimized growth conditions as a foundation for future physiological and genetic studies that will help to unravel the strategies that allow its growth under extreme abiotic conditions. We showed that under our experimental conditions H. doelli germinate and growth. We can also obtain tuberous roots in 45 days. We are currently sequencing the H. doelli genome, in an effort to advance our knowledge about this species and the identification of genes involved in tolerance to extreme abiotic conditions