Abstract:

Photosynthesis, as the most fundamental biochemical process on Earth, serves as the primary mechanism for converting solar energy into chemical energy in plants and constitutes the physiological basis for crop yield formation. In the context of global population expansion, limited arable land resources, and increasingly severe climate change, enhancing photosynthetic efficiency has become a crucial strategy for improving agricultural productivity. Recent advancements in molecular biology, biochemistry, and synthetic biology have facilitated significant progress in photosynthetic efficiency optimization, leading to the development of diverse and effective enhancement strategies. Current research has identified multiple approaches to improve photosynthetic efficiency through various mechanisms. Primarily, environmental factor regulation represents one of the most direct and effective methods, including moderate elevation of atmospheric CO₂ concentration and optimization of light intensity parameters. Secondly, molecular genetic techniques have been employed to develop high-efficiency crop varieties, particularly through the modification of Rubisco to enhance its CO₂ affinity, thereby increasing agricultural productivity. Recent studies have demonstrated that elevating the content of electron carriers such as plastoquinone and plastocyanin can optimize electron transport efficiency, subsequently enhance photosynthetic capacity, and improve plant stress tolerance. Furthermore, synthetic biology approaches have been utilized to reconstruct photosynthetic pathways and structures, enabling the optimization of photosynthetic processes for higher agricultural productivity. Notably, the introduction of C₄ photosynthetic pathway into C₃ plants through genetic recombination has emerged as a current research focus in this field. This review systematically examines various strategies for enhancing agricultural productivity through photosynthetic efficiency improvement, while providing a comprehensive perspective on future research directions. It is evident that achieving significant improvements in agricultural productivity requires interdisciplinary integration and collaborative efforts. Through continuous exploration and technological innovation, we anticipate breakthroughs in photosynthetic efficiency optimization, which will provide substantial support for addressing global food security challenges. The integration of advanced biotechnological approaches with traditional agricultural practices holds great promise for developing sustainable solutions to meet the increasing global food demand.

Key words: photosynthesis, agricultural production efficiency, plastoquinone, high light efficiency, CO₂ concentration, high photosynthetic-efficiency crops, synthetic biology, electron transport efficiency