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Lignocellulosic sugars are the major renewable building blocks for green fuels and chemicals production. However, the implication of an effective pretreatment process is an inevitable process to access the biomass sugars. Alkaline pretreatment is a viable pretreatment process, causing a selective removal of lignin, with a minimum degradation of carbohydrates, increasing porosity and surface area, eventually enhancing enzymatic hydrolysis. Here, we have assessed commercial cloth washing detergents as catalytic agents, for the lignin removal from sugarcane bagasse. Three different detergents (Brilhiante® (B), Omo® (O), Sabonito Flash® (F)) were tested using three different concentrations (5, 10 and 15%) with and without pH adjustment. Pretreatment with O5pH (5% Omo®, pH 12) showed the maximum lignin removal (81.14%) and retainment of cellulose (44.15%), and hemicellulose (29.71%) in the pretreated bagasse. The maximum sugars (26.62 g/L) were released from the O10pH-pretreated sugarcane bagasse. This study shows the potential of washing detergents as the new potential catalytic agents for the pretreatment of biomass for efficient sugars recovery and retaining maximum lignin in the pretreated substrate.

The present study involved two pot experiments to investigate the response of mung bean to the individual or combined SO42− and selenate application under drought stress. A marked increment in biomass and NPK accumulation was recorded in mung bean seedlings fertilized with various SO42− sources, except for CuSO4. Compared to other SO42− fertilizers, ZnSO4 application resulted in the highest increase in growth attributes and shoot nutrient content. Further, the combined S and Se application (S + Se) significantly enhanced relative water content (16%), SPAD value (72%), photosynthetic rate (80%) and activities of catalase (79%), guaiacol peroxidase (53%) and superoxide dismutase (58%) in the leaves of water-stressed mung bean plants. Consequently, the grain yield of mung bean was markedly increased by 105% under water stress conditions. Furthermore, S + Se application considerably increased the concentrations of P (47%), K (75%), S (80%), Zn (160%), and Fe (15%) in mung bean seeds under drought stress conditions. These findings indicate that S + Se application potentially increases the nutritional quality of grain legumes by stimulating photosynthetic apparatus and antioxidative machinery under water deficit conditions. Our results could provide the basis for further experiments on cross-talk between S and Se regulatory pathways to improve the nutritional quality of food crops.

Dearth of information on extent of genetic variability in cassava limits the genetic improvement of cassava genotypes in Sierra Leone. The aim of this study was to assess the genetic diversity and relationships within 102 cassava genotypes using agro-morphological and single nucleotide polymorphism markers. Morphological classification based on qualitative traits categorized the germplasm into five different groups, whereas the quantitative trait set had four groups. The SNP markers classified the germplasm into three main cluster groups. A total of seven principal components (PCs) in the qualitative and four PCs in the quantitative trait sets accounted for 79.03% and 72.30% of the total genetic variation, respectively. Significant and positive correlations were observed between average yield per plant and harvest index (r = 0.76***), number of storage roots per plant and harvest index (r = 0.33*), height at first branching and harvest index (0.26*), number of storage roots per plant and average yield per plant (r = 0.58*), height at first branching and average yield per plant (r = 0.24*), length of leaf lobe and petiole length (r = 0.38*), number of leaf lobe and petiole length (r = 0.31*), width of leaf lobe and length of leaf lobe (r = 0.36*), number of leaf lobe and length of leaf lobe (r = 0.43*), starch content and dry matter content (r = 0.99***), number of leaf lobe and root dry matter (r = 0.30*), number of leaf lobe and starch content (r = 0.28*), and height at first branching and plant height (r = 0.45**). Findings are useful for conservation, management, short term recommendation for release and genetic improvement of the crop.

Legumes are well known for their nutritional and health benefits as well as for their impact in the sustainability of agricultural systems. Under current scenarios threatened by climate change highlights the necessity for concerted research approaches in order to develop crops that are able to cope up with environmental challenges. Various abiotic stresses such as cold, heat, drought, salt, and heavy metal induce a variety of negative effects in plant growth, development and significantly decline yield and quality. Plant growth regulators or natural products of plants are reported to be effective to improve plant tolerance to several abiotic stresses. Gamma Amino Butyric Acid (GABA) is a non-protein amino acid involved in various metabolic processes, and partially protects plants from abiotic stress. GABA appears to impart partial protection to various abiotic stresses in most plants by increasing leaf turgor, increased osmolytes and reduced oxidative damage by stimulation of antioxidants. We have compiled various scientific reports on the role and mechanism of GABA in plants against coping with various environmental stresses. We have also described the emerging information about the metabolic and signaling roles of GABA which is being used to improve legume crop against abiotic stress.

India has had an incredible journey of becoming polio-free in a span of two decades. The conventional vaccination strategies and innovative approaches to ensure that every child in the remotest of the villages of India gets immunized have been an achievement in itself. The year 2020 marks six years of living a dream that a sprawling country like India had harboured for long, and the efforts to keep the country polio-free need to continue until this dreadful disease gets eradicated globally.

A novel human coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an extremely acute respiratory syndrome which was reported in Wuhan, China in the later half 2019. Most of its primary epidemiological aspects are not appropriately known, which has a direct effect on monitoring, practices and controls. The main objective of this work is to propose a high speed, accurate and highly sensitive CT scan approach for diagnosis of COVID19. The CT scan images display several small patches of shadows and interstitial shifts, particularly in the lung periphery. The proposed method utilizes the ResNet architecture Convolution Neural Network for training the images provided by the CT scan to diagnose the coronavirus-affected patients effectively. By comparing the testing images with the training images, the affected patient is identified accurately. The accuracy and specificity are obtained 95.09% and 81.89%, respectively, on the sample dataset based on CT images without the inclusion of another set of data such as geographical location, population density, etc. Also, the sensitivity is obtained 100% in this method. Based on the results, it is evident that the COVID-19 positive patients can be classified perfectly by using the proposed method.

The present outbreak of the novel coronavirus initially called as “2019 novel coronavirus” or “2019-nCoV” by the World Health Organization (WHO), is also known as “Wuhan coronavirus” or “Wuhan pneumonia”, as it started in the Wuhan city of China in early December of 2019. This new coronavirus-associated acute respiratory deadly disease is now officially named as Corona Virus Disease-19 (COVID-19) by the WHO. From China, this epidemic has now spread to all over the world. On 11 March 2020, the WHO recognised COVID-19 as a pandemic. A pandemic refers to a disease that has spread to several countries, continents, if not worldwide. While the information available on this newly identified virus is limited and evolving, here is a quick run-down of what has been figured out so far.

This study examined the effect of chitosan elicitor with four different concentrations (0, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 g/l) on physiological and biochemical properties of stevia under four levels of salinity stress (0, 50, 100, 150 mM level of NaCl). Salt stress caused reduction of chlorophyll a (Chl a), chlorophyll b (Chl b), total chlorophyll, carotenoid and total protein content. The increment of malondialdehyde (MDA) content was not significant in all NaCl levels, while the CAT and POX activities were increased as well as stevioside and rebaudioside A under salinity stress. On one side, chitosan treatments could compensate the reduction of physiological traits such as photosynthetic pigments and protein content. On the other side, chitosan caused multiple increases in malondialdehyde content, antioxidant enzymes activity (catalase and peroxidase), steviol glycosides (stevioside and rebaudioside A) under salt stress. We report for the first time, the potential of chitosan to enhance salinity-tolerant abilities in stevia through increment of the salt-adaptive factors and to diminish harmful damages caused by NaCl stress.

Camellia oleifera is believed to exhibit a complex intraspecific polyploidy phenomenon. Abnormal microsporogenesis can promote the formation of unreduced gametes in plants and lead to sexual polyploidy, so it is hypothesized that improper meiosis probably results in the formation of natural polyploidy in Camellia oleifera. In this study, based on the cytological observation of meiosis in pollen mother cells (PMCs), we found natural 2n pollen for the first time in Camellia oleifera, which may lead to the formation of natural polyploids by sexual polyploidization. Additionally, abnormal cytological behaviour during meiosis, including univalent chromosomes, extraequatorial chromosomes, early segregation, laggard chromosomes, chromosome stickiness, asynchronous meiosis and deviant cytokinesis (monad, dyads, triads), was observed, which could be the cause of 2n pollen formation. Moreover, we confirmed a relationship among the length–width ratio of flower buds, stylet length and microsporogenesis. This result suggested that we can immediately determine the microsporogenesis stages by phenotypic characteristics, which may be applicable to breeding advanced germplasm in Camellia oleifera. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-021-01002-5.

Aenhenrya rotundifolia is a critically endangered terrestrial jewel orchid. It is monotypic and endemic to evergreen forests of southern western ghats of India. In the present study, identification of this plant species is validated with DNA barcoding using matK and rbcL chloroplast markers. Further, germ-free juvenile axillary bud explants were cultured on Mitra medium supplemented with different kinds of cytokinins like 6-benzyladenine, 6-furfurylaminopurine, N(6)-(Δ(2)-isopentyl) adenine, thidiazuron, zeatin and meta-topolin as well as auxins such as α-naphthaleneacetic acid, indole-3-acetic acid and indole-3-butyric acid at different concentrations and combinations for successful proliferation and establishment in vitro. After 12 weeks of culture, axillary bud explants produced an average of 30.12 ± 0.71 shoots per explant, 3.87 ± 0.06 cm shoot length, 1671 ± 2.82 mg fresh mass of proliferated shoots with a proliferation frequency of 100% on Mitra medium supplemented with 6.20 µM meta-topolin and 2.25 µM thidiazuron. No root formation was observed in in vitro proliferated microshoots. However, tiny hair like projections were observed in some elongated shoots on Mitra medium pertaining to 5.37 µM NAA. The tiny hair like structure bearing plantlets were hardened and acclimatized with 100% survival rate in the polytunnel chamber. After 8–10 months of establishment ex vitro, flowering was observed. Additionally, the genetic fidelity of in vitro derived plants was tested with ISSR and SCoT marker profiling. The test results revealed that the plants derived from the protocol has 99% genetic similarity to that of the donor mother plant. This study can be applied in forensic interventions of this species, describes the maintenance of germplasm in vitro and establishment of new viable population in its original habitats by restoring existing sites of this critically endangered jewel orchid.

The medicinal sage plant (Salvia spp.), belonging to Lamiaceae family, is one of the most important medicinal and aromatic plants. The members of this genus are globally known due to its antimicrobial, antioxidant, astringent, spasmolytic, antihidrotic and specific sensorial properties. In this study, we investigated the potential impact of water deficit on transcript abundance, and essential oil composition of five major metabolites, i.e. 1–8 cineole, α–β-thujone, camphor, and borneol in three genotypes of Salvia spp. Results showed that relative expression of three genes and their corresponding metabolites increased together at three stages under drought condition, but the CS gene transcript decreased independently from 1,8-cineole in garden sage. Furthermore, borneol changed differently compared to the BS gene expression in control and drought treatment plants of S. reuterana (Yasuj). The competitive synthesis of ß-thujone, and α-thujone by SS gene were demonstrated in S. officinalis and Yasuj ecotype of S. reuterana; whereas, no change was observed for Urmia ecotype of S. reuterana. There was no precursor shortage to synthesis of borneol and camphor in garden sage; however increasing the BS led to high production of borneol and low camphor in S. reuterana under drought stress. As a mechanism, secondary metabolites enable the plants to cope with unfavorable conditions, but genetic differences might affect the quantity and quality of these compounds. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s12298-020-00892-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The Indian lac insect (Kerria lacca), a hemipteran, phloem sap sucking sedentary insect is an important bioresource which thrives on tender twigs of more than 400 plant species belonging to various genera and families. The most common commercial host plants for lac cultivation are big trees hence cultivation was concentrated mainly to dense forests across the country till last decade. Recently, a new bushy host plant belonging to the genus Flemingia has been introduced so that lac can be cultivated on farmlands like other cash crops. The insect is sedentary and feeds on the phloem sap of the host plants, the only source of its nutrition. Interestingly, the biological attributes of the insect as well as the qualitative and quantitative production of lac is influenced by the host plant on which the insect feeds upon. The present study was thus aimed at deciphering the effect of phloem sap constituents obtained from four plant host taxa belonging to the same genus Flemingia viz. F. semialata, F. macrophylla, F. bracteata and F. chapar (essential amino acids only-EAAs) on lac productivity. Moreover, a newer method for phloem sap collection i.e. Dot-blot in addition to the facilitated exudation using EDTA was also investigated. Dot-blot method for phloem sap collection also came out to be a promising method for field studies; although slightly higher concentration of EAAs were obtained from EDTA method, thus the later was used for further analysis. Phloem sap of four plant host taxa belonging to the same genus Flemingia were qualitatively and quantitatively analysed for seven EAAs (Arginine, Glycine, Leucine, Methionine, Phenylalanine Tyrosine and Valine). Amino acid concentration regime and further analysis done using statistical tools (ANOVA and PCA) points out the EAA concentration in the phloem sap is in congruency with the lac production data obtained through previous studies as F. semialata > F. macrophylla > F. chapar > F. bracteata. The present study thus scientifically points out that F. semialata can be a promising plant for lac cultivation on the basis of higher EAA content as compared to the rest three.

Young plants of Rhizophora mucronata Lam. were tested for oxidative stress, photosynthetic capacity and dry matter accumulation under two abiotic stress conditions; prolonged submergence and soil water stress. The experiment of prolonged submergence was performed in field conditions with two treatment levels; 50% inundation (control) and 100% inundation levels. The experiment of soil water stress was conducted in a plant-house with four treatment levels, 100% water holding capacity (WHC) (control), 50% WHC, 25% WHC and high salinity (> 35 psu). The experimentation period was 18 months. According to the results, antioxidant activity was increased in the 100% inundation level in field conditions and in the 25% WHC, 50% WHC and high salinity levels in plant-house conditions. However, decreased radical scavenging capacity reflected by low 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and high IC(50) values were only observed in the 25% and 50% WHCs. Plant cell membranes were highly damaged in the 25%, 50% WHCs and high salinity level and a significant decrease in photosynthetic capacity (~ 90% reduction) and in dry matter content of Rhizophora plants were also observed in the same treatment levels. It was recorded that a higher proportion of dry matter is allocated to the root system under the 100% inundation level and it may be an adaptation to keep up the standing stability. Although, the antioxidant and scavenging capacities of young Rhizophora plants have increased under abiotic stress conditions, oxidative stress and its associated impacts on leaf photosynthetic capacity and dry weight contents were unavoidable under persistence of the stress. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s12298-020-00843-w) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The use of pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.), along with other tree species, for the afforestation of heavy metal contaminated lands is an attractive prospect. Little, however, is known of Q. robur tolerance and its antioxidative system response to heavy metal exposure. The main objective of the study was to determine the cadmium-induced changes in antioxidative system of pedunculate oak in an attempt to identify molecular mechanisms underlying Cd tolerance. This may be of great importance in respect of using Q. robur for phytoremediation purposes. As the response of the antioxidative system to heavy metal contamination can vary within species, the research was conducted on oak seedlings from two different regions of origin. Differences in antioxidative system response of seedlings derived from tested regions of origin were noticed both at the transcript and enzyme activity levels. The obtained results indicate that ascorbate peroxidase (APX; EC 1.11.1.11) and superoxide dismutase (SOD; EC 1.15.1.1) play a first barrier role in oak seedlings response to the oxidative stress caused by Cd exposure. Catalase (CAT; EC 1.11.1.6) is involved in reducing the negative effects of prolonged Cd treatment.

The plant growth promoting rhizobacterium Azospirillum brasilense Sp245 enhances biomass production in cereals and horticultural species and is an interesting model to study the physiology of the phytostimulation program. Although auxin production by Azospirillum appears to be critical for root architectural readjustments, the role of cytokinins in the growth promoting effects of Azospirillum remains unclear. Here, Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings were co-cultivated in vitro with A. brasilense Sp245 to assess whether direct contact of roots with bacterial colonies or exposure to the bacterial volatiles using divided Petri plates would affect biomass production and root organogenesis. Both interaction types increased root and shoot fresh weight but had contrasting effects on primary root length, lateral root formation and root hair development. Cell proliferation in root meristems analyzed with the CYCB1;1::GUS reporter decreased over time with direct contact, but was augmented by plant exposure to volatiles. Noteworthy, the expression of the cytokinin-inducible reporters TCS::GFP and ARR5::GUS increased in root tips in response to bacterial contact, without being affected by the volatiles. In A. thaliana having single (cre1-12, ahk2-2, ahk3-3), double (cre1-12/ahk2-2, cre1-12/ahk3-3, ahk2-2/ahk3-3) or triple (cre1-12/ahk2-2/ahk3-3) mutations in canonical cytokinin receptors, only the triple mutant had a marked effect on plant growth in response to A. brasilense. These results show that different mechanisms are elicited by A. brasilense, which influence the cytokinin-signaling pathway.

Male sterility is an important factor in improving crop quality and yield through heterosis breeding. In this study, we analyzed the transcriptomes of male fertile (MF) and male sterile (MS) alfalfa flower buds using the Illumina HiSeq™ 4000 platform. A total of 54.05 million clean reads were generated and assembled into 65,777 unigenes with an average length of 874 bp. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the MF and MS flowers at three stages of pollen development were identified, and there were 3832, 5678 and 5925 DEGs respectively in stages 1, 2 and 3. GO and KEGG functional enrichment analysis revealed 12, 12, 6 and 12 key branch-point genes involved in circadian rhythm, transcription factors, pollen development and flavonoid biosynthesis. Our findings provide novel insights into the mechanism of male sterility in alfalfa. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-021-01026-x.

Aluminum (Al) toxicity is a major limitation to crop production in countries where acidic soil is abundant. In China, soybean production is constrained by Al stress-induced toxicity. As such, there is growing interest to develop Al-resistant varieties. In the present study, we sought to determine potential genes, functions and pathways for screening and breeding of Al-resistant varieties of soybean. First, we mined the E-GEOD-18517 dataset and identified 729 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between untreated and Al-treated groups. Next, we performed Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome pathways enrichment analysis and observed that most of the screened genes were mainly enriched in defense response, plasma membrane and molecular transducer activity. They were also enriched in three important pathways, the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, plant-pathogen interaction, and cutin, suberine and wax biosynthesis. Utilizing weighted gene co-expression network analysis of 815 DEGs screened by Venn diagram, we identified DEGs that were the most disparate between treated and untreated groups. LOC100793667 (probable protein phosphatase 2C 60, GLYMA_17G223800), LOC100780576 (ethylene-responsive transcription factor 1B, GLYMA_02G006200), and LOC100785578 (protein ESKIMO 1, GLYMA_02G258000) were the most differentially expressed, which were consistent with the qRT-PCR results. As these genes are known to participate in essential functions, such as cell junction and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, these genes may be important for breeding Al-resistant varieties. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-021-01018-x.

Though the volatile profiles of black pepper have been reported already, the information on terpene synthase family genes is not known. In this study, using a combinatorial approach, the berry hybrid transcriptome assembly of llumina and nanopore sequencing, the entire terpene synthase family responsible for the biosynthesis of the flavor-imparting volatiles in black pepper berries was profiled. The profile shows 98 terpene synthases from various terpene synthesis pathways. Three important monoterpene synthases were also validated by targeted amplification, sequencing and homology modeling. This study provides the first of its kind information on the terpene synthase family profile in Piper nigrum, which is potentially a major step for further characterization of the functional terpene synthase genes in black pepper. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-021-00986-4.

Lead (Pb) not only negatively alters plant growth and yield but may also have potentially toxic risks to human health. Nevertheless, the interaction between rice (Oryza sativa L.) plants and the molecular cell dynamics induced by lead-methyl jasmonate (MJ) remains unknown. Here, plants were hydroponically exposed to Pb (150 and 300 µM) alone or in combination with 0.5 and 1 µM MJ. The application of MJ modulated the expression of the HMAs, PCS1, PCS2 and ABCC1 genes, thereby immobilizing the Pb in the roots and lessening its translocation to the aerial parts of the rice plant. The supplementation of MJ improved the growth and yield of Pb-stressed rice by adjusting the proline and chlorophyll metabolism, increasing the phytochelatins (PCs) accumulation and diminishing the accumulation of Pb in the shoots. the application of MJ alleviated the oxidative stress of rice plants exposed to Pb toxicity by enhancing the activity of antioxidant enzymes and enzymes of the glyoxalase system (glyoxalase I and II) and decreasing the endogenous levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) and methylglyoxal (MG). Therefore, the results of the present study could provide a molecular insight and cellular interplay scheme for the development of a promising strategy in Pb-contaminated areas to produce healthy food.

Lim family members play an important role in the regulation of plant cell development and stress response. However, there are few studies on LIM family in quinoa. In this study, we identified nine LIMS (named cqlim01-cqlim09) from quinoa, which were divided into three subfamilies (α Lim1, γ lim2 and δ lim2) according to phylogeny. The differences in gene structure and motif composition among different subfamilies have been observed. In addition, we studied the repetitive events of the members of the family. The Ka/Ks (non synchronous substitution rate / synchronous substitution rate) ratio analysis showed that the repetitive CqLIMs probably experienced purifying selection pressure. Promoter analysis showed that the family genes contained a variety of hormones, stress and tissue-specific expression elements, and protein interactions showed that these genes had actin stabilizing effect. In addition, QRT PCR results showed that all CqLIM genes were positively regulated under three stresses (low temperature, salt and ABA). These results provide a theoretical basis of further study of LIM gene in quinoa. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-021-00988-2.

Heliotropium thermophilum can survive at a soil temperature of 65 °C in natural and laboratory conditions, but the mechanism of survival at high soil temperatures is not completely known. The objective of this study was to determine whether changes in abscisic acid (ABA), osmolytes and heat shock factors (HSFs) levels have an effective role in the development of thermotolerance in H. thermophilum at high temperatures. Soil temperature at which the thermophilic plant could live was gradually increased in laboratory conditions and the effects of four different temperatures (20 ± 5 °C: low, 40 ± 5 °C: mild, 60 ± 5 °C: medium, 80 ± 5 °C: extreme heat) were observed for 15 days. The results showed that the content of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) did not significantly change in extreme heat, whereas the leaf water potential and stomatal conductivity decreased. ABA biosynthesis, accumulation of osmolyte compounds including proline and total soluble sugars, and the expression levels of heat shock transcription factor A4A (HSFA4A), heat shock transcription factor A3 (HSFA3), and heat shock factor (HSF4) genes significantly increased with increase of soil temperature from 20 ± 5 °C to 80 ± 5 °C. In conclusion, we observed that H. thermophilum is an extreme thermophile. This plant can adjust osmotic activity to effectively take water through the osmolytes accumulation, reducing water loss by ABA-mediated stomatal closing and survive at high soil temperatures by stimulating the increased transcription level of HSFs.

Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L) is an economically important crop, rich in nutrients, and is also conducive to solving ecological and environmental problems. Plants may acquire benefits from root-associated endophytic bacteria. However, the composition of the endophytic bacterial community associated with the roots of asparagus is poorly elucidated. In this study, the nine root samples of asparagus from three different varieties including Asparagus officinalis var. Grande (GLD), A. officinalis var. Jinglvlu3 (JL3) and A. officinalis var. Jingzilu2 (JZL) were investigated by high-throughput sequencing technology of the 16S rDNA V5-V7 hypervariable region of endophytic bacteria. A total of 16 phyla, 29 classes, 90 orders, 171 families, and 312 genera were identified. Endophytic bacteria diversity and bacteria structure was different among the three varieties and was influenced by rhizosphere soil properties and varieties. In the GLD variety, the main phyla were Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Firmicutes. The main phylum in JL3 and JZL varieties was Proteobacteria. The observations showed that GLD had the highest diversity of endophytes as indicated by the Shannon index (GLD > JZL > JL3). The order of the endophytes richness was GLD > JL3 > JZL. The PCA and PCoA analysis revealed the microbial communities were different between three different asparagus varieties, and the microbial composition of GLD and JZL was more similar. This report provides an important reference for the study of endophytic microorganisms of asparagus. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at (10.1007/s12088-021-00926-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Nowadays the treatment based on applying high CO(2) concentrations to fruit is the main method used in astringent persimmon prior to being commercialized, but it can cause quality problems for fruit during cold storage. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a recently patented astringency removal method based on applying a new wax whose formulation includes ethanol before commercial packaging. During two seasons, three treatments were evaluated in cv. Rojo Brillante and Triumph: (1) CO(2)- standard treatment; (2) waxed and packed in plastic film according to the patented method; (3) packed in plastic film without any treatment. During a third season, the new method’s effectiveness in removing astringency was evaluated under industrial conditions. After treatments fruit was stored at 0 °C for 15, 21 and 30 days before being transferred at 20 °C to simulate a 5-days shelf-life. All the fruit treated with the new wax completely lost astringency after 30 days at 0 °C, and commercial firmness was maintained. At the end of the storage, fruit quality was substantially higher in fruit submitted to the new treatment. CO(2)-treated fruit, manifested internal browning after 30 storage days and shelf-life, while this disorder was not detected in waxed fruit.

The broad-spectrum resistance gene Pi54 confers resistance to multiple isolates of Magnaporthe oryzae in rice. In order to decipher the molecular mechanism underlying the Pi54 mediated resistance in rice line Taipei309(Pi54) (carrying Pi54), miRNAome study was performed at 24 h post-inoculation (hpi) with M. oryzae. A total of 222 known miRNAs representing 101 miRNA families were found in this study. Of these, 29 and 24 miRNAs were respectively up- and down-regulated in the resistant Taipei309(Pi54). Defence response (DR) genes, like, NBSGO35, and OsWAK129b, and genes related to transcription factors were up-regulated in Taipei309(Pi54) line. The vast array of miRNA candidates identified here are miR159c, miR167c, miR2100, miR2118o, miR2118l, miR319a, miR393, miR395l, miR397a, miR397b, miR398, miR439g, miR531b, miR812f, and miR815c, and they manifest their role in balancing the interplay between various DR genes during Pi54 mediated resistance. We also validated miRNA/target gene pairs involved in hormone signalling, and cross-talk among hormone pathways regulating the rice immunity. This study suggests that the Pi54 gene mediated blast resistance is influenced by several microRNAs through PTI and ETI components in the rice line Taipei309(Pi54), leading to incompatible host–pathogen interaction.

Medicinal plants are a valuable resource for traditional as well as modern medicine. Consequently huge demand has exerted a heavy strain on the existing natural resources. Due to over exploitation and unscientific collection most of the commercially traded ayurvedic plants are in the phase of depletion. Adulteration of expensive raw drugs with inferior taxa has become a common practice to meet the annual demand of the ayurvedic industry. Although there are several recommended methods for proper identification varying from the traditional taxonomic to organoleptic and physiochemical, it is difficult to authenticate ayurvedic raw drugs available in extremely dried, powdered or shredded forms. In this regard, the study addresses proper authentication and illicit trade in Coscinium fenestratum (Gaertn.) Colebr. using CBOL recommended standard barcode regions viz. nuclear ribosomal–Internally Transcribed Spacer (nrDNA- ITS), maturase K (matK), ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase large subunit (rbcL), and psbA-trnH spacer regions. Further, an integrated analytical approach employing Maximum Likelihood phylogenetic tree and Machine Learning Approach, Waikato Environment for Knowledge Analysis was employed to prove efficacy of the method. The automated species identification technique, Artificial Intelligence uses the ability of computers to build models that can receive the input data and then conduct statistical analyses which significantly reduces the human labour. Concurrently, scientific management, restoration, cultivation and conservation measures should be given utmost priority to reduce the depletion of wild resources as well as to meet the rapidly increasing demand of the herbal industries.

Deeper Rooting 1 (DRO1) gene identified from a major QTL on chromosome 9 increases the root growth angle (RGA) and thus facilitates survival under drought and hence is an excellent candidate for rice improvement. Twenty-four major Indian upland and lowland genotypes including the ‘yield under drought’ (DTY) QTL donors were subjected to allele mining of DRO1 (3058 bp) using four pairs of overlapping primers. A total of 216 and 52 SNPs were identified across all genotypes in the gene and coding region (756 bp) respectively with transversions 3.6 fold more common than transitions in the gene and 2.5 times in the CDS. In 251 amino acid long protein, substitutions were found in 19 positions, wherein change in position 92 was the most frequent. Based on allele mining, the 24 genotypes can be classified into 16 primary structure variants ranging from complete functional allele (Satti, IR36 and DTY 3.1 donor, IR81896-B-B-195) to truncated non-functional alleles in PMK2, IR64, IR20 and Swarna. All the DTY donors, other than IR81896-B-B-195, and most of the upland drought tolerant cultivars (Nagina 22, Vandana and Dhagaddeshi) had accumulated 6–19 SNPs and 4–8 amino acid substitutions resulting in substantial differences in their protein structure. The expression analysis revealed that all the genotypes showed upregulation under drought stress though the degree of upregulation varied among genotypes. The information on structural variations in DRO1 gene will be very useful for the breeders, especially in the light of recent breeding programmes on improving drought tolerance using several DTY donors and upland accessions. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version of this article (10.1007/s12298-021-00950-2).

The ability to respond quickly to salt stress can determine the tolerance level of a species. Here, we test how rapidly the roots of Calotropis procera react to high salinity conditions. In the first 24 h after saline exposure, the plants reduced stomatal conductance, increased CO(2) assimilation, and water use efficiency. Thus, the root tissue showed an immediate increase in soluble sugars, free amino acid, and soluble protein contents. Twelve aquaporins showed differential gene expression in the roots of C. procera under salinity. Transcriptional upregulation was observed only after 2 h, with greater induction of CpTIP1.4 (fourfold). Transcriptional downregulation, in turn, occurred mainly after 8 h, with the largest associated with CpPIP1.2 (fourfold). C. procera plants responded quickly to high saline levels. Our results showed a strong stomatal control associated with high free amino acid and soluble sugar contents, regulated aquaporin expression in roots, and supported the high performance of the root system of C. procera under salinity. Moreover, this species was able to maintain a lower Na(+)/K(+) ratio in the leaves compared to that of the roots of stressed plants. The first response of the root system, after immediate contact with saline solution, present an interesting scenario to discuss. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-021-00957-9.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is at present an emerging global public health crisis. Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and trans-membrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) are the two major host factors that contribute to the virulence of SARS-CoV-2 and pathogenesis of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from animal to human is considered a rare event that necessarily requires strong evolutionary adaptations. Till date no other human cellular receptors are identified beside ACE2 for SARS-CoV-2 entry inside the human cell. Proteolytic cleavage of viral spike (S)-protein and ACE2 by TMPRSS2 began the entire host–pathogen interaction initiated with the physical binding of ACE2 to S-protein. SARS-CoV-2 S-protein binds to ACE2 with much higher affinity and stability than that of SARS-CoVs. Molecular interactions between ACE2-S and TMPRSS2-S are crucial and preciously mediated by specific residues. Structural stability, binding affinity and level of expression of these three interacting proteins are key susceptibility factors for COVID-19. Specific protein–protein interactions (PPI) are being identified that explains uniqueness of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Amino acid substitutions due to naturally occurring genetic polymorphisms potentially alter these PPIs and poses further clinical heterogeneity of COVID-19. Repurposing of several phytochemicals and approved drugs against ACE2, TMPRSS2 and S-protein have been proposed that could inhibit PPI between them. We have also identified some novel lead phytochemicals present in Azadirachta indica and Aloe barbadensis which could be utilized for further in vitro and in vivo anti-COVID-19 drug discovery. Uncovering details of ACE2-S and TMPRSS2-S interactions would further contribute to future research on COVID-19. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s12041-021-01262-w) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Since its emergence as a pneumonia-like outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019, the novel coronavirus disease COVID-19 has spread widely to become a global pandemic. The first case of COVID-19 in India was reported on 30 January 2020 and since then it has affected more than ten million people and resulted in around 150,000 deaths in the country. Over time, the viral genome has accumulated mutations as it passes through its human hosts, a common evolutionary mechanism found in all microorganisms. This has implications for disease surveillance and management, vaccines and therapeutics, and the emergence of reinfections. Sequencing the viral genome can help monitor these changes and provides an extraordinary opportunity to understand the genetic epidemiology and evolution of the virus as well as tracking its spread in a population. Here we review the past year in the context of the phylogenetic analysis of variants isolated over the course of the pandemic in India and highlight the importance of continued sequencing-based surveillance in the country.

Coding sequence (CDS) architecture affects gene expression levels in organisms. Codon optimization can increase the gene expression level. Therefore, understanding codon usage patterns has important implications for research on genetic engineering and exogenous gene expression. To date, the codon usage patterns of many model plants have been analyzed. However, the relationship between CDS architecture and gene expression in Arachis duranensis remains poorly understood. According to the results of genome sequencing, A. duranensis has many resistant genes that can be used to improve the cultivated peanut. In this study, bioinformatic approaches were used to estimate A. duranensis CDS architectures, including frequency of the optimal codon (Fop), polypeptide length and GC contents at the first (GC1), second (GC2) and third (GC3) codon positions. In addition, Arachis RNA-seq datasets were downloaded from PeanutBase. The relationships between gene expression and CDS architecture were assessed both under normal growth as well as nematode and drought stress conditions. A total of 26 codons with high frequency were identified, which preferentially ended with A or T in A. duranensis CDSs under the above-mentioned three conditions. A similar CDS architecture was found in differentially expressed genes (DEGs) under nematode and drought stresses. The GC1 content differed between DEGs and non-differentially expressed genes (NDEGs) under both drought and nematode stresses. The expression levels of DEGs were affected by different CDS architectures compared with NDEGs under drought stress. In addition, no correlation was found between differential gene expression and CDS architecture neither under nematode nor under drought stress. These results aid the understanding of gene expression in A. duranensis.

Primula vulgaris is an important ornamental plant species with various flower color. To explore the molecular mechanism of its color formation, comparative transcriptome analyses of the petals in red and white cultivars was performed. A total of 4451 differentially expressed genes were identified and annotated into 128 metabolic pathways. Candidate genes FLS, F3′H, DFR, ANS and AOMT in the anthocyanin pathway were expressed significantly higher in the red cultivar than the white and may be responsible for the red coloration. In the red petals, a putative transcription factors bHLH (c52273.graph_c0) was up-regulated about 14-fold, while a R2R3-MYB unigene (c36140.graph_c0) was identified as a repressor involved in anthocyanin regulation and was significantly down-regulated. In addition, the anatomy analyses and pigments composition in the red and white petals were also analyzed. The papillae on the adaxial epidermis of the red petals of P. vulgaris display a triangle-shapes, in contrast with a spherical shape for the white petals. Although flavonoids were detected in both cultivars, anthocyanins could only be identified in the red cultivar. Gossypetin and peonidin/rosinin were the most abundant pigments in red petals. This study shed light on the genetic and biochemistry mechanisms underlying the flower coloration in Primula. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s12298-019-00664-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) is the major food legume crop in Tunisia. However, its growth and yield is strongly affected by water‐limited environments. In this study, osmotic stress exhibited a negative effect on Bachar and Badii cultivar. Nevertheless, the deteriorating effects of osmotic stress were relatively low on studied parameters of Bachar due to its better efficiency to reduce oxidative damage by increasing enzymatic activities such as catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX), accumulation of total chlorophyll (Chlt), soluble sugars and leaf relative water content (RWC). GC–MS analysis determined a total of 11 soluble carbohydrates induced by osmotic stress and differentially accumulated in the both cultivars. Bachar showed elevated levels of mannose, glucose, galactose, ribose, rhamnose and myo-inositol which might help to maintain osmotic adjustment, membranes and proteins protection from the damaging effect of reactive oxygen species. Sugar metabolism related genes (VfNINV3, VfPHS2, VfFRK4, VfHXK1, VfGPI1, VfSTP1.1, VfpGlcT1.1, VfSTP5.1, VfpGlcT1.2, VfSWEET2.1, VfVINV2, VfSUS1, VfPGM1, VfSUT1.1, VfGPT1, VfSPS1, VfSPP1, VfPHS1, VfSUT4.1 and VfTMT1.1) were differentially expressed in both cultivars demonstrating their important roles in sugar accumulation. Most of these genes were upregulated in the leaves of Bachar under moderate and severe stress, which could lead to increase glycolysis and tricarboxylic acid cycle in order to accelerate energy production, necessary to increase osmotic regulation and consequently enhancing the osmotic stress tolerance in that cultivar. Overall, sugars accumulation ability can be used as a useful indicator for the osmotic stress tolerant potential in faba bean breeding programs. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at (10.1007/s12298-021-00935-1).

Owing to rapid global climate change, the occurrence of multiple abiotic stresses is known to influence the outburst of biotic stress factors which affects crop productivity. Therefore, it is essential to understand the molecular and cell biology of key genes associated with multiple stress responses in crop plants. SlHyPRP1 and DEA1, the members of eight-cysteine motif (8CM) family genes have been recently identified as putative regulators of multiple stress responses in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). In order to gain deeper insight into cell and molecular biology of SlHyPRP1 and DEA1, we performed their expression analysis in three tomato cultivars and in vivo cell biological analysis. The semi-quantitative PCR and qRT-PCR results showed the higher expression of SlHyPRP1 and DEA1 in leaf, stem, flower and root tissues as compared to fruit and seed tissues in all three cultivars. The expression levels of SlHyPRP1 and DEA1 were found to be relatively higher in a wilt susceptible tomato cultivar (Arka Vikas) than a multiple disease resistant cultivar (Arka Abhed). In vivo cell biological analysis through Gateway cloning and Bi-FC assay revealed the predominant sub-cellular localization and strong protein–protein interaction of SlHyPRP1 and DEA1 at the cytoplasm and plasma membrane. Moreover, SlHyPRP1 showed in vivo interaction with stress responsive proteins WRKY3 and MST1. Our findings suggest that SlHyPRP1 with DEA1 are co-expressed with tissue specificity and might function together by association with WRKY3 and MST1 in plasma membrane for regulating multiple stress responses in the tomato plant. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s12298-020-00913-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), a mercantile crop plant, is grown worldwide for fiber and seed oil. As with other economically important crops, cotton is bogged down with many biotic and abiotic stress factors. Towards this, genetic engineering offers numerous protocols to engineer plants for better resilience. However, recalcitrance of cotton to plant tissue culture has been the major constraint for successful in vitro regeneration. Hence, alternate methods that evade tissue culture regeneration have been envisaged. Non tissue culture-based in planta transformation strategies are in vogue due to amenability and ease in the generation of transgenic plants. In the present study, we demonstrate the utility of an in planta transformation protocol and establishment of a stringent selection agent-based screening for the identification of transgenics. The genotype independent nature of the protocol was validated in cotton cv. Pusa 8–6 using GFP. Preliminary transformation efficiency of 28% was achieved with a screening efficiency of 20% in the presence of hygromycin. The proof of T-DNA integration by various molecular and expression analysis in T1 and T2 generations proved that this technique can be employed to generate transgenic cotton.

Caragana microphylla is a leguminosae plant and grows mainly in semi-arid areas of northwest China and Mongolia. However, the lack of studies on C. microphylla reference genes limits the accurate understanding of the molecular biology mechanisms in this crop under abiotic stresses. In this study, we selected nine candidate genes from salt-treated C. microphylla transcriptome data and evaluated their stability by using geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, and RefFinder in salt and drought conditions. In addition, the relative expressions of Delta 1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthase 2 (P5CS2) and Catalase 2 (CAT2) were examined to confirm the stability of the candidate reference genes. As a results, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase C2 (GAPC2) and 26S proteasome regulatory subunit (RPN5) were the most stable in both salt and drought treatments. The relative expression of P5CS2 and CAT2 also showed more stable levels in normalization by GAPC2 and RPN5 than the most unstable gene, Ubiquitin 4 (UBQ4). Therefore, it is believed that these candidate reference genes selected and validated in our study could be used to study the molecular biological study of response to salt and drought stress in C. microphylla. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s12298-020-00874-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Leafy mustard (B. juncea var. rugosa) constitutes an important group of vegetable mustard crops in India and is mainly cultivated in home-backyard and hilly regions of Uttarakhand and some North-eastern states. In the present study, various agro-morphological traits, physiological and biochemical traits along with SSR markers were used for genetic diversity evaluation in a germplasm collection of leafy mustard. This study revealed a significant variation among 59 accessions of leafy mustard in both qualitative and quantitative agro-morphological traits indicating the accessions’ promising potential for consumption purpose and for use in breeding programs. Maximum variability was recorded for leaf area elongation rate (CV = 53.12%), followed by total plant weight (TPW) (CV = 50.63%) and seed yield per plant (CV = 44.33%). In molecular analysis, 155 SSRs evaluated resulted in 482 alleles and the number of alleles varied form 1 to 8 with an average of 3.11 alleles per marker. A total of 122 (78.70%) SSRs resulted into polymorphic amplicons. PIC value varied from 0.32 to 0.77 with an average value of 0.44 per SSR locus. The unweighted neighbour-joining-based dendrogram analysis divided all the 59 accessions into two major groups on the basis of both agro-morphological traits and SSR markers, whereas, three subpopulations/subgroups were predicted by population STRUCTURE analysis. AMOVA indicated the presence of more variability within population than among population. Overall, agro-morphologically better performing and genetically diverse genotypes have been identified which could be further used as donors for leafy mustard improvement programs.

SOS5locus, encodes cell wall adhesion protein under salt stress conditions in plants, and it is required for normal cell expansion as well as for sustaining cell wall integrity and structure. However, it is still unknown how this gene locus-ABA cross-talk and interacts with the antioxidant mechanism under salt stress conditions. For this purpose, the study focused on mutantsos5-1plant treated with ABA under NaCl stress and observed its growth and development as well as stomatal aperture, lipid peroxidation, proline, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and ABA contents, and some antioxidant enzyme activities. In addition, the expression levels of ABA related genes have been analysed by RT-PCR after stress application. According to findings,sos5-1mutant plants treated with ABA under salt stress resulted in eliminated cellular damage compared to those which are solely exposed to salt stress; other observations include closing of stomata, decreased H(2)O(2)content, increased amount of proline, and similarity with the wild type due to induced antioxidant enzyme activities. Besides, both ABA biosynthetic and inducible gene expressions of the mutant plant under salt stress were lower compared to the control, and catabolism gene expression was higher. As a result,SOS5gene in synergy with ABA, scavenge the ROS by stimulating antioxidant system, leads to an increase in stress related gene expressions and thus contributes to salinity tolerance. This study is significant in the way that it shows howSOS5gene locus, under salt stress conditions, interacts with antioxidant system in sustaining cell wall integrity. WOS:000564296900001 2-s2.0-85089961644 PubMed: 32943819

Shelf-life of paddy straw mushroom could be extended to 3 days by pre-cooling mushrooms in air at 14 °C for 2 h followed by packing in 75 µ thick high impact polystyrene punnets with 1.2% perforations as primary package and subsequently stored in expanded polystyrene (EPS) cabinet as secondary package. The EPS cabinet has been designed for transportation of mushroom with ice as cooling aid to maintain the optimum storage temperature. Temperature profile inside the cabinet was studied under no-load and full-load condition. The temperature inside the cabinet with 6 kg pre-cooled paddy straw mushroom (packed in 24 number of punnets @ 250 g mushroom per punnet having 1.2% perforations) and 6 kg ice in the partition chamber, was maintained at optimum storage temperature of 15 ± 2 °C (92 ± 1% RH) up to 18 h. Results of the study suggest that the technology could be successfully adopted by the paddy straw mushroom growers and traders for storage, transportation and marketing for loss reduction and higher return.

Made available in DSpace on 2020-12-12T02:46:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2020-08-01 Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Soil waterlogging is a common problem in some agricultural areas, including regions under soybean (Glycine max) cultivation. In waterlogged soils, soil O2 depletion occurs due to aerobic microorganisms and plants, affecting the metabolic and physiological processes of plants after suffering anoxia in their root tissue. Another harmful factor in this situation is the exponential increase in the availability of iron (Fe) in the soil, which may result in absorption of excess Fe. The present study sought to evaluate the response mechanisms in soybean leaves ‘Agroeste 3680’ by physiological and biochemical analyses associating them with the development of pods in non-waterlogged and waterlogged soil, combined with one moderate and two toxic levels of Fe. Gas exchange was strongly affected by soil waterlogging. Excess Fe without soil waterlogging reduced photosynthetic pigments, and potentiated this reduction when associated with soil waterlogging. Starch and ureide accumulation in the first newly expanded trifoliate leaves proved to be response mechanisms induced by soil waterlogging and excess Fe, since plants cultivated under soil non-waterlogged soil at 25 mg dm−3 Fe showed lower contents when compared to stressed plants. Thus, starch and ureide accumulation could be considered efficient biomarkers of phytotoxicity caused by soil waterlogging and excess Fe in soybean plants. The reproductive development was abruptly interrupted by the imposition of stresses, leading to a loss of pod dry biomass, which was largely due to the substantial decrease in the net photosynthetic rate, as expressed by area (A), the blockage of carbohydrate transport to sink tissues and an increase of malondialdehyde (MDA). The negative effect on reproductive development was more pronounced under waterlogged soil. São Paulo State University (UNESP) University of Western São Paulo (UNOESTE) São Paulo State University (UNESP) CAPES: 001 FAPESP: 2018 / 17380-4

The two biological evidences to endorse the antiviral activity of RNA interference (RNAi) are biogenesis of viral-siRNA (v-siRNA) by the host and encoding of RNAi-suppressor protein by viral genome. It has been recently established that mammals and mammalian cell lines mount antiviral RNAi to defend themselves against the invading viruses. The large part of viral pathogenicity is also due to the RNAi suppressor proteins. In this context it is only natural to ask what kinds of RNAi suppressors are encoded by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the central character of the present pandemic. The following mini review addresses this question.

A pot experiment was conducted to study the selenium (Se) accumulation characteristics and the tolerance of Cyphomandra betacea (Solanum betaceum) seedlings under different soil Se concentrations. The 5 mg/kg soil Se concentration increased the C. betacea seedling biomass and photosynthetic pigment contents (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, and carotenoid), whereas the other soil Se concentrations (10, 25, and 50 mg/kg) inhibited seedling growth. Increases in the soil Se concentrations tended to decrease the superoxide dismutase activity and soluble protein content, but had the opposite effect on the peroxidase and catalase activities. The 5, 10, and 25 mg/kg soil Se concentrations decreased the DNA methylation levels of C. betacea seedlings because of an increase in demethylation patterns (versus 0 mg/kg), whereas the 50 mg/kg soil Se concentration increased the DNA methylation levels because of an increase in hypermethylation patterns (versus 0 mg/kg). Increases in the soil Se concentrations were accompanied by an increasing trend in the Se content of C. betacea seedlings. Moreover, the amount of Se extracted by the shoots was highest for the 25 mg/kg soil Se concentration. Therefore, C. betacea may be able to accumulate relatively large amounts of Se and its growth may be promoted in 5 mg/kg soil Se.

Rice is a daily staple for half of the world’s population. However, rice grains are poor in micronutrients such as Fe and Zn, the two most commonly deficient minerals in the human diet. In plants, Fe and Zn must be absorbed from the soil, distributed and stored, so that their concentrations are maintained at sufficient but non-toxic levels. The understanding of mechanisms of Fe and Zn homeostasis in plants has the potential to benefit agriculture, improving the use of micronutrients by plants, as well as to indicate approaches that aim at biofortification of the grains. ZIP transporters are commonly associated with Zn uptake, but there are few reports about their physiological relevance in planta. Here we describe a Tos17 loss-of-function line for the Zn plasma membrane transporter OsZIP7 (oszip7). We showed that the absence of functional OsZIP7 leads to deregulated Zn partitioning, increasing Zn accumulation in roots but decreasing in shoots and seeds. We also demonstrated that, upon Zn deficiency, oszip7 plants slightly increase their photosynthetic performance, suggesting that these plants might be primed for Zn deficiency which makes them more tolerant. On the other hand, we found that Zn excess is more deleterious to oszip7 plants compared to wild type, which may be linked to secondary effects in concentrations of other elements such as Fe. Our data suggest that OsZIP7 is important for Zn homeostasis under physiological Zn concentrations, and that Fe homeostasis might be affected due to loss of function of OsZIP7.

The present study aimed at investigating the kinetic of inhibition of isoproturon to the GSH-associated enzymes [γ-glutamyl-cysteine synthetase (γ-GCS), glutathione synthetase (GS), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX)] in wheat. Isoproturon, applied to 10-day-old seedlings for the following 12 days, provoked significant reductions in shoot fresh and dry weights, protein, thiols and glutathione (GSH); however, oxidized glutathione (GSSG) was elevated while GSH/GSSG ratio was declined with concomitant significant inhibitions in the activities of γ-GCS, GS, GR, GST and GPX; the effect was time dependent. IC50 and Ki values of isoproturon were lowest for GPX, highest for both GST and GR, and moderate for both γ-GCS and GS. The herbicide markedly decreased Vmax of γ-GCS, GS and GPX but unchanged that of GST and GR; however, Km of γ-GCS, GS, GST and GR increased but unchanged for GPX. The pattern of response of changing Vmax, Km, Vmax/Km, kcat and kcat/Km for in vivo and in vitro tests of each enzyme seemed most likely similar. These results indicate that a malfunction to defense system was induced in wheat by isoproturon resulting in inhibitions in GSH-associated enzymes, the magnitude of inhibition was most pronounced in GPX followed by γ-GCS, GS, GST, and GR. These findings could conclude that isoproturon competitively inhibited GST and GR; however, the inhibition was noncompetitive for GPX but mixed for both γ-GCS and GS.