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Summary While flowering plants have diversified in virtually every terrestrial clime, climate constrains the distribution of individual lineages. Overcoming climatic constraints may be associated with diverse evolutionary phenomena including whole genome duplication (WGD), gene‐tree conflict, and life‐history changes. Climatic shifts may also have facilitated increases in flowering plant diversification rates. We investigate climatic shifts in the flowering plant order Ericales, which consists of c. 14 000 species with diverse climatic tolerances. We estimate phylogenetic trees from transcriptomic data, 64 chloroplast loci, and Angiosperms353 nuclear loci that, respectively, incorporate 147, 4508, and 2870 Ericales species. We use these phylogenetic trees to analyse how climatic shifts are associated with WGD, gene‐tree conflict, life‐history, and diversification rates. Early branches in the phylogenetic trees are extremely short, and have high levels of gene‐tree conflict and at least one WGD. On lineages descended from these early branches, there is a significant association between climatic shifts (primarily out of tropical climates), further WGDs, and life‐history. Extremely short early branches, and their associated gene‐tree conflict and WGDs, appear to underpin the explosive origin of numerous species rich Ericales clades. The evolution of diverse climatic tolerances in these species rich clades is tightly associated with WGD and life‐history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immunity and flowering are energy-consuming processes. However, the mechanism underlying the balance between immunity and flowering remains to be elucidated. Here, we report that the E3 ligase ideal plant architecture 1 interactor 1 (IPI1) controls rice immunity and flowering via two different pathways, one dependent on and another independent of its E3 ligase activity. We found that IPI1, a RING-finger E3 ligase, interacts with another E3 ligase, AvrPiz-t-interacting protein 6 (APIP6), and protects APIP6 from degradation by preventing APIP6's self-ubiquitination. Stabilization of APIP6 by IPI1 requires no IPI1 E3 ligase activity and leads to degradation of APIP6 substrates via the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS). Meanwhile, IPI1 directly ubiquitinates OsELF3-1 and OsELF3-2, two homologs of EARLY FLOWERING3 (ELF3), targeting them for degradation via the 26S proteasome. IPI1 knockout plants display early flowering but compromised resistance to rice blast. Thus, IPI1 balances rice immunity and flowering via both E3 ligase-dependent and -independent pathways. [Display omitted] • IPI1 functions dependent on or independent of its E3 ligase activity • IPI1 protects APIP6 from degradation, independent of its E3 ligase activity • IPI1 promotes the degradation of OsELF3-1/OsELF3-2 dependent on its E3 ligase activity • IPI1 balances rice immunity and flowering Yi et al. demonstrate that the E3 ligase IPI1 inhibits flowering time by promoting the degradation of OsELF3-1, dependent on its E3 ligase activity, and enhances rice immunity by ubiquitinating OsELF3-2 and stabilizing APIP6, dependent and independent of its E3 ligase activity, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollination is critical for crop development, especially those essential for subsistence. This study addresses the pollination challenges faced by Actinidia, a dioecious plant characterized by female and male flowers on separate plants. Despite the high protein content of pollen, the absence of nectar in kiwifruit flowers poses difficulties in attracting pollinators. Consequently, there is a growing interest in using artificial intelligence and robotic solutions to enable pollination even in unfavourable conditions. These robotic solutions must be able to accurately detect flowers and discern their genders for precise pollination operations. Specifically, upon identifying female Actinidia flowers, the robotic system should approach the stigma to release pollen, while male Actinidia flowers should target the anthers to collect pollen. We identified two primary research gaps: (1) the lack of gender-based flower detection methods and (2) the underutilisation of contemporary deep learning models in this domain. To address these gaps, we evaluated the performance of four pretrained models (YOLOv8, YOLOv5, RT-DETR and DETR) in detecting and determining the gender of Actinidia flowers. We outlined a comprehensive methodology and developed a dataset of manually annotated flowers categorized into two classes based on gender. Our evaluation utilised k-fold cross-validation to rigorously test model performance across diverse subsets of the dataset, addressing the limitations of conventional data splitting methods. DETR provided the most balanced overall performance, achieving precision, recall, F1 score and mAP of 89%, 97%, 93% and 94%, respectively, highlighting its robustness in managing complex detection tasks under varying conditions. These findings underscore the potential of deep learning models for effective gender-specific detection of Actinidia flowers, paving the way for advanced robotic pollination systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the relationship between flower longevity, size, and ecophysiological traits in a tropical montane ecosystem. It discusses how larger, more conspicuous flowers attract pollinators better, increasing outcrossing probability. The study found that flower longevity is positively correlated with petal mass per area and petal thickness, indicating that longer-lived flowers are more expensive to build. Additionally, the research suggests that flower biomass and water conservation traits are linked to flower longevity and size, impacting pollination success and potentially being influenced by abiotic factors. [Extracted from the article]

ABSTRACT Phenotypic plasticity is the property of a genotype to produce different phenotypes under different environmental conditions. Understanding genetic and environmental factors behind phenotypic plasticity helps answer some longstanding biology questions and improve phenotype prediction. In this study, we investigated the phenotypic plasticity of flowering time and plant height with a set of diverse sorghum lines evaluated across 14 natural field environments. An environmental index was identified to quantitatively connect the environments. Reaction norms were then obtained with the identified indices for genetic dissection of phenotypic plasticity and performance prediction. Genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) detected different sets of loci for reaction‐norm parameters (intercept and slope), including 10 new genomic regions in addition to known maturity (Ma1) and dwarfing genes (Dw1, Dw2, Dw3, Dw4 and qHT7.1). Cross‐validations under multiple scenarios showed promising results in predicting diverse germplasm in dynamic environments. Additional experiments conducted at four new environments, including one from a site outside of the geographical region of the initial environments, further validated the predictions. Our findings indicate that identifying the environmental index enriches our understanding of gene‐environmental interplay underlying phenotypic plasticity, and that genomic prediction with the environmental dimension facilitates prediction‐guided breeding for future environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Soil salinity is a serious environmental threat to plant growth and flowering. Flowering in the right place, at the right time, ensures maximal reproductive success for plants. Salinity‐delayed flowering is considered a stress coping/survival strategy and the molecular mechanisms underlying this process require further studies to enhance the crop's salt tolerance ability. A nuclear pore complex (NPC) component, HIGH EXPRESSION OF OSMOTICALLY RESPONSIVE GENE 1 (HOS1), has been recognized as a negative regulator of plant cold responses and flowering. Here, we challenged the role of HOS1 in regulating flowering in response to salinity stress. Interestingly, we discovered that HOS1 can directly interact with and ubiquitinate transcription factor SPL9 (SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN‐LIKE 9) to promote its protein degradation in response to salinity stress. Moreover, we demonstrated that HOS1 and SPL9 antagonistically regulate plant flowering under both normal and salt stress conditions. HOS1 was further shown to negatively regulate the expression of SPLs and several key flowering genes in response to salinity stress. These results jointly revealed that HOS1 is an important integrator in the process of modulating salinity‐delayed flowering, thus offering new perspectives on a salinity stress coping strategy of plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollination is a key tenet of ecosystem sustainability and food security, but it is threatened by climate change. While many studies investigated the response of plant‐pollination traits to temperature, few attempted multifactorial and integrative approaches with multiple floral traits. We determined which plant‐pollination traits were disrupted by environmental changes and the consequence for plant fitness. We focused on the thermogenic plant, Arum italicum, which relies on floral scent and heat production to attract its pollinators with a deceptive strategy. In a field mesocosm, we measured the response of floral phenology, thermogenesis traits, scent and plant fitness to experimental changes in shade level, water supply and soil temperature. In the laboratory, we exposed plants to extreme heat to determine the thermoregulation ability at high temperatures. Plant fitness decreased dramatically in response to soil warming and the level of shade. While both factors caused a lower number of inflorescences, soil warming was mostly responsible for the crash in number of fruits. The plant traits related to thermogenesis and scent were relatively resilient to the environmental changes in the mesocosm and were unlikely to produce the observed decrease in plant fitness. First, environmental changes only weakly modified the scent composition. Second, the appendix regulated its maximal temperature almost perfectly, while stamen regulated imperfectly. In the laboratory experiment, the appendix maintained a thermal gradient supposedly to improve scent emission while stamen became cooler than ambient air, possibly preventing the pollinators from overheating within the floral chamber. By contrast, the phenology of flowering was drastically modified. Flowers appeared earlier in the season in response to soil warming (by 39 days) or absence of shade (by 19 days). At the daily scale, flowering hour did not change across the season resulting in plants flowering before sunset late in the season and before the pollinator activity window (mostly nocturnal). The strong shift observed in the flowering period may induce a temporal mismatch with this pollinator both early and late in the season when the insects may not be active so early in the spring and during daytime, respectively, thereby altering plant fitness. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Cephalaria syriaca, known as cephalaria, is an annual, pilose plant with pink‐purple flowers growing wild in wheat fields. Viscoelastic properties of gluten‐free doughs can be improved by adding cephalaria. However, this addition results in some undesirable properties in bread such as bitter taste and dark internal colour. This study aimed to reduce these effects by obtaining cephalaria obtained from distilled water and ethanol extracts and to increase the potential use of extracts in bread production. Different proportions of water and ethanol extracts obtained from oil‐free cephalaria were added to bread by creating a model with Mixture Design, and the optimum concentration was determined by farinograph trials. The antioxidative, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic effects of extract and the effect of cephalaria on yeast activity were examined. Cephalaria extracts had no measurable antimicrobial effect and no antifungal effect on Rhizopus stolonifer, while an antifungal effect was found against A. niger and P. expansum. The IC50 value was found to be 4.15 mg mL−1 for ethanol extract while the water extract had no effect on cells. The addition of extract had no negative effect on the number of yeasts in sourdough fermentation. The study has improved the usage of cephalaria by using water and ethanol extracts in dough. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinnia elegans of Family Asteraceae is a flowering plant grown widely in gardens in Indonesia. The plant is also often integrated into pest management of different agricultural commodities as its colourful flowers may attract beneficial insects including natural enemies. A total of eight viral symptomatic and four non-symptomatic Z. elegans samples were collected from four districts in Kulon Progo and Sleman Regencies of Special Region of Yogyakarta. They were molecularly tested using two universal primer pairs for begomoviruses, and two specific primer pairs for cucumber mosaic virus (CMV, Cucumovirus) detections. The eight symptomatic samples were all positive for CMV but negative for begomoviruses infections. The four non-symptomatic samples were tested negative to begomoviruses and CMV. Partial RNA2 and RNA3 segments of four CMV isolates were sequenced to demonstrate that they are members of subgroup IB. 4Ze-Ngaglik isolate was shown to be mechanically transmitted to healthy Z. elegans and cucumber cv. Baresta (Cucumis sativus). To the best of our knowledge, this report confirmed the first CMV occurrence in Z. elegans in Indonesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Flowering time is a key agronomic trait that directly affects soybean yield. Both APETALA1 (AP1) and SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CO 1 (SOC1) regulate flowering time in soybean, but their genetic and regulatory relationships have not been clarified. Here, we report that AP1c physically interacted with two SOC1 proteins, SOC1a and SOC1b, and that these SOC1s upregulated the expression of AP1c, promoting flowering. Moreover, AP1c repressed the expression of the SOC1s by directly binding to their promoters, thus preventing plants from flowering too early. These findings indicate that AP1c and SOC1s form a regulatory feedback loop that regulates flowering time. Importantly, we identified an exceptional allele, AP1cG, that was selected for during soybean domestication and promotes the early‐flowering phenotype in cultivated soybean. Collectively, our work identifies a previously unknown allelic combination potentially useful for both classical and molecular soybean breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Premise: Agriculture expansion, livestock, and global change have transformed biological communities and altered, through aerosols and direct deposition, N:P balance in soils of inter‐Andean valleys, potentially affecting flowering phenology of many species and thereby flowering synchrony and plant reproduction. Methods: We evaluated the influence of variation in temperature and moisture along the local elevational gradient and treatments with the addition of N and P and grazing on flowering synchrony and reproduction of Croton, a dominant shrub of the inter‐Andean dry scrub. Along the elevational gradient (300 m difference between the lowest and highest site), we set up plots with and without grazing nested with four nutrient treatments: control and addition of N or P alone or combined N + P. We recorded the number of female and male flowers in bloom monthly from September 2017 to August 2019 to calculate flowering synchrony. We assessed fruiting, seed mass, and pre‐dispersal seed predation. Results: Higher growing‐season soil temperatures, which were negatively associated with local elevation and higher nitrogen availability promoted flowering synchrony of Croton, particularly among larger plants. Greater flowering synchrony, high soil temperatures, and addition of N + P resulted in production of more fruits of Croton, but also intensified pre‐dispersal seed predation. Conclusions: Temperature, availability of moisture throughout the elevational gradient, and nutrient manipulation affected flowering synchrony, which subsequently affected production of fruits in Croton. These results emphasize the critical role of current anthropogenic changes in climate and nutrient availability on flowering synchrony and reproduction of Croton, a dominant plant of the inter‐Andean scrub. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fire is a major ecological and evolutionary factor promoting biodiversity and maintaining functioning of naturally fire-prone ecosystems. In tropical savannas, plant communities show a set of fire-adapted traits and both flowering and pollination services have the potential to rapidly regenerate after fire, but fire-suppression policies may disrupt this adaptability following potential woody encroachment. Understanding the effects of fire on plant–pollinator interactions are required to advance conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. We evaluated the dynamics of plant community assemblage, flower availability, composition of flower functional traits associated with attractiveness to pollinators, and activity and diversity of insect pollinator guilds over ten post-fire stand ages along a 14-year chronosequence in a naturally burned region in the Cerrado, a megadiverse savanna in Brazil. We expect to find a high resilience of plant-pollinator communities and a steady decline in the successional recovery as time-since-fire proceeds. Along the post-fire chronosequence, vegetation was dominated by subshrubs with tubular, white, and nectar flowers arranged in inflorescences, while bees were the predominant pollinators. Plant assemblage and flower number showed an initial significant increase but monotonically declined after 7–9 years after fire. Accordingly, pollinator richness and abundance significantly reached highest peaks in interim periods and a steady decline over time. In contrast, the frequency of community-wide plant-life form, flower functional traits, and pollinator diversity remained unaltered over the post-fire chronosequence. We added compelling evidence of a high post-fire resilience of plant-pollinator communities and further understanding of how fire-suppression policies may affect pollination in the Cerrado. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two common challenges reported by cannabis growers are low yields and small profit margins. Although recent research of cannabis yield has focused on lighting and nutrition, little research has examined how changes in other cultivation practices may be beneficial. The objective of this study was to evaluate the following two techniques to potentially improve yield: fertilizer restriction (FR) to reduce plant size and, thus, increase plant density and shoot number manipulation (SNM) to reduce shoot length and improve biomass partitioning. The FR technique involves leaching the substrate and providing only tap water for 0, 1, or 2 weeks at the start of flower initiation, whereas SNM involves pinching shoot tips 2, 3, or 4 times to produce 4, 8, or 16 shoots/plant, respectively. This study used a full factorial treatment design for a total of nine treatments (three FR × three SNM). Plants were flowered under 12-hour photoperiods for 8 weeks and then destructively harvested for data collection. The results demonstrated that both techniques improve plant productivity in different ways. The FR technique reduced all mass measurements (g/plant) and decreased plant area (m² /plant); therefore, the yield metrics (kg·m-2 ) increased with the increasing FR treatments. The SNM technique did not affect plant area, but more pinching events resulted in a decrease in reproductive shoot length (cm/shoot) and an increase in inflorescence to trim the dry mass ratio (inflorescence:trim). Shorter shoot lengths are desirable for eliminating trellis support netting, which helps growers reduce material costs and improve labor efficiency during harvest. Increasing the inflorescence:trim may also reduce labor costs related to trimming, which comprise the largest cost of production by many growers. Although both techniques offer advantages, there are trade-offs that must be considered in the context of overall profitability [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The essential oils were isolated from Thymus serpyllum L. leaves, stem, flowers and whole plant using hydrodistillation technique and % yield was determined. The chemical constituents were studied using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and Gas Chromatography-Flame Ionisation Detection. The analysis revealed the presence of 38 compounds in the essential oils obtained from different plant parts. Identification of compounds was achieved by detailed analysis of mass spectrum and retention indices. The major constituents of essential oil from the whole plant were thymol (35.25%), p-cymene (27.57%), thymol acetate (8.03%) and γ-terpinene (6.92%). In leaves they were thymol (45.59%), p-cymene (24.26%), thymol acetate (6.41%), and β-bisabolene (5.91%); whereas in flowers these were thymol (68.74%) and thymol acetate (7.40%) and in the stem, these were thymol (55.15%) and thymol acetate (8.01%). Specifically, it is the first report wherein essential oil constituents of T. serpyllum L. whole plant, leaves, flowers, and stems have been analyzed separately. Further, fundamental analysis of complex mass fragmentation patterns of terpenes and terpenoids using EI-MS has been achieved and the logical reason for the fragmentation pattern has been elaborated. Detailed elaboration of the mass fragmentation pattern may strengthen the EI-MS-based compound identification of terpenes and terpenoids from essential oils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is strong evidence that landscape‐scale factors such as habitat diversity, composition and configuration are important drivers of declines in pollinators and pollination services. However, context and species‐specific responses make it challenging to draw general conclusions about the most important components of landscapes that support diverse and abundant pollinator communities. In this study, we took a functional‐traits approach to community assembly and tested the hypothesis that landscape properties act most strongly on pollinators indirectly, through their influence on flowering plant communities. Using plant and pollinator data from 96 landscapes in Britain, we tested the associations between plant and pollinator communities and local environmental factors, such as habitat cover and configuration, using path analysis based on Mantel and partial Mantel statistics. When all pollinators were considered, we found that the environmental factors had stronger links to the composition of flowering plant communities than to the composition of pollinator communities. Further, the flowering plant community was strongly linked to the pollinator community suggesting a mediating role between land use and pollinators. When separating the pollinator community into taxonomic groups, we found the same result for hoverflies, but wild bees were linked to both environmental factors and flowering plants. We further explored these links with structural equation models using the response‐effect trait framework as a guiding principle. We found strong evidence that land‐use composition and configuration influence the trait distribution and functional diversity of the pollinator community via plant community composition. These findings suggest that the indirect effect of land use on pollinators via flowering plants should be considered in informing the design of pollinator friendly landscapes and in future research of the effects of land use and management on wild pollinators. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Polycomb group (PcG) proteins are essential gene repressors in higher eukaryotes. However, how PcG proteins mediate transcriptional regulation of specific genes remains unknown. LIKE HETEROCHROMATIN PROTEIN 1 (LHP1), as a component of Polycomb Repression Complexes (PRC), epigenetically mediates several plant developmental processes together with PcG proteins. We observed physical interaction between MYB73 and LHP1 in vitro and in vivo. Genetic analysis indicated that myb73 mutants showed slightly late flowering, and the lhp1‐3 myb73‐2 double mutant exhibited delayed flowering and downregulated FT expression compared to lhp1‐3. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and yeast one‐hybrid assays revealed that MYB73 preferentially binds to the FT promoter. Additionally, our protoplast transient assays demonstrated that MYB73 activates to the FT promoter. Interestingly, the LHP1‐MYB73 interaction is necessary to repress the FT promoter, suggesting that the LHP1‐MYB73 interaction prevents FT activation by MYB73 in Arabidopsis. Our results show an example in which a chromatin regulator affects transcriptional regulation by negatively regulating a transcription factor through direct interaction. Significance Statement: A flowering mechanism was prominent in various plants. FT plays a crucial regulator in the flowering mechanism. It is essential to uncover the FT regulation mechanisms to regulate the flowering time in plants. We described here how to regulate FT expression by MYB73 and LHP1 via protein–protein interaction. MYB73 associates with the FT promoter and activates FT expression. However, LHP1 interaction with MYB73 inhibits MYB73‐mediated FT activation in Arabidopsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the need for improved monitoring of plants and pollinators in response to the challenges posed by pollution, climate change, and habitat loss. The current methods of collecting occurrence data are limited in their ability to detect short-term trends and monitor conservation efforts. The symposium held in Paris aimed to assess existing monitoring schemes, identify gaps, and propose guidelines for improvement. The article emphasizes the importance of coordinated efforts, technological innovations, and international collaboration in monitoring and conserving plant and pollinator populations. [Extracted from the article]

BACKGROUND: Apolygus lucorum is one of the most important piercing‐sucking insect pests of the tea plant In this study, we assessed the attractiveness of basil plants to A. lucorum and the effectiveness of Ocimum gratissimum L. in the control of A. lucorum. The control efficiency of main volatile chemicals emitted from O. gratissimum flowers was also evaluated. RESULTS: Among seven basil varieties, O. gratissimum was more attractive to A. lucorum adults and was selected as a trap plant to assess its attractiveness to A. lucorum and effects on natural enemies in tea plantations. The population density of A. lucorum on trap strips of O. gratissimum in tea plantations was significantly higher than that on tea at 10–20 m away from the trap strips. Intercropping O. gratissimum with tea plants, at high‐density significantly reduced A. lucorum population levels. Eucalyptol, limonene, β‐ocimene, and linalool were the four dominant components in the O. gratissimum flower volatiles, and their emissions showed a gradual upward trend over the sampling period. Olfactometer assays indicated that eucalyptol and dodecane showed attraction to A. lucorum. High numbers of A. lucorum were recorded on limonene, eucalyptol, and myrcene‐baited yellow sticky traps in field trials in which 11 dominant volatiles emitted by O. gratissimum flowers were evaluated. CONCLUSION: Our research indicated that the aromatic plant O. gratissimum and its volatiles could attract A. lucorum and planting O. gratissimum has the potential as a pest biocontrol method to manipulate A. lucorum populations in tea plantations. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article, titled "Measuring Heat Tolerance in a Sterilizing 'Anther-Smut' Pathogen of Wild Plants," explores the impact of increasing temperatures on the interaction between the herbaceous plant Silene latifolia and its fungal pathogen Microbotryum lychnidis-dioicae. The study investigates how temperature affects the growth, infection, and sporulation of the pathogen, as well as the survival and flowering of the host plant. The findings suggest that high temperatures suppress the life stages of the pathogen while not affecting the host, indicating a potential decline in the disease in the future. The article includes photographs illustrating the study and was published in the Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America. [Extracted from the article]

Anther smuts are fungal diseases that have detrimental effects on the biology of their host plants. We investigated the transmission of Anther smut Antherospora vindobonensis to its host, Scilla vindobonensis under natural and laboratory conditions. Plants flowering early in spring were less vulnerable to disease (∼ 20–30% of plants which appeared early in the season were diseased) than flowers that bloom at the end of the season (∼ 60% of plants which appeared late in the season were diseased) which contradicts the patterns observed for other anther smuts species. Diseased plants showed thicker stems, lower nectar production and smaller flower radius than healthy plants. The disease prevalence in S. vindobonensis was not influenced by plant density. The production of spores in diseased flowers was 125 times higher than the production of pollen in healthy flowers. The number of pollen grains attached to pollinator bodies from healthy plants under controlled conditions was similar to the number of spores attached from diseased plants. Experienced honeybees in the field showed almost identical preferences for healthy plants (65%) over diseased ones, as did naïve bumblebees under controlled laboratory conditions (69%). eDNA metabarcoding revealed that healthy flowers attracted a significantly higher number of arthropod species (M = 6.23, SE = 1.48) than diseased flowers (M = 2.32, SE = 0.31). Strong seasonal differences in the risk of infection suggest that S. vindobonensis solves the trade-off between low pollinator availability and low risk of infection at the beginning of the season and high risk of infection and high pollinator availability at the end of season. By reproducing early in the season, plants can reduce the risk of disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenotypic plasticity and rapid evolution are fundamental processes by which organisms can maintain their function and fitness in the face of environmental changes. Here we quantified the plasticity and evolutionary potential of an alpine herb Wahlenbergia ceracea. Utilizing its mixed-mating system, we generated outcrossed and self-pollinated families that were grown in either cool or warm environments, and that had parents that had also been grown in either cool or warm environments. We then analysed the contribution of environmental and genetic factors to variation in a range of phenotypic traits including phenology, leaf mass per area, photosynthetic function, thermal tolerance, and reproductive fitness. The strongest effect was that of current growth temperature, indicating strong phenotypic plasticity. All traits except thermal tolerance were plastic, whereby warm-grown plants flowered earlier, grew larger, and produced more reproductive stems compared with cool-grown plants. Flowering onset and biomass were heritable and under selection, with early flowering and larger plants having higher relative fitness. There was little evidence for transgenerational plasticity, maternal effects, or genotype×environment interactions. Inbreeding delayed flowering and reduced reproductive fitness and biomass. Overall, we found that W. ceracea has the capacity to respond rapidly to climate warming via plasticity, and the potential for evolutionary change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resources salvaged when flowers wilt on a perennial plant could promote reproduction by, in preference order, the same flowers (Hypothesis 1), adjacent flowers on the same plant (Hypothesis 2), or during the next flowering season by the same plant (Hypothesis 3). We tested the above hypotheses for Blandfordia grandiflora, a perennial species, where some plants included flowers that were allowed to wilt, while equivalent flowers on other plants were prevented from wilting. The abilities of these plants to produce seed were determined by liberally pollinating all flowers. To test Hypotheses 1 and 2, seed set per flower and per plant were compared between plants with and without wilting flowers. To specifically test Hypothesis 3, reproduction was prevented in all flowers. For each experiment, flowering was monitored in the same plants during the next flowering season, thus also enabling Hypothesis 3 to be tested. The results were consistent with Hypothesis 3, but not with Hypotheses 1 and 2. Hence, we verified, for the first time, that plants may benefit from salvaging resources from wilting flowers and re‐using these resources for subsequent reproduction. However, contrary to expectations, plants re‐used these resources to promote reproduction during subsequent flowering, and not during current flowering by either the same flowers or other flowers on the same plant. The plants must have transferred resources from wilting flowers to underground corms and roots, which provided resources necessary for subsequent flowering. This is likely part of a general plant strategy to salvage resources invested in reproduction during one flowering season and reuse these resources during subsequent flowering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY “Jiaobai” is a symbiont of Zizania latifolia and Ustilago esculenta, producing fleshy galls as a popular vegetable in South and East Asia. Current “Jiaobai” cultivars exhibit abundant variation in their gall formation date; however, the underlying mechanism is not clear. In this study, a strict short‐day (SD) “Jiaobai” line “YD‐3” was used. Plants were treated with two day‐length regimes [14 h/10 h (day/night) (control) and 8 h/16 h (day/night) (SD)] from 100 to 130 days after planting. The gall swelling rate of the two treatments and another early SD treatment (from 60 to 90 days after planting), together with the contingent flowering plants in the experiment population, revealed that SD can improve both gall enlargement and flowering of “Jiaobai” plants. Comparison of RNA sequencing data among control, SD swelling, and SD flowering treatments of leaves and meristems indicated that SD promotion of “Jiaobai” swelling is conducted by the CONSTANS (CO)‐FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) pathway, similar but not identical to the SD‐induced flowering pathway in Z latifolia and rice. “Virus‐induced gene silencing”, “Yeast one‐hybrid assay” and “Dual‐luciferase assay” showed that a FT gene, ZlGsd1, is critical in SD promotion of gall formation and is positively regulated by a CO gene, ZlCOL1. Our study elucidated how photoperiod affects the formation of a unique organ produced by plant‐fungus symbiosis. The difference in SD response between “Jiaobai” and rice, as well as their potential applications in breeding of “Jiaobai” and rice, were also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research was conducted to investigate the efficacy of putrescine (PUT) treatment (0, 1, 2, and 4 mM) on improving morphophysiological and biochemical characteristics of Zinnia elegans "State Fair" flowers under salt stress (0, 50, and 100 mM NaCl). The experiment was designed in a factorial setting under completely randomized design with 4 replications. The results showed that by increasing the salt stress intensity, the stress index (SSI) increased while morphological traits such as plant height decreased. PUT treatments effectively recovered the decrease in plant height and flower quality compared to the not-treated plants. Treatment by PUT 2 mM under 50 and 100 mM salt stress levels reduced the SSI by 28 and 35%, respectively, and increased plant height by 20 and 27% compared to untreated plants (PUT 0 mM). 2 mM PUT treatment also had the greatest effect on increasing fresh and dry biomass, number and surface area of leaves, flower diameter, internodal length, leaf relative water content, protein contents, total chlorophyll contents, carotenoids, leaf potassium (K+) content, and K+/Na+ ratio in treated plants compared to untreated control plants. The treatment of 2 mM PUT decreased the electrolyte leakage, leaf sodium (Na+) content, H2O2, malondialdehyde, and proline content. Furthermore, PUT treatments increased the activity of defense-related enzymes including catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and phenylalanine ammonium lyase (PAL), and reduced the abscisic acid (ABA) content while increased the level of gibberellin (GA) content compared to untreated samples under all different levels of salinity stress. In this research, enhancing the plant's antioxidant system, increasing K+ absorption, K+/Na+ ratio, and reducing the ABA/GA ratio are likely the most important mechanisms of PUT treatment, which improved growth, and maintained the visual quality of zinnia flowers under salt stress conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Changes to flowering phenology are a key response of plants to climate change. However, we know little about how these changes alter temporal patterns of reproductive overlap (i.e. phenological reassembly).We combined long‐term field (1937–2012) and herbarium records (1850–2017) of 68 species in a flowering plant community in central North America and used a novel application of Bayesian quantile regression to estimate changes to flowering season length, altered richness and composition of co‐flowering assemblages, and whether phenological shifts exhibit seasonal trends.Across the past century, phenological shifts increased species' flowering durations by 11.5 d on average, which resulted in 94% of species experiencing greater flowering overlap at the community level. Increases to co‐flowering were particularly pronounced in autumn, driven by a greater tendency of late season species to shift the ending of flowering later and to increase flowering duration.Our results demonstrate that species‐level phenological shifts can result in considerable phenological reassembly and highlight changes to flowering duration as a prominent, yet underappreciated, effect of climate change. The emergence of an autumn co‐flowering mode emphasizes that these effects may be season‐dependent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing crop diversity is a way for agriculture to transition towards a more sustainable and biodiversity-friendly system. Growing buckwheat intercropped with paulownia can contribute not only to mitigating climate change but can also enrich the environment with species of agricultural importance, without causing a decline in pollinators, since buckwheat is pollinated mainly by the honeybee. In a field experiment comparing growing buckwheat with paulownia against a monoculture crop, we investigated differences in flower visitation and beekeeping value, as well as the associated impact on crop yields. We analysed the effect of intercropping on the beekeeping value of buckwheat in terms of bee population size and the sugar mass in buckwheat flowers, nectar mass in buckwheat flowers, the quality of the delivered raw sugar and biometric characteristics. We found significant differences in the number of branches on the main shoot and the total number of branches. Significantly higher parameters were obtained in sites with buckwheat monoculture. The cultivation method variant did not cause differentiation in either the structure elements or the yield itself. Yields ranged from 0.39 (2021) to 1.59 (2023) t·ha−1. The average yield in intercropping was slightly lower (0.02 t·ha−1) than in the monoculture system of buckwheat (0.93 t·ha−1). More flowers per plant per day of observation and more flowers in millions of flowers per hectare per day of observation were observed in the intercropping of buckwheat with paulownia. Based on our experiment, we concluded that growing buckwheat in monoculture significantly increased the number of flowers, resulting in an increase in pollinator density and an increased number of pollinators per unit area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the adaptation of flowers for bat pollination. It discusses the traits associated with bat-pollinated flowers, such as wide corollas, dull coloration, musty odors, and copious pollen. The study experimentally tests the hypothesis that increased exposure decreases foraging times for nectar bats. The results show that long stems and complex backgrounds lead to decreased foraging times, suggesting that well-exposed flowers are easier for bats to detect and locate. The article also discusses the potential role of echolocation and other sensory modalities in bat foraging behavior. The study provides raw data, images, a video, and an R script for statistical analyses. [Extracted from the article]

Inbreeding depression is likely to play an important role during biological invasion. But relatively few studies have investigated the fitness of selfed and outcrossed offspring in self-incompatible invasive plants in natural environments in their introduced range. Moreover, the majority of studies on inbreeding depression have investigated self-compatible species with mixed mating, and less is known about the intensity of inbreeding depression in outcrossing selfincompatible species. Here, we address these questions experimentally by comparing selfed and outcrossed progeny of purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) over four growing seasons, including three under field conditions in a freshwater marsh in southern Ontario, Canada, a region where L. salicaria is highly invasive. The tristylous mating system of L. salicaria involves disassortative mating among floral morphs enforced by trimorphic incompatibility. However, owing to partial incompatibility, self-fertilized seed can be obtained by manual self-pollination thus facilitating comparisons of selfed and outcrossed progeny. We compared progeny with and without intraspecific competition from selfed or outcrossed neighbours and examined the influence of breeding treatment and competition on fitness correlates by measuring a range of life-history traits including: proportion of seeds germinating, days to germination, survival, proportion of plants flowering, time to flowering, vegetative mass, and inflorescence number and mass. We analysed data for each trait using functions from time series estimates of growth and two multiplicative estimates of fitness. We detected varying intensities of inbreeding depression for several traits in three of the four years of the experiment, including inflorescence mass and reproductive output. Cumulative inbreeding depression over four years averaged d = 0.48 and 0.68, depending on the method used to estimate multiplicative fitness. The competition treatments did not significantly affect plant performance and the magnitude of inbreeding depression. Given the primarily outcrossing mating system of L. salicaria populations, the detection of inbreeding depression for several key life-history traits was as predicted by theory. Our results suggests that biparental inbreeding and low selfing in colonizing populations may have significant effects on demographic parameters such as population growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twenty F1 s, parents and checks viz., MTU 1010 and RNR 15048 were assessed for grain yield and its contributing attributes to study combining ability and heterosis. The mean of hybrids was greater than that of the parents except for days to 50% flowering and plant height. For majority of the investigated characters, the analysis of variance indicated considerable variations among parents and hybrids. Degree of dominance was more than unity for majority of traits including grain yield. For the examined characters, SCA variances were equal to GCA variances, indicating the dominance of additive and non-additive gene activity. The traits days to 50 % flowering, plant height, panicle length, test weight, kernel length and kernel length/breadth ratio showed additive gene action whereas the remaining traits showed non-additive gene action. The gca effects revealed that among the lines IR 72 had significant gca effects in desired direction for yield and yield attributing traits. Among the 20 hybrids, MTU 1001 x Akshyadhan was found to be a good specific combiner for grain yield per plant. Similarly, the hybrids NLR 34449 x IR10N270 and IR 72 x IR10N270 were found to be good specific combiners for grain yield and yield contributing characters. The standard heterosis of these three hybrids was positively significant over the check varieties MTU 1010 and RNR 15048. Based on mean, sca and heterosis estimates, MTU 1001 x Akshyadhan, NLR 34449 x IR10N270 and IR 72 x IR10N270 were identified as promising hybrids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The floral biology of Calamus is relatively unknown except for several species. In this study, Calamus lobbianus and Calamus pygmaeus were selected to represent the non-climbing rattan of the Sundaland's flagellate group. Observations on phenology, floral rewards and floral visitors as well as experiments on the breeding mechanism and operational sex ratio were performed for both species. For both species, anthesis started in the early morning for pistillate and staminate plants, ended by late noon (staminate plants) but lasted till the next day in pistillate plants for both species. Although both species appeared to be aseasonal in flowering, C. lobbianus exhibited a male-biased population while C. pygmaeus did not exhibit any sex bias. Nectar was observed to be extruded from the base of the petals of C. lobbianus of the staminate flowers and sterile staminate flowers of the pistillate plants. The concentration and volume of the nectar of the staminate flower and sterile staminate flower of C. lobbianus peaked at c. 11% and 9 pL around 1100 (Day 1) and c. 13% and 8 pL around 0930 (Day 1), respectively, but only appeared as a layer of glistening exudate in C. pygmaeus. Floral scent was not detected in any of the inflorescences of both species. Several insect visitors were observed to be the primary visitors of both Calamus species which include two species of Tetragonula, a species of Liostenogaster sp., and Stenodyneriellus sp. Experiments on breeding mechanism of C. lobbianus and C. pygmaeus indicate that both species are most likely apomictic. C. pygmaeus is capable of vegetative propagation through the rooting at the tip of inflorescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The optimum sowing date is crucial among the different agronomic procedures for maximizing output. Optimizing a crop's planting time may be one of the most significant climate resilient tactics for increasing production and hence it becomes necessary to study the crop growth behaviors in changing climatic conditions. The proposed field investigations were undertaken to study the influence of different sowing dates on yield of vegetable pea. Methods: Field investigations were undertaken during Rabi seasons of 2020-21 and 2021-22 at the Vegetable Research Farm, Department of Horticulture, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa (85.67°E - 25.98°N.), which comes under sub- Himalayan foothills region of India. The research study was performed in randomized block design with three replications consisting of eight different sowing dates of vegetable pea. cv. Azad Pea-3 at 10 days interval between each sowing dates. Observations were made on various growth and yield attributing parameters. Result: Results revealed that the parameters under study were substantially affected by various sowing dates. Second week of sowing in November in the years produced maximum plant height at 60 DAS (83.77 cm), number of branches per plant (3.97), number of nodules per plant at flowering (26.13), number of green pods per plant (20.80), 10 pods weight (75.67 g) and pod yield (52.06 q/ha). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global cut flower industry, including lilies, represents a highly promising investment. Therefore, improving the quantity and quality of these commercially significant flower species is crucial. The objectives of this study were to (1) evaluate the influence of different pre-harvest chemical compounds on endogenous GA3, phenol, flavonoids and total antioxidants levels on the leaf and petals parts of Longiflorum-Asiatic (Lilium × elegans cv. Cevennes, yellow) lily and to (2) assess the effect of these compound on the flower quality component. The study was conducted over two cycles in both greenhouse and laboratory settings. Lily bulbs were transplanted into 10 L pots and grown for 70 days. Treatments were applied by spraying twice with a five-day interval on the flowers still on the plants and not yet fully opened. The treatments included 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate (8HQS) at 100, 200, and 400 mg L−1; salicylic acid (SA) at 100 and 200 mg L−1; SmartFresh™ at 1 and 2 mg L−1; Harvista™ at 150 mg L−1; GA₃ at 50 mg L−1; and a control (water). The lily stems were harvested when one of the flowering buds began to open but was not fully opened. A post-harvest assessment was conducted in the laboratory at room temperature (20 ± 2 °C). The results showed that the lily leaf had a much higher endogenous concentration of GA3 (256%) and lower concentrations of total phenols (22%), flavonoids (28%), and antioxidant activity (14%) when compared to flower petals. In addition, the foliar application of flower preservative compounds one week before harvesting significantly improved the endogenous levels of GA3, total phenols, flavonoids, and antioxidants activity, especially SmartFresh™ at rate of 1 mg L−1. In terms of flower quality, SmartFresh™, at rate of 1 mg L−1, and 8-HQS, at rate of 200, had consistently higher vase lives compared to the control treatment across the two experimental cycles. Compared to the control, SmartFresh™ (the post-harvest ethylene control) increased the vase life of lily flowers by 35% at cycle 1 and 31% at cycle 2 while 8-HQS, at rate of 200 mg L−1, increased the vase life by 21% and 15% at cycles 1 and 2, respectively. However, no significant effect was found in the petal flower color coordinates (L*, a* and b*) across the treatments. Overall, the foliar application of preservative compounds (such as SmartFresh™) at the pre-harvest stage potentially stimulates the endogenous levels of GA3, total phenols, flavonoids, and antioxidants activity, leading to better improvements in post-harvest flower quality, specifically vase life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hieracium is one of the largest flowering plant genera that has recently experienced a rapid evolutionary radiation. Due to the massive morphological variation among species, frequent hybridization, and polyploidization events, combined with apomictic reproduction in polyploids, the concept of species in Hieracium is widely debated, and species identification is incredibly challenging. Taxonomic investigation can lead to changes in conservation status or, in some cases, to de-extinctions of species. Taxa with doubtful classification are particularly sensitive to this kind of problem. Hieracium tolstoii was a narrow Italian endemic species that is nowadays considered extinct. Described as a morphological intermediate form between two other species, no further investigations were conducted after its first description. To clarify H. tolstoii's origin and ensure the validity of its current conservation status, we conducted a taxonomic investigation on herbaria specimens of the early XX century. Specimens were studied using a morphometric analysis that compared H. tolstoii with other closely related taxa. Moreover, we performed phylogenetic investigations using three plastid intergenic spacers to evaluate the relationship between species. Plastid markers revealed the presence of indels and SNPs in H. tolstoii sequences that differ from sequences of the supposed parental species. Morphometry revealed differences among species that led us to confirm the validity of H. tolstoii as an independent apomictic species and, therefore, unfortunately, its extinction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nerium oleander is a popular shrub because of its drought-tolerant capacity and least susceptibility to pests and diseases. Despite its widespread cultivation in tropical and subtropical regions, there has been a lack of information on the performance of different genotypes regarding growth and yield parameters. The present study aimed to assess the performance of ten different Nerium genotypes for growth and yield traits. Genotypes were procured from various nurseries in the suburbs of Bengaluru. The collection of genotypes was based on flower morphology, flower colour, the stature of plants, and leaf variegation. A randomised complete block design with three replications was used and 1.2 m × 1.2 m spacing was followed throughout January 2018 to April 2019. The observations were made every 60 days up to 300 DAP (Days After Planting), and there were notable variations in the growth and yield metrics of the genotypes. Five tagged plants in each replication were used to record all observations. Genotype BNC-1 (Bengaluru Nerium Collection- 1) recorded the highest value for plant height (107.33 cm), plant spread (1770.66 cm2), chlorophyll (1.16 mg/g) as well as yield of flower per plant and per hectare (1.85 kg and 12.73 t respectively) while genotype BNC-6 (Bengaluru Nerium Collection- 6) recorded the highest number of branches (45.00). The lowest flower yield per plant and hectare was observed in BNC-6 (0.32 kg and 2.26 t, respectively). In conclusion, genotype BNC-1 exhibits characteristics warranting its consideration for cultivation and inclusion in breeding programs aimed at varietal development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Light-emitting diodes have been beneficial for plant growth, especially for microgreens in countries with low radiation, greenhouses, and chambers. However, information about how plants respond to additional light-emitting diode lighting after 12 hours of sunlight exposure in tropical areas is limited. This study examines the effects of long-duration light-emitting diodes on mustard greens in Kien Giang province, Vietnam (105°14'33.21" E; 9°91'41.13" N). The trials were conducted in the greenhouse for two growing seasons with a completely randomized design, including 0, 2, 4, and 6 hours of assembled light-emitting diodes lighting and 4 hours of commercial light-emitting diodes lighting after 6 pm, with three replications. Results showed that weather factors in season 2 favorably influenced mustard's growth. At 4 hours of lighting, commercial light-emitting diodes showed a higher chlorophyll index, flowering time, flowering rate, leaf number, and absolute growth rate of leaf number but less leaf and fresh shoot weight than assembled light-emitting diodes. Four hours of assembled light-emitting diodes positively affected most mustard growth, while 6 hours of assembled light-emitting diodes were superior for flowering aspects. Adding 4 hours of light-emitting diodes could increase leafy yield and shorten the harvesting time of mustard greens grown in greenhouses under tropical conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human‐induced nutrient eutrophication is a major threat to grassland biodiversity, because it promotes the dominance of fast‐growing plants. Negative impacts of fertilization on plant biodiversity may be offset by grazing by large vertebrate herbivores. However, whether grazers also mitigate impacts of nutrient addition on insects is less well understood. We use a field experiment to test how plant communities and abundances of pollinators and grasshoppers respond to nutrient addition and grazing by different assemblages of large herbivores, i.e. access by all herbivores (including cattle and horses), access by wild herbivores only (wild boar and deer), no access by large herbivores. Plant biomass increased, plant diversity decreased and community composition shifted towards lower forb cover in response to fertilization, but only in the absence of all herbivores. Flower visitation by Hymenoptera (bees and wasps), i.e. the most abundant pollinator group, was reduced by nutrient addition only in the absence of all herbivores and was positively related to flowering plant richness. In contrast, flower visitation by Diptera (e.g. hoverflies) was enhanced by fertilization, but not affected by grazing. Orthoptera (grasshopper) abundance was reduced by grazing and enhanced by nutrient addition, with positive impacts of fertilization tending to be stronger in plots with only wild or no herbivores. The abundance of grasshoppers was positively related to grass biomass. We conclude that vertebrate herbivores can offset impacts of fertilization on both plant and insect communities, making grazing by large mammals an essential tool to protect insects, particularly pollinators. Most responses to nutrient addition were only apparent in plots without any large herbivores, suggesting that wild herbivores alone could already mitigate nutrient impacts. We also show that insects with contrasting feeding guilds may be favoured by fertilized, ungrazed conditions. Therefore, creating a mosaic of patches grazed at different intensities will enhance overall insect biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change, landscape homogenization, and the decline of beneficial insects threaten pollination services to wild plants and crops. Understanding how pollination potential (i.e. the capacity of ecosystems to support pollination of plants) is affected by climate change and landscape homogenization is fundamental for our ability to predict how such anthropogenic stressors affect plant biodiversity. Models of pollinator potential are improved when based on pairwise plant–pollinator interactions and pollinator's plant preferences. However, whether the sum of predicted pairwise interactions with a plant within a habitat (a proxy for pollination potential) relates to pollen deposition on flowering plants has not yet been investigated. We sampled plant–bee interactions in 68 Scandinavian plant communities in landscapes of varying land‐cover heterogeneity along a latitudinal temperature gradient of 4–8°C, and estimated pollen deposition as the number of pollen grains on flowers of the bee‐pollinated plants Lotus corniculatus and Vicia cracca. We show that plant–bee interactions, and the pollination potential for these bee‐pollinated plants increase with landscape diversity, annual mean temperature, and plant abundance, and decrease with distances to sand‐dominated soils. Furthermore, the pollen deposition in flowers increased with the predicted pollination potential, which was driven by landscape diversity and plant abundance. Our study illustrates that the pollination potential, and thus pollen deposition, for wild plants can be mapped based on spatial models of plant–bee interactions that incorporate pollinator‐specific plant preferences. Maps of pollination potential can be used to guide conservation and restoration planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, proteomics has become a powerful tool in vitro plant tissue culture research. In Miconia , the most diverse flowering plant genus in the Neotropics, these tools together were unexplored. The group is replete with cases of apomixis (asexual seed formation). Some studies indicate that apomixis may have similarities with somatic embryogenesis (SE). However, there is no investigation into whether explants from apomictic species can affect the accumulation of SE-related proteins in vitro morphogenesis processes, such as callogenesis. This study identifies differentially accumulated proteins related to SE in the callogenesis of three Miconia species with different reproductive systems and whether this can affect their embryogenic capacity. For this, we employed the shotgun comparative proteomics approach in a specific phase of callus proliferation of Miconia australis (obligate apomictic), Miconia hyemalis (facultative apomictic), and Miconia sellowiana (sexual). Comparative proteomic analysis revealed that 190 SE-related proteins were differentially accumulated and distributed among the three experimental comparisons. The calluses of apomictic species showed the highest number of up-accumulated proteins associated with SE. Histological examination of the calluses after 45 days of induction revealed the permanence of cells with meristematic characteristics in the apomictic species, however, in M. sellowiana there was greater cellular vacuolization. These results indicate that calluses of Miconia spp. originated from apomictic species may be better able to acquire embryogenic competence in vitro culture. This study is the first to explore and demonstrate the potential advantages of using proteomics to understand the molecular basis of in vitro morphogenesis in apomictic and sexual species of Miconia , highlighting new perspectives for future research in plant tissue culture. [Display omitted] • Proteomics shed light into the mechanisms underlying in vitro morphogenesis in miconia. • Calluses from apomictic miconia up-accumulated proteins related to somatic embryogenesis. • The cu/zn SOD was up-accumulated in the calluses of obligate apomictic M. australis. • Apomictic species showed a higher prevalence of callus cells with meristematic characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought is one of the main abiotic stresses affecting plant growth and development. Reduced plant yield and quality are primarily caused by the reductions in photosynthesis, mineral uptake, metabolic disorders, damages from the increased production of reactive oxygen species, and many other disruptions. Plants utilize drought resistance mechanisms as a defense strategy, and the systems' activation is dependent upon several factors, including plant genotype, onthogenesis phase, drought intensity and duration, and the season in which the drought occurs. Impatiens walleriana is a worldwide popular flowering plant recognized for its vibrant flower colors, and is an indispensable plant in pots, gardens and other public areas. It prefers well-draining, moisturized soil, and does not perform well in overly dry or waterlogged conditions. Consequently, inadequate water supply is a common problem for this plant during production, transportation, and market placement, which has a substantial impact on plant performance overall. This review article outlines certain features of morphological, physiological, and molecular alterations induced by drought in ornamental, drought-sensitive plant species I. walleriana, as well as research carried out to date with the aim to improve the drought tolerance. Stress proteins aquaporins and dehydrins, whose molecular structure was described for the first time in this plant species, are highlighted specifically for their role in drought stress. Furthermore, the effective improvement of drought tolerance in I. walleriana by exogenous application of Plant Growth Regulators and Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria is discussed in detail. Finally, this review can provide valuable insights for improving plant resilience and productivity in the face of water scarcity, which is critical for sustainable agriculture and horticulture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cannabis (Cannabis sativa) is a versatile crop belonging to the Cannabaceae family, and is dioecious, typically with separate male and female plants. The flowers of female plants, especially the trichomes, accumulate relatively higher contents of cannabinoids compared with those of male plants. For this reason, to obtain seeds that are genetically female, it is desirable to induce the development of male flowers on a female plant that produces genetically female haploid gametes. Silver thiosulfate (STS) is a highly effective chemical for male flower induction. We investigated male flower induction in three commercial cultivars of female cannabis (Spectrum303, SuperwomanS1, and CBGambit) regarding the treatment frequency, stage of application, and concentration of STS applied as a foliar spray. All three cultivars showed adequate induction of male flowers in response to 1.5 mM STS applied at the early reproductive stage. In particular, SuperwomanS1 was most highly responsive to induction of male flowers, even when treated with 0.3 mM STS at the early reproductive stage. Treatment with three applications of STS was more effective compared with a single application, but a single application of 1.5 mM STS at the early reproductive stage was sufficient for male flower induction. A single STS application during the middle stage of reproductive growth was inadequate for induction of male flowers. However, 6 weeks after three applications of STS, CBGambit exhibited approximately 54% male flower induction at 0.3 mM STS, Spectrum303 showed approximately 56% induction at 3 mM STS, and SuperwomanS1 yielded approximately 26% induction at 1.5 mM (expressed as percentage of total number of individuals with the induced male flowers). Pollen stainability tests using KI-I2 solution and Alexander's staining showed high pollen viability with over 65% at different single STS concentrations, indicating that pollen grains induced by STS have sufficient viability for the self-pollination. This study demonstrated that different cultivars of cannabis respond diversely to different STS concentrations and highlighted the potential benefits of three STS applications during the middle reproductive stage for cannabis breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The perception of eight invasive alien plant species (IAPS) by 311 children and young people (10–24 years old) and their choice of management options were investigated, either with or without prior information about the IAPS given. In the first questionnaire, photographs of the IAPS (four terrestrial herbs, one tree and three aquatic plants) were presented, but their invasive status was not revealed. Participants characterized each plant by five opposing attributes, e.g. unwanted – wanted. In a consecutive second questionnaire, half of the participants were informed about the invasive character of the plants, the other half not. Both groups then evaluated various management options. Plants with attractive flowers were considered most beautiful and wanted. Moreover, if participants perceived an IAPS as familiar, they considered it native. Participants with information about the IAPS were more likely to choose containment or eradication and were also more able to justify their management decisions in a considerate manner. Participants without information were more likely to choose no intervention, especially in case of flowering forbs. The findings indicate that even a brief information about IAPS might help young people to make informed decisions when dealing with invasive species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was carried out at the Trans-Himalayan Herbal Garden, located at the National Institute of Sowa Rigpa-Leh, from 2021 to 2023. An assessment of pollen viability was conducted using seven significant medicinal and aromatic plants from the Ladakh region. Analysis of pollen vitality was conducted using the acetocarmine staining technique. The pollen viability of Inula racemosa Hook. f. ranged from 91.08 ± 1.39 % to 82.44 ± 1.48 % in Ephedra gerardiana Wall. Among the genus Inula racemosa, the highest percentage (91.08%) of viable pollens indicates a normal meiosis, whereas Ephedra gerardiana recorded the lowest percentage. Among the chosen species, Inula racemosa, Verbascumthapsus, Hyoscyamus niger, and Dracocephalum heterophyllum stand out for their exceptional pollen viability. These species can be effectively utilized for conservation purposes and as male parents in hybridization. The result for the average pollen density varied from 1533.07 ± 106.32 in Capparis spinosa L. to 276.00 ± 10.20 in Dracocephalum heterophyllum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imposing lockdown amid COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected flower cultivation and their trades. Flower plants are very sensitive to the harvesting, and any unexpected delay may cause great loss (~ 50–60%) to the farmers. In 2018–2019, the worth of total production of floriculture products was ~ Rs 571.38 crore. During lockdown, the availability of human laborers and restricted transport has disrupted the supply of flowers to the market. Hence, some alternative options are suggested here for the farmers, for example, conversion of decorative flowers (e.g., anthurium, China aster, globe amaranthus, sweet-william, anemone, sea lavender, etc.) and inflorescence (e.g., Michaelmas daisy, zinnia, statice, ferns, aspidistra, eucalyptus, magnolia, etc.) can also be into value-added products through drying and dehydration technologies. Many dehydration methods such as hot air oven, solar drying, press drying, freeze-drying, embedded drying, glycerine drying, and microwave oven drying polyester drying can be used for flower drying at room temperature (~ 25 °C). These floral and foliage dehydration techniques are quite simple, which can also be operated by unskilled persons. Moreover, it will generate self-employment for the youth and women along with increased revenue than selling fresh flowers. In this review, different techniques of flower drying have been discussed in detail along with the influencing factors, efficiency, economic feasibility, flower waste management and sustainability. Further, it has also been suggested how these techniques could be useful for farmers, researchers, and traders to create value-added products? Hence, the present paper could be very interesting for the flower growers, retailers, students, as well as floricultural scientists who are involved in flower production worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Hybrid wheat could deliver the grain yield (GY) and stability levels to confront climate change while crossing genetically divergent pools should maximize heterosis. We crossed 22 breeding lines from Nebraska (USA) with two German cultivars to produce 44 hybrids. Hybrids, parents and 12 checks were reciprocally tested across their contrasting target environments for GY, plant height and flowering biology during 2 consecutive years at multiple locations. Trait variation within target environments had the greatest impact on performance. Therefore, mega‐environments could not be derived from target environments despite a clear clustering using weather variables. Short plants and locally optimized flowering biology were main drivers for crop performance and adaptation. Modified Rogers' distances derived from genotyping‐by‐sequencing revealed the genetic divergence between German and ‘Great Plains’ pools. However, variation on GY heterosis could not be explained by this divergence. In general, GY of hybrids was more stable across target environments than for locally adapted material, whereas GY heterosis was higher under harsh climate conditions of the Nebraska's ‘Great Plains’. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the role of PHO1, a protein involved in phosphate translocation, in regulating flowering time in plants. The study found that mutations in the PHO1 gene resulted in delayed flowering in Arabidopsis plants. The authors also discovered that PHO1 interacts with the jasmonic acid (JA) signaling pathway, which is known to play a role in plant reproduction. Additionally, the study identified other genes and hormonal pathways that may be involved in the regulation of flowering time. The findings contribute to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms governing flowering time regulation in plants. [Extracted from the article]

Phosphorus nutrition has been known for a long time to influence floral transition in plants, but the underlying mechanism is unclear. Arabidopsis phosphate transporter PHOSPHATE1 (PHO1) plays a critical role in phosphate translocation from roots to shoots, but whether and how it regulates floral transition is unknown. Here, we show that knockout mutation of PHO1 delays flowering under both long- and short-day conditions. The late flowering of pho1 mutants can be partially rescued by Pi supplementation in rosettes or shoot apices. Grafting assay indicates that the late flowering of pho1 mutants is a result of impaired phosphate translocation from roots to shoots. Knockout mutation of SPX1 and SPX2 , two negative regulators of the phosphate starvation response, partially rescues the late flowering of pho1 mutants. PHO1 is epistatic to PHO2, a negative regulator of PHO1, in flowering time regulation. Loss of PHO1 represses the expression of some floral activators, including FT encoding florigen, and induces the expression of some floral repressors in shoots. Genetic analyses indicate that at least jasmonic acid signaling is partially responsible for the late flowering of pho1 mutants. In addition, we find that rice PHO1;2 , the homolog of PHO1 , plays a similar role in floral transition. These results suggest that PHO1 integrates phosphorus nutrition and flowering time, and could be used as a potential target in modulating phosphorus nutrition-mediated flowering time in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Dandelion is widely used in clinical practice due to its beneficial effects. Polyphenolic compounds are considered the main anti-inflammatory active ingredient of dandelion, but the gene expression patterns of polyphenolic compounds in different dandelion tissues are still unclear. Methods: In this study, we combined a nontargeted metabolome, PacBio Iso-seq transcriptome, and Illumina RNA-seq transcriptome to investigate the relationship between polyphenols and gene expression in roots, flowers, and leaves of flowering dandelion plants. Results: Eighty-eight flavonoids and twenty-five phenolic acids were identified, and 64 candidate genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis and 63 candidate genes involved in chicoric acid biosynthesis were identified. Most flavonoid and chicoric acid-related genes demonstrated the highest content in flowers. RNA-seq analysis revealed that genes involved in polyphenol biosynthesis pathways, such as CHS, CHI, F3H, F3'H, FLS, HQT, and CAS, which are crucial for the accumulation of flavonoids and chicoric acid, were upregulated in flowers. Discussion: The combination of transcriptomic and metabolomic data can help us better understand the biosynthetic pathways of polyphenols in dandelion. These results provide abundant genetic resources for further studying the regulatory mechanism of dandelion polyphenol biosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The theory of Condition Dependent Sex predicts that – everything else being equal – less fit individuals would outcross at higher rates compared with fitter ones. Here we used the mixed mating plant Lamium amplexicaule, capable of producing both self-pollinating closed flowers (CL), alongside open flowers (CH) that allow cross pollination to test it. We investigated the effects of abiotic stress – salt solution irrigation – on the flowering patterns of plants and their offspring. We monitored several flowering and vegetative parameters, including the number and distribution of flowers, CH fraction, and plant size. Results: We found that stressed plants show an increased tendency for self-pollination and a deficit in floral and vegetative development. However, when parentally primed, stressed plants show a milder response. Un-stressed offspring of stressed parents show reversed responses and exhibit an increased tendency to outcross, and improve floral and vegetative development. Conclusions: In summary, we found that stress affects the reproduction strategy in the plants that experienced the stress and in subsequent offspring through F2 generation. Our results provide experimental evidence supporting a transgenerational extension to the theories of fitness associate sex and dispersal, where an individual's tendency for sex and dispersal may depend on the stress experienced by its parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chromium (Cr) toxicity hampers ornamental crops' growth and post-harvest quality, especially in cut flower plants. Nano-enabled approaches have been developing with phenomenal potential towards improving floricultural crop production under heavy metal-stressed conditions. The current pot experiment aims to explore the ameliorative impact of silicon nanoparticles (Si-NPs; 10 mM) and indole butyric acid (IBA; 20 mM) against Cr stress (0.8 mM) in Freesia refracta. The results showed that Cr stress significantly reduced morphological traits, decreased roots-stems biomass, abridged chlorophyll (14.7%) and carotenoid contents (27.2%), limited gas exchange attributes (intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) 24.8%, stomatal conductance (gs) 19.3% and photosynthetic rate (A) 28.8%), condensed proline (39.2%) and total protein (40%) contents and reduced vase life (15.3%) of freesia plants by increasing oxidative stress. Contrarily, antioxidant enzyme activities, MDA and H2O2 levels, and Cr concentrations in plant parts were remarkably enhanced in Cr-stressed plants than in the control. However, foliar supplementation of Si-NPs + IBA (combined form) to Cr-stressed plants increased defense mechanism and tolerance as revealed by improved vegetative and reproductive traits, increased biomass, photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll 30.3%, carotenoid 57.2%) and gaseous exchange attributes (Ci 33.3%, gs 25.6%, A 31.1%), proline (54.5%), total protein (55.1%), and vase life (34.9%) of metal contaminated plants. Similarly, the improvement in the activities of peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase was recorded by 30.8%, 52.4%, and 60.8%, respectively, compared with Crstressed plants. Meanwhile, MDA (54.3%), H2O2 (32.7%) contents, and Cr levels in roots (43.3), in stems (44%), in leaves (52.8%), and in flowers (78.5%), were remarkably reduced due to combine application of Si-NPs + IBA as compared with Cr-stressed nontreated freesia plants. Thus, the hypothesis that the synergistic application of Si-NPs + IBA will be an effective approach in ameliorating Cr stress is authenticated from the results of this experiment. Furthermore, the study will be significant since it will demonstrate how Si-NPs and IBA can work synergistically to combat Cr toxicity, and even when added separately, they can improve growth characteristics both under stressed and unstressed conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Flowering is a vital agronomic trait that determines the economic value of most ornamental plants. The flowering time of rose (Rosa spp.) is photoperiod insensitive and is thought to be tightly controlled by light intensity, although the detailed molecular mechanism remains unclear.Here, we showed that rose plants flower later under low‐light (LL) intensity than under high‐light (HL) intensity, which is mainly related to the stability of PHYTOCHROME‐INTERACTING FACTORs (RcPIFs) mediated by OPEN STOMATA 1‐Like (RcOST1L) under different light intensity regimes.We determined that HL conditions trigger the rapid phosphorylation of RcPIFs before their degradation. A yeast two‐hybrid screen identified the kinase RcOST1L as interacting with RcPIF4. Moreover, RcOST1L positively regulated rose flowering and directly phosphorylated RcPIF4 on serine 198 to promote its degradation under HL conditions. Additionally, phytochrome B (RcphyB) enhanced RcOST1L‐mediated phosphorylation of RcPIF4 via interacting with the active phyB‐binding motif. RcphyB was activated upon HL and recruited RcOST1L to facilitate its nuclear accumulation, in turn leading to decreased stability of RcPIF4 and flowering acceleration.Our findings illustrate how RcPIF abundance safeguards proper rose flowering under different light intensities, thus uncovering the essential role of RcOST1L in the RcphyB–RcPIF4 module in flowering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]