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Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) acts as the rate-limiting enzyme for anthocyanin biosynthesis through the phenylpropanoid pathway, a crucial component of plant secondary metabolism. The PAL gene family plays a crucial role in plants' defense and stress responses, but its in silico identification and expression analyses in Brassica oleracea under different abiotic stresses remain unexplored. In this study, nine BolPAL, seven BrPAL, four AtPAL, and seventeen BnPAL genes were obtained from the genomes of B. oleracea, Brassica rapa, Arabidopsis thaliana, and Brassica napus, respectively. Segmental duplication and purifying selection are the causes of the BolPAL gene's amplification and evolution. The BolPAL genes with comparable intron–exon architectures and motifs were grouped together in the same clade. Three categories comprised the cis-regulatory elements: abiotic stressors, phytohormones, and light. According to the results of the qRT-PCR experiments, the majority of the BolPAL genes were expressed highly under MeJA, a low temperature, and a high temperature, and they were downregulated under ABA. Under white light (100 µmol m−2 s−1) with 50, 100, or 150 µmol m−2 s−1 far-red (FR), only a small number of the PAL genes were expressed at 50 and 100 µmol m−2 s−1 FR, while the majority of the PAL genes were slightly elevated at 150 µmol m−2 s−1 FR. This work offers a theoretical foundation for molecular breeding research to investigate the role of BolPAL genes and their role in anthocyanin biosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pea sprouts, considered a nutritious and environmentally sustainable vegetable with significant cultivation prospects and market potential, face growth challenges due to salt stress. However, the underlying mechanisms associated with this stress have not been fully elucidated. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a hydroponic study applying various concentrations of NaCl salt stress to pea sprouts. Systematic analysis was performed on key parameters including germination, plant height, biomass, and enzyme activity of pea sprouts under salt treatment. Our aim was to unravel the underlying mechanisms associated with the impact of salt stress on the growth of pea sprouts. Results revealed that salt treatment significantly inhibited the germination process of pea sprouts' seeds, leading to a notable decrease in plant height and sprout yield. Salt stress induced an increase in MDA content, a decrease in chlorophyll content, and elevated relative conductivity. However, a low concentration of salt treatment enhanced SOD activity, suggesting the activation of oxidative stress resistance mechanisms in pea sprouts. Moreover, salt treatment exhibited an inhibitory effect on soluble protein content while promoting soluble sugar content in pea sprouts. Additionally, low-concentration salt treatment increased the crude fiber content of pea sprouts, while high-concentration salt treatment inhibited it. In summary, this study indicates that salt stress could cause physiological damage to pea sprouts, but pea sprouts may employ metabolic strategies to adapt to the low concentration of salt stress. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the physiological responses of pea sprouts to salt stress and provide valuable insights for its implementation of salt-tolerant cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macrophomina phaseolina is a vital seed and soil-borne phytopathogen responsible for substantial crop yield losses. Although various methods exist for managing soil-borne pathogens, such as agronomic practices, chemical treatments, and varietal tolerance, biological control utilizing plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) or their secondary metabolites presents promising avenues. In this study, a screening of 150 isolates from the rhizosphere of Vigna radiata L. was conducted to identify strains capable of promoting host growth and controlling charcoal rot disease. Among the tested isolates, only 15 strains demonstrated the ability to produce plant growth-related metabolites, including indole acetic acid, hydrogen cyanide, ammonia, and lytic enzymes, and solubilize inorganic phosphate. Subsequently, these potent strains were evaluated for their antifungal activity against Macrophomina phaseolina in vitro. Three strains, namely MRP-7 (58% growth inhibition), MRP-12 (55% growth inhibition), and MRP-8 (44% growth inhibition), exhibited the highest percent growth inhibition (PGI.). Furthermore, a pot experiment demonstrated that the selected strains acted as effective growth promoters and ROS (reactive oxygen species) scavengers, and served as potential biocontrol agents, significantly reducing the incidence of charcoal rot disease and improving various agronomic attributes of the host plant. These findings highlight the potential of these strains to be utilized as biofertilizers and biocontrol agents for sustainable agricultural practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was performed to investigate the negative impact of salinity on the growth of Chinese flowering cabbage (Brassica rapa ssp. chinensis var. parachinensis) and the ameliorative effects of quercetin dihydrate on the plant along with the elucidation of underlying mechanisms. The tolerable NaCl stress level was initially screened for the Chinese flowering cabbage plants during a preliminary pot trial by exposing the plants to salinity levels (0, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, and 400 mM) and 250 mM was adopted for further experimentation based on the findings. The greenhouse experiment was performed by adopting a completely randomized design using three different doses of quercetin dihydrate (50, 100, 150 µM) applied as a foliar treatment. The findings showed that the exposure salinity significantly reduced shoot length (46.5%), root length (21.2%), and dry biomass (32.1%) of Chinese flowering cabbage plants. Whereas, quercetin dihydrate applied at concentrations of 100, and 150 µM significantly diminished the effect of salinity stress by increasing shoot length (36.8- and 71.3%), root length (36.57- and 56.19%), dry biomass production (51.4- and 78.6%), Chl a (69.8- and 95.7%), Chl b (35.2- and 87.2%), and carotenoid contents (21.4- and 40.3%), respectively, compared to the plants cultivated in salinized conditions. The data of physiological parameters showed a significant effect of quercetin dihydrate on the activities of peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase enzymes. Interestingly, quercetin dihydrate increased the production of medicinally important glucosinolate compounds in Chinese flowering cabbage plants. Molecular docking analysis showed a strong affinity of quercetin dihydrate with three different stress-related proteins of B. rapa plants. Based on the findings, it could be concluded that quercetin dihydrate can increase the growth of Chinese flowering cabbage under both salinity and normal conditions, along with an increase in the medicinal quality of the plants. Further investigations are recommended as future perspectives using other abiotic stresses to declare quercetin dihydrate as an effective remedy to rescue plant growth under prevailing stress conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to comparatively analyze the flavonoid contents of the purple-colored cultivar Xianghongtai No. 1 (XHT1H, R) and the green-colored cultivar Yinong 50 tian Caixin (YN50T, G). The flavonoid compounds were separated and identified by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical cluster analysis, and orthogonal partial least partial-least squares discrimination analysis (OPLS-DA) were used to analyze metabolomics data and screen for differential metabolites in Hong Caitai and Caixin. PCA revealed significant differences in the flavonoid compound contents between the two varieties. OPLS-DA identified 170 different flavonoid metabolites, including 56 flavonols, 38 anthocyanidins, and 32 flavones. The anthocyanins included 25 cyanidin glycosides, six delphinidin glycosides, three peonidin glycosides, and three petunidin glycosides. Additionally, six of the top ten metabolites with higher content in Hong Caitai than in Caixin were cyanidins. Based on the differential flavonoids profiles of the two varieties, cyanidin, delphinidin, peonidin, and petunidin were associated with the pigmentation in Hong Caitai. These results provide a reference for further study of the mechanism of stem color formation and pigment utilization in Caitai. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to solve the obstacles of successive crop and improve the yield and quality of successive crop, we applied bio-organic fertilizer (0, 3 000, 4 500, 6 000 and 7 500 kg⋅hm-2) to Chinese flowering cabbage as the experimental material to study its effect on the growth, quality and soil of successive cabbage. The results showed that the application of bio-organic fertilizer significantly increased the plant and shoots weight of continuous crop flowering Chinese cabbage, and soil organic matter, alkali hydrolyzable N and electrical conductivity were also increased with the same treatment. In addition, bio-organic fertilizer substantially increased the activity of soil acid phosphatase, catalase and sucrase, but decreased the activity of urease. Compared with cheinicoil fertilizer, the application of 7 500 kg⋅hm-2 of bio-organic fertilizer, the content of vitamin C, protein, crude fibre and soluble solids of successive vegetable shoots were increased by 6.28%, 12.39%, 5.30% and 37.38%, respectively. Moreover soil organic matter, alkali hydrolyzable N and electrical conductivity were increased by 59.67%, 97.63% and 175.76%, respectively. The activitiy of acid phosphatase, catalase and sucrase in root zone of soil were greatly increased by 23.10%, 7.40% and 116.92%, respectively, while urease was decreased by 8.39%. The numbers of bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes were noticeably increased by 80.62%, 79.26% and 46.00%, respectively, and the relative abundance of bacteria and fungi also increased. In conclusion, application of bio-organic fertilizer could improve the growth and quality of continuous cropping flowering Chinese cabbage, and increase the soil fertility and microbial diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low light caused by industrial development and environment change has become a limitation in crop production. This condition inhibits the petiole anthocyanin synthesis and even its tastes in purple cai-tai (Brassicarapa L. var. purpurea); however, the molecular basis of the inhibitory effects by low light on anthocyanin synthesis in purple cai-tai petiole is less reported. In this study, we performed an integrated analysis of transcriptomes and metabolisms to decipher key genes and/or metabolites that responsible for low light acclimation in a purple cai-tai cultivar, XH1. Results shows that anthocyanin is obviously repressed by low light treatment, and consistently the structural genes related to the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway is significantly enriched in the list of differentially expressed genes according to both GO and KEGG analysis. Furthermore, the amounts of some metabolites related to anthocyanin are dramatically decreased under low light treatment, such as cyanindin 3-O-glucoside chloride, cyanindin O-syringic acid, and cyanidin 3-O-rutinoside. In addition, we found that five transcription factors in TCP gene family especially BrTCP15 is substantially downregulated by low light treatments. The expression pattern of BrTCP15 in response to low light treatment was further confirmed by qPCR. This study reports the inhibitory effects of the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway and BrTCP15 by low light treatments, and extends our knowledge on regulatory mechanism of the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway in response to low light in B. rapa L. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The colour of fresh pods is one of the most important traits that affects the commercial value of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) beans. To investigate the genetic architecture, we firstly scored the fresh pod colour of cowpea for six generations in field trials. Afterwards, an F2 population of 150 recombinant individuals was derived from crosses between two high- generation inbred cowpea lines, 'Baojia' (green pod colour, P1) and 'Qilong' (purple pod colour, P2). A high- density genetic map based on 9,493 single nucleotide polymorphisms was constructed through SLAF sequencing and used for gene/s mapping of pod colour trait. We observed 59 single nucleotide polymorphism markers in one candidate gene region that may be associated with fresh pod colour trait located on LG6. The locus of pc was confirmed on chromosome 5 of the cowpea genome, which was corresponded to the genes encoding anthocyanin 5- aromatic acyltransferase and MYB-90 and MYB-114 domain proteins, that play important roles in the anthocyanin biosynthesis. Lastly, dCAPS markers were developed that explained the high rate of identification for the phenotypes of the F2 population. This study provides new knowledge of the genomic regions and will accelerate the genetic improvements, regarding the fresh pod colour (pc) trait in cowpea and marker- assisted selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra (Chinese kale) is an important vegetable grown in southern China. This study was aimed at searching for environmentally friendly and affordable approaches to increase the production of medicinally relevant glucosinolates and phenolic compounds in Chinese kale plants. For this purpose, the foliar application of liquiritin at 0 (control), 250, 500 and 750 ppm was tested starting from the four‐leaf stage and repeated every two weeks until plants were two months old. RESULTS: Foliar application of liquiritin in Chinese kale plants significantly increased glucosinolates and total phenolic content, in a dose‐dependent manner. Compared with control plants, 2.3‐ and 1.9‐fold increases in yields of glucosinolates and total phenolic content, respectively, were corroborated in Chinese kale plants treated with 750 ppm of liquiritin. Along with rises in the content of eight different glucosinolates, liquiritin elicitation effectively increased the concentration of glycosilated and acylated flavonoids and hydroxycinnamic acids. The expression of genes involved in glucosinolate and phenolic biosynthesis was significantly higher in liquiritin‐treated plants as compared to controls. CONCLUSIONS: Liquiritin elicitation is a feasible and environmentally friendly practice for increasing the production of medicinally important glucosinolates and phenolic compounds in Chinese kale, which may improve this plant's value as a nutraceutical food. This study also contributes to understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying liquiritin elicitation. This is the first report documenting the use of liquiritin for an elicitation purpose in plants. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]