Seed germination, one of the most important stages in a plant’s life cycle, can be affected by abiotic stresses, such as salinity. The plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) and high concentrations of glucose are also known to inhibit germination. In contrast, nitrate is known to stimulate germination in many plants. However, this stimulatory effect has not yet been investigated in the presence of inhibitory

Comparative studies of seed germination of closely related taxa can help increase our understanding of the ecological limitations of cold-adapted plants and forecast how they might respond to global warming. No studies exist on the relationship between thermoclimatic belts that classify mountain life zones according to bioclimatic criteria and the germination strategy of alpine plants. The aim of this

Bryonolic acid is a triterpenoid compound found in cucurbitaceous roots. Due to its biological activities, this compound gets more attention to improve production. Herein, we carried out efficient ways with high bryonolic acid productions from Trichosanthes cucumerina L., a Thai medicinal plant utilizing plant cell cultures. The results showed that calli (24.65 ± 1.97 mg/g dry weight) and cell suspensions

Grapevine downy mildew is one of the major diseases in viticulture. To control this disease, a more effective strategy has been developed and established based on growth and model data as well as on a combination of fungicides. For this purpose, the systemic plant protection product potassium phosphonate (PP) was combined with two contact fungicides. Treatments were carried out according to the different

Plants generally have the highest regenerative ability because they show a high degree of developmental plasticity. Although the basic principles of plant regeneration date back many years, understanding the cellular, molecular, and physiological mechanisms based on these principles is currently in progress. In addition to the significant effects of some factors such as medium components, phytohormones

The ability of a seed to germinate and establish a plant at the right time of year is of vital importance from an ecological and economical point of view. Due to the fragility of these early growth stages, their swiftness and robustness will impact later developmental stages and crop yield. These traits are modulated by a continuous interaction between the genetic makeup of the plant and the environment

Renewed interest in natural products as potential source of drugs led us to investigate on both the anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive activity of Citrus bergamia Risso et Poiteau (bergamot) essential oil (BEO). Carrageenan-induced paw edema in rats was used as an experimental model of inflammation. Because of the toxicity of furocoumarins, we performed our study by using the BEO fraction deprived

The production of viable seeds is a key event in the life cycle of higher plants. Historically, abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellin (GAs) were considered the main hormones that regulate seed formation. However, auxin has recently emerged as an essential player that modulates, in conjunction with ABA, different cellular processes involved in seed development as well as the induction, regulation and

Mineral nutrition and plant ontogeny influence both the physiological balance between nutrients in a plant and determine the proper nutritional status of a plant, which is necessary to realize the yielding potential of a cultivated species. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of nitrogen doses (0, 4, 8, 12, 16 g N·m−2) and plant development phases (the beginning and full flowering)

Petasites hybridus (Common butterbur) is extensively used in traditional medicine, and is currently gaining interest and popularity as a food supplement and for its medicinal properties. It contains a large number of active compounds of potential therapeutic activity, but also toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Science-based information is needed to support the developing modern use of this plant, and

Water scarcity and frequent drought spells are becoming critical challenges to sustainable agricultural development, especially in arid and semiarid regions. Thus, this work aims to investigate the effect of deficit irrigation and varying mulching materials on soil moisture content, salt distribution, and potato yield. The experiment consisted of three irrigation regimes (I100%, I80%, and I60%) of

Increasing attention is being given to plant biostimulants as a sustainable farming practice aimed to enhance vegetable crop performance. This research was conducted on greenhouse-grown perennial wall rocket (Diplotaxis tenuifolia (L.) DC.), comparing three biostimulant treatments (legume-derived protein hydrolysates, Trichoderma harzianum T22, and protein hydrolysates + Trichoderma harzianum T22)

Early leaf senescence negatively impacts the grain yield in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Induced mutants provide an important resource for mapping and cloning of genes for early leaf senescence. In our previous study, Els2, a single incomplete dominance gene, that caused early leaf senescence phenotype in the wheat mutant LF2099, had been mapped on the long arm of chromosome 2B. The objective of this

A total of 461 indigenous Streptomycetes strains recovered from various Greek rhizosphere habitats were tested for their bioactivity. All isolates were examined for their ability to suppress the growth of 12 specific target microorganisms. Twenty-six were found to exert antimicrobial activity and were screened for potential nematicidal action. S. monomycini ATHUBA 220, S. colombiensis ATHUBA 438, S

High temperature is considered a critical abiotic stressor that is increasing continuously, which is severely affecting plant growth and development. The use of heat-resistant rootstock grafting is a viable technique that is practiced globally to improve plant resistance towards abiotic stresses. In this experiment, we explored the efficacy of bitter melon rootstock and how it regulates photosynthesis

At the cellular level, the remodelling of membrane lipids and production of heat shock proteins are the two main strategies whereby plants survive heat stress. Although many studies related to glycerolipids and HSPs under heat stress have been reported separately, detailed alterations of glycerolipids and the role of HSPs in the alterations of glycerolipids still need to be revealed. In this study

Jao Hom Nin (JHN) is a Thai rice variety with broad-spectrum resistant against rice blast fungus. JHN contains two rice blast resistant genes, Pish and Pik, located on chromosome 1 and on chromosome 11, respectively. To understand the blast resistance in JHN, the study of the defense mechanism related to the Pish and Pik genes is crucial. This study aimed to dissect defense response genes between the

Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is among the best producers of edible biomass in terms of yield per hectare and a variety of different regional cultivars are used as a staple commodity in many countries. However, this crop is attacked by several diseases, with the worst being the late blight disease caused by Phytophthora infestans. Stacking of resistance (R) genes from wild Solanum relatives are interesting

The Arabidopsis has 51 proteins annotated as serine carboxypeptidase-like (SCPL) enzymes. Although biochemical and cellular characterization indicates SCPLs involved in protein turnover or processing, little is known about their roles in plant metabolism. In this study, we identified an Arabidopsis mutant, bis4 (1-butanol insensitive 4), that was insensitive to the inhibitory effect of 1-butanol on

Plant cells contain two double membrane bound organelles, plastids and mitochondria, that contain their own genomes. There is a very large variation in the sizes of mitochondrial genomes in higher plants, while the plastid genome remains relatively uniform across different species. One of the curious features of the organelle DNA is that it exists in a high copy number per mitochondria or chloroplast

This study focused on the potential allelopathy of 50 species of Chinese medicinal plants, which are mainly distributed in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Inner Mongolia, and Yunnan Province. The “sandwich method” was adopted and used for the screening for allelopathic potential among these plant species. Further phytotoxic evaluation of the candidate species was conducted by applying plant

Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum; LOLMU) is one of the most troublesome weeds in temperate regions in the world. This weed species interfere with wheat, corn, rye, and oat, causing significant crop yield losses. This species has evolved glyphosate resistance, making it difficult to control. The mechanisms of glyphosate resistance are still unknown, and an understanding thereof will favor the development

Due to the inconsistencies in the interpretation of laticifers within the Apocynaceae, the current study aimed to distinguish, for the first time, the type and distribution of the laticifers in the embryos, seedlings and adult plants of Tabernaemontana ventricosa (Forest Toad tree). The characterization and distribution of laticifers were determined using light and electron microscopy. The findings

Flavonoids, including maackiain (Maac) from Sophora flavescens Aiton roots, have many pharmacological properties, such as antitumor, antimicrobial, and antifungal activities. This research aimed to develop an in vitro plant and callus culture system for S. flavescens for the purpose of generating an alternative production system for enhancing Maac production, as Maac is usually present in very small

This paper explores the effect of agroecological service crops (ASCs), i.e., crops included in the crop rotation for their ecosystem services, terminated with an in-line tillage roller crimper (ILRC) on weed community composition and their functional traits in comparison to a tilled control without ASC. A two-year study was performed in a long-term experiment with vegetables under organic management

Biotechnological approaches have been used to modify the floral color, size, and fragrance of ornamental plants, as well as to increase disease resistance and vase life. Together with the advancement of whole genome sequencing technologies, new plant breeding techniques have rapidly emerged in recent years. Compared to the early versions of gene editing tools, such as meganucleases (MNs), zinc fingers

Many halophytic physiological traits related to the tolerance of plants to salinity excess have been extensively studied, with a focus on biomass and/or gas exchange parameters. To gain a more complete understanding of whether salinity excess affects the physiological performance of halophytes, an experiment was performed using the halophyte Atriplex halimus L. as a model. A. halimus plants were subjected

Edible flowers are consumed for their appearance, colours, nutritional and healthy properties, but the use is limited by the actual number of the species. Seven edible flowers of the Lamiaceae family (Ocimeae and Mentheae tribes) were investigated: Monarda didyma ‘Fireball’, Nepeta × faassenii ‘Six Hills Giant’, Ocimum basilicum ‘Blue Spice’, O. basilicum ‘Cinnamon’, Ocimum × citriodorum, Salvia discolor

Efficient nitrogen (N) nutrition has been reported to have the potential to alleviate the drought stress damages by maintaining metabolic activities even at low tissue water potential. The goal of our research was to find a correlation on the genotype level between the effect of different amounts of nitrogen nutrition and water supply at different growth stages. A small-plot experiment was established

Black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.) is considered one of the most invasive tree species in central Europe and causes problems for both nature conservation and silviculture. Besides mechanical control treatments, a suggested control method to prevent its ongoing spread is to underplant shade-tolerant native tree species. Therefore, we combined two mechanical treatments, with underplanting of European

Self-supporting plants and climbers exhibit differences in their structural and biomechanical properties. We hypothesized that such fundamental differences originate at the level of the material properties. In this study, we compared three non-woody members of the Solanales exhibiting different growth habits: (1) a self-supporting plant (potato, Solanum tuberosum), (2) a trailing plant (sweet potato

The seed is the propagule of higher plants and allows its dissemination and the survival of the species. Seed dormancy prevents premature germination under favourable conditions. Dormant seeds are only able to germinate in a narrow range of conditions. During after-ripening (AR), a mechanism of dormancy release, seeds gradually lose dormancy through a period of dry storage. This review is mainly focused

Oliveria decumbens Vent. (Apiaceae) is an annual herb resistant to harsh environmental conditions, which has got numerous pharmacological, food and feed, and cosmetic applications. In the present study, the variation in the essential oil (EO) content and composition of twelve O. decumbens populations growing wild in several habitats of Iran was studied. The EO contents varied from 2.71% (Darab) to

Copper induces an oxidative stress condition in the marine alga Ulva compressa that is due to the production of superoxide anions and hydrogen peroxide, mainly in organelles. The increase in hydrogen peroxide is accompanied by increases in intracellular calcium and nitric oxide, and there is a crosstalk among these signals. The increase in intracellular calcium activates signaling pathways involving

Responses of trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides), jack pine (Pinus banksiana), and white spruce (Picea glauca) seedlings to root zone pH ranging from 5 to 9 were studied in sand culture in the presence of two mineral nutrition levels. After eight weeks of treatments, effects of pH on plant dry weights varied between the plant species and were relatively minor in white spruce. Higher nutrient supply

Artificial small RNAs (art-sRNAs), such as artificial microRNAs (amiRNAs) and synthetic trans-acting small interfering RNAs (syn-tasiRNAs), are highly specific 21-nucleotide small RNAs designed to recognize and silence complementary target RNAs. Art-sRNAs are extensively used in gene function studies or for improving crops, particularly to protect plants against viruses. Typically, antiviral art-sRNAs

Despite their physiological differences, sedentary and migratory plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs) share several commonalities. Functional characterization studies of key effectors and their targets identified in sedentary phytonematodes are broadly applied to migratory PPNs, generalizing parasitism mechanisms existing in distinct lifestyles. Despite their economic significance, host–pathogen interaction

One of the major challenges in agriculture is to ensure sufficient and healthy food availability for the increasing world population in near future. This requires maintaining sustainable cultivation of crop plants under varying environmental stresses. Among these stresses, salinity is the second most abundant threat worldwide after drought. One of the promising strategies to mitigate salinity stress

Exogenous RNA interference (exo-RNAi) is a powerful transgene-free tool in modern crop improvement and protection platforms. In exo-RNAi approaches, double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) or short-interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are externally applied in plants in order to selectively trigger degradation of target mRNAs. Yet, the applied dsRNAs may also trigger unintended epigenetic alterations and result in epigenetically

Natural rubber is the main component of latex obtained from laticifer cells of Hevea brasiliensis. For improving rubber yield, it is essential to understand the genetic molecular mechanisms responsible for laticifer differentiation and rubber biosynthesis. Jasmonate enhances both secondary laticifer differentiation and rubber biosynthesis. Here, we carried out time-course RNA-seq analysis in suspension-cultured

Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris) is a commercially important biennial root crop, providing about 20% of the world’s annual sugar production. Seed quality is crucial for adequate plant growth and production. The productivity of sugar beet is often limited by heterogeneous germination in the field. In order to improve the sugar beet germination process, the effect of different concentrations

This study was conducted to determine whether nature-derived Reynoutria elliptica extracts exhibit biocompatibility and antimicrobial effects against oral pathogens such as Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans. Fine particles of Reynoutria elliptica extract were used to probe for biocompatibility and antimicrobial activity toward these pathogens, and results were evaluated with an MTT (3-[4,5

Plant viruses infecting crop species are causing long-lasting economic losses and are endangering food security worldwide. Ongoing events, such as climate change, changes in agricultural practices, globalization of markets or changes in plant virus vector populations, are affecting plant virus life cycles. Because farmer’s fields are part of the larger environment, the role of wild plant species in

Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria provide an innovative solution to address challenges in sustainable agro-ecosystems, improving plant growth as well as acting as agents of biocontrol. In this study autochthonous bacteria were isolated from the rhizosphere of processing tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum L.) cultivated with conservation agriculture practices (i.e., reduced tillage and cover crops)

Geranyl diphosphate synthase (GPPS) is a plastid localized enzyme that catalyzes the biosynthesis of Geranyl diphosphate (GPP), which is a universal precursor of monoterpenes. Wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox L.), a famous deciduous flowering shrub with a strong floral scent character, could have GPPS-like homologs that are involved in monoterpenes biosynthesis, but it remains unclear. In the present

The effect of iron, manganese, phosphorus and nitrogen on growth and lipid synthesis of the microalgae Nannochloropsis oceanica CCMP1779, as well as their impact on the magnetic harvesting efficiency, are examined under their depriving cell culture conditions. Herein, it is demonstrated that nitrogen and manganese depletion primarily reduced cell growth while phosphorus and iron restriction led to

Drought during the formative stages of a plant’s growth triggers a sequence of responses to maintain optimal growing conditions, but often at the expense of crop productivity. Two field experiments were conducted to determine the effect of drought on 10 high-yielding sugarcane genotypes at two formative stages (the tillering stage (TS) and stalk elongation (SS)), within 30 days after treatment imposition

Calamine wastes highly contaminated with trace metals (TMs) are spontaneously inhabited by a legume plant Anthyllis vulneraria L. This study determined an adaptation strategy of metallicolous (M) A. vulneraria and compared it with that of the non-metallicolous (NM) ecotype. We hypothesized that TMs may lead to (i) leaf apoplast modifications and (ii) changes in the antioxidant machinery efficiency

Attempts to identify crop genetic material with larger growth stimulation at projected elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations are becoming more common. The probability of reductions in photosynthesis and yield caused by short-term variation in CO2 concentration within elevated CO2 treatments in the free-air CO2 enrichment plots raises the question of whether similar effects occur in glasshouse or

Tyrosine phosphorylation constitutes up to 5% of the total phophoproteome. However, only limited studies are available on protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) that catalyze protein tyrosine phosphorylation in plants. In this study, domain analysis of the 27 annotated PTK genes in rice genome led to the identification of 18 PTKs with tyrosine kinase domain. The kinase domain of rice PTKs shared high homology

Pollen viability and storage is of great interest to cannabis breeders and researchers to maintain desirable germplasm for future use in breeding or for biotechnological and gene editing applications. Here, we report a simple and efficient cryopreservation method for long-term storage of Cannabis sativa pollen. Additionally, the bicellular nature of cannabis pollen was identified using DAPI (4′,6-

Plastid-nucleus retrograde signaling (PNRS) play essential roles in regulating nuclear gene expression during plant growth and development. Excessive reactive oxygen species can trigger PNRS. We previously reported that in apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) seedlings, the expression of microRNA156 (miR156) was significantly low in the adult phase, which was accompanied by high levels of hydrogen peroxide

Black spot is a major foliar disease of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) present in a typical cultivation area of northern Italy, including the Liguria and southern Piedmont regions, where this aromatic herb is an economically important crop. In this study, 15 Colletotrichum isolates obtained from sweet basil plants with symptoms of black spot sampled in this area were characterized morphologically and

Background: Hyoscyamus niger L. (Solanaceae) generally known as henbane, is commonly distributed in Europe and Asia. In Turkey, henbane seeds have been used in folk medicine to remove worms from the eyes. The present study aimed to investigate the insecticidal activity of H. niger seeds. Methods: n-hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol and alkaloid extracts were prepared from the seeds of the plant and their

An efficient micropropagation protocol for Rheum rhabarbarum L. was developed in this study. The in vitro rhubarb plants obtained in the multiplication stage (proliferation rate: 5.0 ± 0.5) were rooted in vitro (96% rooting percentage) and acclimatized ex vitro in floating perlite, with 90% acclimatization percentage. To assess the genetic fidelity between the mother plant and in vitro propagated plants

Arsenic (As) from coal fly ash can be released into soil/groundwater, presenting a global threat to the environment and human health. To overcome this environmental problem, phytoremediation represents an urgent need, providing ‘green’ cleanup of contaminated lands. The present study focused on As concentrations in fly ash and plants, evaluation of phytoremediation potential of Dactylis glomerata sown

Most plants are usually colonized with arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMF) in the fields. AMF absorb mineral nutrients, especially phosphate, from the soil and transfer them to the host plants. Inoculation with exotic AMF is thought to be effective when indigenous AMF performance is low; however, there is no method for evaluating the performance of indigenous AMF. In this study, we developed a method

The natural functional ingredients derived from pomegranate (41.4% punicalagin), rosemary (5.8% carnosic acid and carnosol), hydroxytyrosol (7.3%), and citrus (55% hesperidin) fruits were combined separately with acerola (17% vitamin C) and essential oils rich in fatty acids (45% α-linolenic (ALA) and 40% docosahexaenoic (DHA)) provide a natural substitute of synthetic preservatives for fish patties

Topical application is an important administration route for drugs requiring local action on the skin, thereby avoiding their systemic absorption and adverse side effects. Rosmarinus officinalis L. (syn. Salvia rosmarinus Spenn.), popularly known as rosemary, is an aromatic plant with needle-like leaves belonging to the Lamiaceae family. Rosemary has therapeutic properties and has been used in the

Safflower is an important oilseed crop mainly grown in the arid and semi-arid regions of the world. The aim of this study was to explore phenotypic and genetic diversity, population structure, and marker-trait association for 100-seed weight in 94 safflower accessions originating from 26 countries using silicoDArT markers. Analysis of variance revealed statistically significant genotypic effects (p