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Physiol Plant 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

College of Agronomy, Synergetic Innovation Centre of Henan Grain Crops and National Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China.

Seed germination, as an integral stage of crop production, directly affects Zea mays (maize) yield and grain quality. However, the molecular mechanisms of seed germination remain unclear in maize. We performed comparative transcriptome analysis of two maize inbred lines, Yu82 and Yu537A, at two stages of seed germination. Read More

Physiol Plant 2019 Feb 15. Epub 2019 Feb 15.

Department of Metabolic and Structural Biology, CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CSIR-CIMAP), Lucknow, 226015, India.

Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) is considered as Rasayana in Indian systems of medicine. This study reports a novel transcriptome of W. somnifera berries, with high depth, quality and coverage. Read More

Physiol Plant 2019 Feb 11. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

Key Laboratory of Forest Biotechnology in Yunnan, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, Yunnan, 650224, P.R. China.

Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants in the world, but their shoot buds develop very slowly. Information about the sugar storage and metabolism during the shoot growth is lacking. In the present study, we determined the activity of sucrose and starch metabolizing enzymes during the developmental period of Fargesia yunnanensis from shoot buds to the young culms that have achieved their full height. Read More

Physiol Plant 2019 Feb 10. Epub 2019 Feb 10.

Institute of Plant Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization, P.O. Box 6, Bet-Dagan, 50250, Israel.

Organic acids are important components of overall fruit quality through flavor, taste, nutritional and medicinal values. Pollinated fig (Ficus carica L.) fruit quality is enhanced by increased acidity. Read More

Physiol Plant 2019 Feb 10. Epub 2019 Feb 10.

Biology Faculty, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1-24 Leninskie Gory, Moscow, 119992, Russia.

Mechanisms of the complex formation between plastocyanin and cytochrome f in higher plants (Spinacia oleracea and Brassica rapa), green microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and two species of cyanobacteria (Phormidium laminosum and Nostoc sp.) were investigated using combined Brownian and molecular dynamics simulations and hierarchical cluster analysis. In higher plants and green algae electrostatic interactions force plastocyanin molecule close to the heme of cytochrome f. Read More

Physiol Plant 2019 Feb 9. Epub 2019 Feb 9.

Molecular Physiology and Proteomics Laboratory, Department of Botany, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007, India.

Climatic fluctuations are a major global concern, affecting the agronomic productivity of plants. Hippophae rhamnoides (H. rhamnoides) a naturally growing stress tolerant Himalayan shrub was chosen to understand its stress hardiness mechanism. Read More

Physiol Plant 2019 Feb 8. Epub 2019 Feb 8.

Bioscience Institute, São Paulo State University (UNESP), São Vicente, 11330-900, Brazil.

Salinity commonly affects photosynthesis and crop production worldwide. Salt stress disrupts the fine balance between photosynthetic electron transport and the Calvin cycle reactions, leading to over-reduction and excess energy within the thylakoids. The excess energy triggers reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction that causes photoinhibition in both photosystems (PS) I and II. Read More

Physiol Plant 2019 Feb 4. Epub 2019 Feb 4.

Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland.

In plants, CALCIUM-DEPENDENT PROTEIN KINASES (CDPKs/CPKs) are involved in calcium signaling in response to endogenous and environmental stimuli. Here, we report that ZmCPK11, one of maize CDPKs, participates in salt stress response and tolerance. Salt stress induced expression and upregulated the activity of ZmCPK11 in maize roots and leaves. Read More

Physiol Plant 2019 Jan 31. Epub 2019 Jan 31.

Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, United Kingdom.

Mimicking photosynthesis in generating chemical fuels from sunlight is a promising strategy to alleviate society's demand for fossil fuels. However, this approach involves a number of challenges that must be overcome before this concept can emerge as a viable solution to society's energy demand. Particularly in artificial photosynthesis, the catalytic chemistry that converts energy in the form of electricity into carbon-based fuels and chemicals has yet to be developed. Read More

Physiol Plant 2019 Jan 31. Epub 2019 Jan 31.

SynthSys and Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3BF, UK.

The rapid and widespread adoption of CRISPR/Cas technologies has allowed genetic editing in plants to enter a revolutionary new era. In this mini-review we highlight the current CRISPR/Cas tools available in plants and the use of Arabidopsis thaliana as a model to guide future improvements in crop yields, such as enhancing photosynthetic potential. We also outline the current socio-political landscape for CRISPR/Cas research and highlight the growing need for governments to better facilitate research into plant genetic editing technologies. Read More

Physiol Plant 2019 Jan 31. Epub 2019 Jan 31.

Institute of Basic Biological Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences Federal Research Center, Pushchino Scientific Center for Biological Research of the Russian Academy of Science, Institutskaya st., 2, Pushchino town, Russia.

The review covers data representing the plastoquinone pool as the component integrated in plant antioxidant defence and plant signaling. The main goal of the review is to discuss the evidence describing the plastoquinone-involved biochemical reactions, which are incorporated in maintaining the sustainability of higher plants to stress conditions. In this context, the analysis of the reactions of various redox forms of plastoquinone with oxygen species is presented. Read More

Physiol Plant 2019 Jan 31. Epub 2019 Jan 31.

College of Life Sciences, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China.

Tryptophan is one of the amino acids that cannot be produced in humans and has to be acquired primarily from plants. In Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis), the tryptophan synthase beta subunit (TSB) genes have been found to catalyze the biosynthesis of tryptophan. Here, we report the isolation and characterization of two TSB genes from Brassica oleracea (broccoli), designated BoTSB1 and BoTSB2. Read More

Physiol Plant 2019 Jan 28. Epub 2019 Jan 28.

Istituto di Biologia e Biotecnologia Agraria, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Via Bassini 15A, 20133, Milano, Italy.

The emission spectra collected under conditions of open (F ) and closed (F ) photosystem II (PSII) reaction centres are close-to-independent from the excitation wavelength in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Chlorella sorokiniana, whereas a pronounced dependence is observed in Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 and Synechococcus PCC7942, instead. The differences in band-shape between the F and F emission are limited in green algae, giving rise only to a minor trough in the F /F spectrum in the 705-720 nm range, irrespectively of the excitation. Read More

Physiol Plant 2019 Jan 28. Epub 2019 Jan 28.

Department of Chemistry, Chemical Biological Centre, Umeå University, S-90187, Umeå, Sweden.

High solar flux is known to diminish photosynthetic growth rates, reducing biomass productivity and lowering disease tolerance. Photosystem II (PSII) of plants is susceptible to photodamage (also known as photoinactivation) in strong light, resulting in severe loss of water oxidation capacity and destruction of the water-oxidizing complex (WOC). The repair of damaged PSIIs comes at a high energy cost and requires de novo biosynthesis of damaged PSII subunits, reassembly of the WOC inorganic cofactors and membrane remodelling. Read More

Physiol Plant 2019 Jan 28. Epub 2019 Jan 28.

College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.

Combined application of nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) fertilizer could significantly enhance crop yield. Crop yield and photosynthesis are inseparable. However, the influence of N and K interaction on photosynthesis is still not fully understood. Read More

Physiol Plant 2019 Feb;165(2):128-130

Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 901 83 Umeå, Sweden.

With the changing climate, crops are facing mounting threats from multiple abiotic stresses, and studies that assess the response of plants to combinations, rather than to individual, abiotic stresses are becoming increasingly relevant. Bananas are one of the most globally important and popular food crops and their production is threatened by increasing heat and diminishing rainfall in tropical and subtropical regions. In pursuit of effective stress management strategies, Jangale et al. Read More

Physiol Plant 2019 Feb;165(2):131-133

Department of Plant Physiology, Umeå University, 907 36 Umeå, Sweden.

Barley (Hordeum vulgare), a vital crop to the food and beverage industry, is highly vulnerable to unstable conditions on the climatic horizon. An article in this special issue of Physiologia Plantarum by Mahalingam and Bregitzer (2019) describes the impact that individual and combined stresses linked to climate change could have on the agronomic source of one of our favourite libations, as well as offering achievable solutions that will be needed if crop yield and quality are to be maintained. Read More

Physiol Plant 2019 02;165(2):125-127

Division of Plant Sciences, Interdisciplinary Plant Group, College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, and The Department of Surgery, University of Missouri School of Medicine. Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65201, USA.

Physiol Plant 2019 Jan 26. Epub 2019 Jan 26.

Quinoa Quality, Regstrup, Denmark.

Plant tolerance against a combination of abiotic stresses is a complex phenomenon, which involves various mechanisms. Physiological and biochemical analyses of salinity (NaCl) and nickel (Ni) tolerance in two contrasting tomato genotypes were performed in a hydroponics experiment. The tomato genotypes selected were proved to be tolerant (Naqeeb) and sensitive (Nadir) to both salinity and Ni stress in our previous experiment. Read More

Physiol Plant 2019 Jan 24. Epub 2019 Jan 24.

Institute of Microbiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Opatovický mlýn, 379 81 Třeboň, Czech Republic.

In the present paper, we report an improved method combining sucrose density gradient with ion exchange chromatography for the isolation of pure chlorophyll a/c antenna proteins from the model cryptophytic alga R. salina. Antennas were used for in vitro quenching experiments in the absence of xanthophylls, showing that protein aggregation is a plausible mechanism behind nonphotochemical quenching in R. Read More

Physiol Plant 2019 Jan 22. Epub 2019 Jan 22.

Institute of Plant Biology, Biological Research Center, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Temesvári körút 62, H-6726, Szeged, Hungary.

Earlier experiments, using P-NMR and time-resolved merocyanine fluorescence spectroscopy, have shown that isolated intact, fully functional plant thylakoid membranes, in addition to the bilayer phase, contain three non-bilayer (or non-lamellar) lipid phases (Garab et al. 2017 Scientific Reports 7: 13343). It has also been shown that the lipid polymorphism of thylakoid membranes can be characterized by remarkable plasticity, i. Read More

Physiol Plant 2019 Jan 20. Epub 2019 Jan 20.

The Key Laboratory for Quality Improvement of Agricultural Products of Zhejiang Province, School of Agriculture and Food Science, Zhejiang Agriculture & Forestry University, Hangzhou, 311300, China.

Drought is the primary limitation to plant growth and yield in agricultural systems. Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) is one of the most important vegetables worldwide and has little tolerance for water deficit. To understand the drought stress response strategy of this plant, the responses of cucumber to short-term drought and rewatering were determined in this study by morphological structure and proteomic analyses. Read More

Physiol Plant 2019 Jan 20. Epub 2019 Jan 20.

Laboratory for Molecular Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Division of Molecular Biology, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Bijenička cesta 54, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia.

TROL (thylakoid rhodanase-like protein) is a nuclear-encoded protein of thylakoid membranes required for tethering of FNR (ferredoxin:NADPH oxydoreductase). It has been proposed that the dynamic interaction of TROL with flavoenzyme FNR, influenced by environmental light conditions, regulates the fate of photosynthetic electrons, directing them either to NADPH synthesis or to other acceptors, including ROS detoxification pathways. Inside the chloroplasts, TROL has a dual localization: as inner membrane precursor form and a thylakoid membrane mature form, which has been confirmed by several large-scale chloroplast proteomics studies, as well as protein import experiments. Read More

Physiol Plant 2019 Jan 14. Epub 2019 Jan 14.

Plant Ecophysiology and Evolution Group, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, 530004, China.

Xylem vulnerability to cavitation and hydraulic efficiency are directly linked to fine-scale bordered pit features in water-conducting cells of vascular plants. However, it is unclear how pit characteristics influence water transport and carbon economy in tropical species. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate functional implications of changes in pit characteristics for water relations and photosynthetic traits in tropical Ficus species with different growth forms (i. Read More

Physiol Plant 2019 Jan 14. Epub 2019 Jan 14.

Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, 72 Binhai Road, Qingdao, 266237, China.

Plant responses to drought and their subsequent rehydration can provide evidence for forest dynamics within the context of climate change. In this study, the seedlings of two native species (Vitex negundo var. heterophylla, Quercus acutissima) and two exotic species (Robinia pseudoacacia, Amorpha fruticosa) in China were selected in a greenhouse experiment. Read More

Physiol Plant 2019 Jan 10. Epub 2019 Jan 10.

Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science (ICR, CAAS)/State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Anyang 455000, China.

We identified 102, 51 and 51 proteins encoded by the trihelix genes in Gossypium hirsutum, Gossypium arboreum and Gossypium raimondii, respectively. RNA sequence data and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that Gh_A05G2067 (GT-2) was highly upregulated under drought and salt stress conditions. Transient expression of GT-2-green fluorescent protein fusion protein in protoplast showed that GT-2 was localized in the nucleus. Read More

Physiol Plant 2019 Jan 10. Epub 2019 Jan 10.

Department of Biophysics, Institute of Biology and Biochemistry, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Akademicka 19, 20-033 Lublin, Poland.

Microelectrode measurements carried out on leaf cells from Physcomitrella patens revealed that a sudden temperature drop and application of menthol evoked two types of different-shaped membrane potential changes. Cold stimulation evoked spike-type responses. Menthol depolarized the cell membrane with different rates. Read More

Physiol Plant 2019 Jan 10. Epub 2019 Jan 10.

Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA) Saclay, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, F-91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.

Senescence is the last stage of leaf development preceding the death of the organ, and it is important for nutrient remobilization and for feeding sink tissues. There are many reports on leaf senescence, but the mechanisms initiating leaf senescence are still poorly understood. Leaf senescence is affected by many environmental factors and seems to vary in different species and even varieties of plants, which makes it difficult to generalize the mechanism. Read More

Physiol Plant 2019 Jan 9. Epub 2019 Jan 9.

Universidade Federal de Viçosa (UFV), Department of Plant Pathology, Laboratory of Host-Pathogen Interaction, Viçosa, Minas Gerais State, 36570-900, Brazil.

Physiol Plant 2019 Jan 9. Epub 2019 Jan 9.

Departamento de Bioquímica Vegetal y Biología Molecular, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain.

The afterglow (AG) luminescence is a delayed chlorophyll fluorescence emitted by the photosystem II that seems to reflect the level of assimilatory potential (NADPH+ATP) in chloroplast. In this work, the thermoluminescence (TL) emissions corresponding to the AG band were investigated in plants of the WT and the Ljgln2-2 photorespiratory mutant from Lotus japonicus grown under either photorespiratory (air) or non-photorespiratory (high concentration of CO ) conditions. TL glow curves obtained after two flashes induced the strongest overall TL emissions, which could be decomposed in two components: B band (t  = 27-29°C) and AG band (t  = 44-45°C). Read More

Physiol Plant 2018 Dec 22. Epub 2018 Dec 22.

Department of Biology, University of Padova, Via Ugo Bassi 58/B 35131, Padova, Italy.

The massive increase in carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere driven by human activities is causing huge negative consequences and new sustainable sources of energy, food and materials are highly needed. Algae are unicellular photosynthetic microorganisms that can provide a highly strategic contribution to this challenge as alternative source of biomass to complement crops cultivation. Algae industrial cultures are commonly limited by light availability, and biomass accumulation is strongly dependent on their photon-to-biomass conversion efficiency. Read More

Physiol Plant 2018 Dec 22. Epub 2018 Dec 22.

Molecular Plant Biology, Department of Biochemistry, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.

In natural growth habitats, plants face constant, unpredictable changes in light conditions. To avoid damage to the photosynthetic apparatus on thylakoid membranes in chloroplasts, and to avoid wasteful reactions, it is crucial to maintain a redox balance both within the components of photosynthetic electron transfer chain and between the light reactions and stromal carbon metabolism under fluctuating light conditions. This requires coordinated function of the photoprotective and regulatory mechanisms, such as non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) and reversible redistribution of excitation energy between photosystem II (PSII) and photosystem I (PSI). Read More

Physiol Plant 2019 Feb;165(2):427-441

Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea.

Ionizing radiation is ubiquitous in the environment and can cause mutagenesis in living organisms. In this study, we examined the effects of neutron irradiation on tomato plants. Neutron irradiation decreased tomato germination rates, but most irradiated tomato plants did not show any significant phenotype. Read More

Physiol Plant 2019 Jan;165(1):2-3

Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology, Swedish University of Agricultural Science, 901 83, Umeå, Sweden.

Parasitic nematode worms infect a variety of crop plants worldwide. Roots infected by these worms start to look rather unsavory - with knot like tumors (galls) developing all over them. At the core of each gall, a worm matures and lays its eggs. Read More

Physiol Plant 2018 Dec 18. Epub 2018 Dec 18.

Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Biology, Moscow State University, Moscow, 119234, Russia.

In oxygenic phototrophs including unicellular algae, acclimation to and damage by diverse environmental stresses induce profound changes in the ultrastructural organization of the cell. These alterations reflect acclimation of the photosynthetic apparatus to unfavorable conditions (mainly reduction of the chloroplast and its membranal system) and rewiring of the photo-fixed carbon fluxes in the cell. These changes, eventually pursuing mitigation of the photooxidative damage risk, are manifested by the formation of diverse carbon-rich inclusions. Read More

Physiol Plant 2018 Dec 18. Epub 2018 Dec 18.

Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Forest Ecology and Management, SE-901 83, Umeå, Sweden.

Cellular respiration via the alternative oxidase pathway (AOP) leads to a considerable loss in efficiency. Compared to the cytochrome pathway (COP), AOP produces 0-50% as much ATP per carbon (C) respired. Relative partitioning between the pathways can be measured in vivo based on their differing isotopic discriminations against O in O . Read More

Physiol Plant 2018 Dec 18. Epub 2018 Dec 18.

State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou, 310006, China.

The negative effects of water stress on rice can be alleviated by NH nutrition. However, the effects of mixed nitrogen (N) nutrition (NO +NH ) on resistance to water stress are still not well known. To investigate the response of rice growth to water stress and its relationship with photosynthetic characteristics, a hydroponic experiment supplying different N forms was conducted. Read More

Physiol Plant 2018 Dec 18. Epub 2018 Dec 18.

Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology, Ecology and Genetic Breeding, Ministry of Education, College of Agronomy, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Jiangxi 330045, China.

Abrupt drought-flood alternation (T1) is a meteorological disaster that frequently occurs during summer in southern China and the Yangtze river basin, often causing a significant loss of rice production. In this study, the response mechanism of yield decline under abrupt drought-flood alternation stress at the panicle differentiation stage was analyzed by looking at the metabolome, proteome as well as yield and physiological and biochemical indexes. The results showed that drought and flood stress caused a decrease in the yield of rice at the panicle differentiation stage, and abrupt drought-flood alternation stress created a synergistic effect for the reduction of yield. Read More

Physiol Plant 2019 Feb;165(2):413-426

Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV), Departamento de Biologia Aplicada à Agropecuária, Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil.

Agricultural activities are affected by many biotic and abiotic stresses associated with global climate change. Predicting the response of plants to abiotic stress under future climate scenarios requires an understanding of plant biochemical performance in simulated stress conditions. In this study, the antioxidant response of Panicum maximum Jacq. Read More

Physiol Plant 2018 Dec 12. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

College of Agronomy & Biotechnology, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, Yunnan, 650201, China.

Panax notoginseng (Burk) F.H. Chen is an economically and medicinally plant of the family Araliacease, seed dormancy is a key factor limiting the extended cultivation of P. Read More

Physiol Plant 2018 Dec 12. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

StateKey Laboratory of Crop Biology/Key Laboratory of Crop Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops in Huanghuai Region/College of Horticulture Science and Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, Shandong, 271018, China.

Despite being a key enzyme of Cavin cycle, transketolase (TK) is believed to be related to abiotic resistance in higher plants. However, how TK affects chilling tolerance still remains largely unknown. Here, we describe the effect of overexpression of the Cucumis sativa TK gene (CsTK) on growth, photosynthesis, ROS metabolism and cell ultrastructure under chilling stress. Read More

Physiol Plant 2018 Dec 11. Epub 2018 Dec 11.

School of Science and the Environment, Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Corner Brook, A2H 5G4, Canada.

The literature is replete with information describing the composition of the root lipidome in several plant species grown under various environmental conditions. However, it is unknown to what extent the root membrane lipidome vary between silage-corn genotypes, and how such variation could influence agronomic performances during field cultivation in cool climate. To address this issue, the root membrane lipidome and agronomic performance were assessed for five silage-corn genotypes (Fusion-RR, Yukon-R, A4177G3-RIB, DKC23-17RIB, DKC26-28RIB) cultivated under cool climatic conditions. Read More

Physiol Plant 2018 Dec 11. Epub 2018 Dec 11.

School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Sydney Institute of Agriculture, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

The impact of drought on plant growth and yield has been widely studied and is considered a major limitation to crops reaching yield potential. Less known is the impact of water deficit on the nutritional quality of the resulting yield. This study characterised the impact of water deficit on carbon assimilation, modelled water use efficiency from carbon isotope discrimination and analysed the concentration of mineral nutrients, amino acids and sugars in leaf, phloem and pod pools collected from Phaseolus vulgaris L. Read More

Physiol Plant 2018 Dec 11. Epub 2018 Dec 11.

Istituto di Biologia e Biotecnologia Agraria, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 20133, Milano, Italy.

The cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 is a model species commonly employed for biotechnological applications. It is naturally able to accumulate zeaxanthin (Zea) and echinenone (Ech), but not astaxanthin (Asx), which is the highest value carotenoid produced by microalgae, with a wide range of applications in pharmaceutical, cosmetics, food and feed industries. Read More

Physiol Plant 2019 Feb;165(2):383-402

Department of Biology, FFCLRP, University of Sao Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.

Global warming is predicted to cause more intense extreme events such as heat waves, flooding and severe droughts, producing significant effects on agriculture. In tropics, climate change will severely impact livestock production affecting water availability, forage quality and food for cattle. We investigated the isolated and combined effects of soil water deficit (wS) and + 2°C increase in canopy temperature (eT) on leaf gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence, carbohydrate content, forage quality and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) of a field-grown C4 tropical forage grass Panicum maximum Jacq. Read More

Physiol Plant 2018 Dec 7. Epub 2018 Dec 7.

Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, 57069, USA.

The moss Physcomitrella patens has been used as a model organism to study the induction of desiccation tolerance (DT), but links between dehydration rate, the accumulation of endogenous abscisic acid (ABA) and DT remain unclear. In this study, we show that prolonged acclimation of P. patens at 89% relative humidity (RH) [-16 MPa] can induce tolerance of desiccation at 33% RH (-153 MPa) in both protonema and gametophore stages. Read More

Physiol Plant 2018 Dec 10. Epub 2018 Dec 10.

Department of Biology, Augustana University, Sioux Falls, SD, 57197, USA.

Two Phaseolus vulgaris L. cultivars were exposed to reduced water and stem mechanical perturbation treatments (flexing) to determine if acclimation to these treatments induced hydraulic changes, altered cavitation resistance and changed stem mechanical properties. Additionally, this study sought to determine if changes in cavitation resistance would support the pit area or conduit reinforcement hypotheses. Read More

Physiol Plant 2018 Dec 8. Epub 2018 Dec 8.

Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 210602, China.

In vascular (Arabidopsis thaliana) and non-vascular (Physcomitrella patens) plants, PHOSPHATE 1 (PHO1) homologs play important roles in the acquisition and transfer of phosphate. The tomato genome contains six genes (SlPHO1;1-SlPHO1;6) homologous to AtPHO1. The six proteins have typical characteristics of the plant PHO1 family, such as the three Syg1/Pho81/XPRI (SPX) subdomains in the N-terminal portion and one ERD1/XPR1/SYG1 (EXS) domain in the C-terminal portion. Read More

Physiol Plant 2018 Dec 10. Epub 2018 Dec 10.

College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.

Zinc (Zn) deficiency is a widespread agricultural problem in arable soils of the whole world. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying Zn-deficiency response are largely unknown. Here, we analyzed the transcriptomic profilings of soybean leaves and roots in response to Zn deficiency through Illumina's high-throughput RNA sequencing in order to understand the molecular basis of Zn-deficiency response in the plants. Read More

Physiol Plant 2018 Dec 8. Epub 2018 Dec 8.

Key Laboratory of Arable Land Conservation (Middle and Lower Reaches of Yangtze River), Ministry of Agriculture; Microelement Research Center, College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.

Sheath rot disease (ShR) caused by Sarocladium oryzae (S. oryzae) infection is an emerging disease that causes severe yield loss by restricting the translocation of non-structural carbohydrates (NSC). Potassium (K) nutrition plays a critical role in disease resistance and the exportation of NSC. Read More