Transcriptomic and physiological shade avoidance responses in potato (Solanum tuberosum) plants.

Plants detect competitors in shaded environments by perceiving a reduction in photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and the reduction between the red and far-red light (R:FR) ratio and blue photons. These light signals are detected by phytochromes and cryptochromes, which trigger shade avoidance responses such as shoot and petiole elongation and lead to increased susceptibility to pathogen attack. We studied morphological, anatomical, and photosynthesis differences in potato plants (Solanum tuberosum var.

The dimerization mechanism of the N-terminal domain of spider silk proteins is conserved despite extensive sequence divergence.

The N-terminal (NT) domain of spider silk proteins (spidroins) is crucial for their storage at high concentrations and also regulates silk assembly. NTs from the major ampullate spidroin (MaSp) and the minor ampullate spidroin are monomeric at neutral pH and confer solubility to spidroins, whereas at lower pH, they dimerize to interconnect spidroins in a fiber. This dimerization is known to result from modulation of electrostatic interactions by protonation of well-conserved glutamates, although it is undetermined if this mechanism applies to other spidroin types as well.

BBX21 reduces abscisic acid sensitivity, mesophyll conductance and chloroplast electron transport capacity to increase photosynthesis and water use efficiency in potato plants cultivated under moderated drought.

The B-box (BBX) proteins are zinc-finger transcription factors with a key role in growth and developmental regulatory networks mediated by light. AtBBX21 overexpressing (BBX21-OE) potato (Solanum tuberosum) plants, cultivated in optimal water conditions, have a higher photosynthesis rate and stomatal conductance without penalty in water use efficiency (WUE) and with a higher tuber yield. In this work, we cultivated potato plants in two water regimes: 100 and 35% field capacity of water restriction that imposed leaf water potentials between -0.

Optimization of timing of next-generation emergence in Amaranthus hybridus is determined via modulation of seed dormancy by the maternal environment.

The timing of emergence of weed species has critical ecological and agronomical implications. In several species, emergence patterns largely depend on the level of dormancy of the seedbank, which is modulated by specific environmental factors. In addition, environmental conditions during seed maturation on the mother plant can have marked effects on the dormancy level at the time of seed dispersal.

Phytochrome B enhances plant growth, biomass and grain yield in field-grown maize.

Background And Aims: Phytochrome B (phyB) is a photosensory receptor important for the control of plant plasticity and resource partitioning. Whether phyB is required to optimize plant biomass accumulation in agricultural crops exposed to full sunlight is unknown. Here we investigated the impact of mutations in the genes that encode either phyB1 or phyB2 on plant growth and grain yield in field crops of Zea mays sown at contrasting population densities.