Comparing de novo transcriptome assembly tools in di- and autotetraploid non-model plant species.

Background: Polyploidy is very common in plants and can be seen as one of the key drivers in the domestication of crops and the establishment of important agronomic traits. It can be the main source of genomic repatterning and introduces gene duplications, affecting gene expression and alternative splicing. Since fully sequenced genomes are not yet available for many plant species including crops, de novo transcriptome assembly is the basis to understand molecular and functional mechanisms.

Correction to: Integrative transcriptomics reveals genotypic impact on sugar beet storability.

In the above mentioned publication, part of Fig. 6B was distorted (extra diagonal lines appeared). The original article has been corrected and the proper version of Fig.

Integrative transcriptomics reveals genotypic impact on sugar beet storability.

An integrative comparative transcriptomic approach on six sugar beet varieties showing different amount of sucrose loss during storage revealed genotype-specific main driver genes and pathways characterizing storability. Sugar beet is next to sugar cane one of the most important sugar crops accounting for about 15% of the sucrose produced worldwide. Since its processing is increasingly centralized, storage of beet roots over an extended time has become necessary.

Elucidating Drought Stress Tolerance in European Oaks Through Cross-Species Transcriptomics.

The impact of climate change that comes with a dramatic increase of long periods of extreme summer drought associated with heat is a fundamental challenge for European forests. As a result, forests are expected to shift their distribution patterns toward north-east, which may lead to a dramatic loss in value of European forest land. Consequently, unraveling key processes that underlie drought stress tolerance is not only of great scientific but also of utmost economic importance for forests to withstand future heat and drought wave scenarios.

Characterization of variable EST SSR markers for Norway spruce (Picea abies L.).

Background: Norway spruce is widely distributed across Europe and the predominant tree of the Alpine region. Fast growth and the fact that timber can be harvested cost-effectively in relatively young populations define its status as one of the economically most important tree species of Northern Europe. In this study, EST derived simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were developed for the assessment of putative functional diversity in Austrian Norway spruce stands.

Identification of adaptation-specific differences in mRNA expression of sessile and pedunculate oak based on osmotic-stress-induced genes.

Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl. and Q.