Stress-induced expression of IPT gene in transgenic wheat reduces grain yield penalty under drought.

Background: The heterologous expression of isopentenyl transferase (IPT) under the transcriptional control of the senescence-associated receptor-like kinase (SARK) promoter delayed cellular senescence and, through it, increased drought tolerance in plants. To evaluate the effect of pSARK::IPT expression in bread wheat, six independent transgenic events were obtained through the biolistic method and evaluated transgene expression, phenology, grain yield and physiological biomass components in plants grown under both drought and well-irrigating conditions. Experiments were performed at different levels: (i) pots and (ii) microplots inside a biosafety greenhouse, as well as under (iii) field conditions.

Engineering Pseudomonas protegens Pf-5 for nitrogen fixation and its application to improve plant growth under nitrogen-deficient conditions.

Nitrogen is the second most critical factor for crop production after water. In this study, the beneficial rhizobacterium Pseudomonas protegens Pf-5 was genetically modified to fix nitrogen using the genes encoding the nitrogenase of Pseudomonas stutzeri A1501 via the X940 cosmid. Pf-5 X940 was able to grow in L medium without nitrogen, displayed high nitrogenase activity and released significant quantities of ammonium to the medium.

Two infA gene mutations independently originated from a mutator genotype in barley.

Cytoplasmic line 2 (CL2) is a chlorophyll mutant that was selected from a plastid mutator genotype in barley. The dynamics of greening and plastid development of CL2 first-leaf blade contrasts with that of monocots. Previous characterizations of CL2 suggested that this mutant has a delay of plastid gene translation during embryogenesis.