Expression of the Theobroma cacao Bax-inhibitor-1 gene in tomato reduces infection by the hemibiotrophic pathogen Moniliophthora perniciosa.

Programmed cell death (PCD) plays a key role in plant responses to pathogens, determining the success of infection depending on the pathogen lifestyle and on which participant of the interaction triggers cell death. The hemibiotrophic basidiomycete Moniliophthora perniciosa is the causal agent of witches' broom disease of Theobroma cacao L. (cacao), a serious constraint for production in South America and the Caribbean.

Novel natural genetic variation controlling the competence to form adventitious roots and shoots from the tomato wild relative Solanum pennellii.

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is an attractive model to study the genetic basis of adventitious organ formation capacity, since there is considerable natural genetic variation among wild relatives. Using a set of 46 introgression lines (ILs), each containing a small chromosomal segment of Solanum pennellii LA716 introgressed and mapped into the tomato cultivar M82, we characterized a high shoot-regeneration capacity for ILs 3-2, 6-1, 7-1, 7-2, 8-2, 8-3, 9-1, 9-2, 10-2 and 10-3, when cotyledon explants were cultivated on medium containing 5.