Copper excess transcriptional responses in roots of grapevine (Vitis sp.) rootstocks.

Copper (Cu) is an essential element for plants, participating in photosynthesis, oxidative metabolism and cell wall synthesis. However, excessive Cu may become toxic, as Cu participates in Fenton chemistry and cause oxidative stress. Grapevine (Vitis sp.

High copper content in vineyard soils promotes modifications in photosynthetic parameters and morphological changes in the root system of 'Red Niagara' plantlets.

High copper (Cu) soil contents, due to the continuous vineyard application of Cu fungicides throughout the years, may impair the growth of the shoot and modify the structure of the root system. The current study aimed to investigate the threshold levels of available Cu in the soil causing toxicity effects in young grapevine plants of 'Red Niagara' cultivated in clay soils. Grapevine plantlets were cultivated in pots containing vineyard devoted soils with increasing contents of available Cu (25, 80, 100 and 165 mg kg), for 53 days.

Evolutionary diversification of galactinol synthases in Rosaceae: adaptive roles of galactinol and raffinose during apple bud dormancy.

Galactinol synthase (GolS) is a key enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway of raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs), which play roles in carbon storage, signal transduction, and osmoprotection. The present work assessed the evolutionary history of GolS genes across the Rosaceae using several bioinformatic tools. Apple (Malus × domestica) GolS genes were transcriptionally characterized during bud dormancy, in parallel with galactinol and raffinose measurements.

Glutathione and abscisic acid supplementation influences somatic embryo maturation and hormone endogenous levels during somatic embryogenesis in Podocarpus lambertii Klotzsch ex Endl.

Here we propose a protocol for embryogenic cultures induction, proliferation and maturation for the Brazilian conifer Podocarpus lambertii, and investigated the effect of abscisic acid (ABA) and glutathione (GSH) supplementation on the maturation phase. ABA, zeatin (Z) and salicylic acid (SA) endogenous levels were quantified. Number of somatic embryos obtained in ABA-supplemented treatment was significant higher than in ABA-free treatment, showing the relevance of ABA supplementation during somatic embryos maturation.

Functional diversification of the dehydrin gene family in apple and its contribution to cold acclimation during dormancy.

Dehydrins (DHN) are proteins involved in plant adaptive responses to abiotic stresses, mainly dehydration. Several studies in perennial crops have linked bud dormancy progression, a process characterized by the inability to initiate growth from meristems under favorable conditions, with DHN gene expression. However, an in-depth characterization of DHNs during bud dormancy progression is still missing.

Transcription profiling of the chilling requirement for bud break in apples: a putative role for FLC-like genes.

Apple production depends on the fulfilment of a chilling requirement for bud dormancy release. Insufficient winter chilling results in irregular and suboptimal bud break in the spring, with negative impacts on apple yield. Trees from apple cultivars with contrasting chilling requirements for bud break were used to investigate the expression of the entire set of apple genes in response to chilling accumulation in the field and controlled conditions.

The control of storage xyloglucan mobilization in cotyledons of Hymenaea courbaril.

Hymenaea courbaril is a leguminous tree species from the neotropical rain forests. Its cotyledons are largely enriched with a storage cell wall polysaccharide (xyloglucan). Studies of cell wall storage polymers have been focused mostly on the mechanisms of their disassembly, whereas the control of their mobilization and the relationship between their metabolism and seedling development is not well understood.