The Gene Cluster-To Frost Resistance and Beyond.

The pivotal role of / transcriptional factors in crops involved in the abiotic stress response has been highlighted. The CBFs represent an important hub in the ICE-CBF-COR pathway, which is one of the most relevant mechanisms capable of activating the adaptive response to cold and drought in wheat, barley, and rye. Understanding the intricate mechanisms and regulation of the cluster of genes harbored by the homoeologous chromosome group 5 entails significant potential for the genetic improvement of small grain cereals.

Extensive allele mining discovers novel genetic diversity in the loci controlling frost tolerance in barley.

Exome sequencing-based allele mining for frost tolerance suggests HvCBF14 rather than CNV at Fr-H2 locus is the main responsible of frost tolerance in barley. Wild relatives, landraces and old cultivars of barley represent a reservoir of untapped and potentially important genes for crop improvement, and the recent sequencing technologies provide the opportunity to mine the existing genetic diversity and to identify new genes/alleles for the traits of interest. In the present study, we use frost tolerance and vernalization requirement as case studies to demonstrate the power of allele mining carried out on exome sequencing data generated from > 400 barley accessions.

In Silico Identification of MYB and bHLH Families Reveals Candidate Transcription Factors for Secondary Metabolic Pathways in L.

Plant secondary metabolic pathways are finely regulated by the activity of transcription factors, among which members of the bHLH and MYB subfamilies play a main role. L. is a unique officinal plant species with over 600 synthesized phytochemicals having diverse scale-up industrial and pharmaceutical usage.

Combined Effect of Cadmium and Lead on Durum Wheat.

Cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) are two toxic heavy metals (HMs) whose presence in soil is generally low. However, industrial and agricultural activities in recent years have significantly raised their levels, causing progressive accumulations in plant edible tissues, and stimulating research in this field. Studies on toxic metals are commonly focused on a single metal, but toxic metals occur simultaneously.