Changes in microRNAs expression of flax ( L.) planted in a cadmium-contaminated soil following the inoculation with root symbiotic fungi.

Cadmium is one of the most harmful heavy metals that harm agricultural products. Evaluating microRNAs expression is a new and accurate method to study plant response in various environmental conditions. So this study aimed to evaluate the contribution of two symbiotic fungi in improving flax tolerance in a Cd-polluted soil using microRNAs and their target gene expression.

Comparative analysis of differentially expressed miRNAs in leaves of three sugarcanes (Saacharum officinarum L.) cultivars during salinity stress.

Background: Sugarcane is an important industrial plant cultivated mostlyin the arid and semiarid regions. Due to climate change and anthropogenic activities, the sugarcane fieldsare prone to be damagedas a result of salt deposition. The consequence of such phenomena is turning to become a major thread in sugarcane cultivation.

Biochemical and molecular investigation of non-rhizobial endophytic bacteria as potential biofertilisers.

This study was performed to isolate non-rhizobial endophytic bacteria from the root nodules of Glycine max (soybean), Vigna radiata (mung bean) and Vigna unguiculata (cowpea). The bacteria were characterized for plant growth promoting properties such as indole acetic acid production, phosphate and zinc solubilisation, nitrogen fixation and hydrogen cyanide production. Phylogenetic identification was performed using the Neighbour-Joining method on16S rRNA gene sequences.

A critique of widely used normalization software tools and an alternative method to identify reliable reference genes in red clover (Trifolium pratense L.).

Determination of appropriate reference genes is crucial to normalization of gene expression data and prevention of biased results in qRT-PCR studies. This study is the first attempt to systematically compare potential reference genes to detect the most constitutively expressed reference genes for accurate normalization in red clover tissues including leaves, stems and roots. To identify the best-suited reference gene(s) for normalization, several statistical algorithms such as geNorm, BestKeeper and NormFinder have been developed.

Towards an optimal sampling strategy for assessing genetic variation within and among white clover (Trifolium repens L.) cultivars using AFLP.

Cost reduction in plant breeding and conservation programs depends largely on correctly defining the minimal sample size required for the trustworthy assessment of intra- and inter-cultivar genetic variation. White clover, an important pasture legume, was chosen for studying this aspect. In clonal plants, such as the aforementioned, an appropriate sampling scheme eliminates the redundant analysis of identical genotypes.