Identification of Candidate Genes for Green Rind Color in Watermelon.

The color of the rind is one of the most crucial agronomic characteristics of watermelon ( L.). Its genetic analysis was conducted to provide the identification of genes regulating rind color and improving the quality of watermelon appearance.

Effects of α-FeO nanoparticles and biochar on plant growth and fruit quality of muskmelon under cadmium stress.

Cadmium pollution in farmland has become a global environmental problem, threatening ecological security and human health. Biochar is effective in remediation of soil pollution. However, high concentrations of biochar can inhibit plant growth, and low concentrations of biochar have limited mitigation effect on cadmium toxicity.

Genetic mapping of a single nuclear locus determines the white flesh color in watermelon ( L.).

Introduction: Flesh color is an important trait in watermelon (Citrullus lanatus L.). Several flesh color genes have been identified in watermelon; however, the inheritance of and the molecular basis underlying the white flesh trait remain largely unknown.

Transposon insertions within alleles of BnaFT.A2 are associated with seasonal crop type in rapeseed.

We identified two new transposon insertions within the promoter of BnaFT.A2 in addition to an existing 288 bp MITE within the second intron. Each insertion event corresponds to a distinct BnaFT.

Effects of Cadmium on Physiochemistry and Bioactive Substances of Muskmelon ( L.).

Muskmelon pedicel is the fruit stalk of muskmelon and one of the traditional Chinese medicines, which can be used to treat jaundice, diabetes and neuropathy. However, in recent years, agricultural soil heavy metal cadmium (Cd) pollution has become serious, coupled with the imperfect sales management of herbal medicine, increasing the potential health risk of contaminated herbal medicine in the human body. In this paper, the comprehensive quality of contaminated muskmelon was tested.

Physiological of biochar and α-FeO nanoparticles as amendments of Cd accumulation and toxicity toward muskmelon grown in pots.

Background: Due to the severe cadmium (Cd) pollution of farmland soil, effective measures need to be taken to reduce the Cd content in agricultural products. In this study, we added α-FeO nanoparticles (NPs) and biochar into Cd-contaminated soil to investigate physiological responses of muskmelon in the whole life cycle.

Results: The results showed that Cd caused adverse impacts on muskmelon (Cucumis melo) plants.

A study on the mixture repairing effect of biochar and nano iron oxide on toxicity of Cd toward muskmelon.

Soil contamination with cadmium (Cd) has become a serious problem, adversely affecting food safety and human health. Effective methods are urgently needed to alleviate toxicity of Cd in plants. In this study, a nine-week continuous pot experiments was conducted to explore the effectiveness of the different nano iron oxide (α-FeO, γ-FeO, FeO) alone and combined with biochar in muskmelon grown on a Cd-contaminated soil.

Genome-wide identification of flowering time genes in cucurbit plants and revealed a gene ClGA2/KS associate with adaption and flowering of watermelon.

Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is one of the major cucurbit crop that cultivated all over the world. Adaptability and flowering time are important agronomic characteristics that influence the quality and yield of watermelon, however, the molecular basis underlying these traits were still unclear. In this study, we identified 166, 182, 178, and 279 flowering genes in watermelon, melon, cucumber and pumpkin, respectively, and found that a lot of genes in the photoperiodic, autonomous, and vernalization pathways were absence in the four cucurbits.

Sequence variation and functional analysis of a FRIGIDA orthologue (BnaA3.FRI) in Brassica napus.

Background: Allelic variation at the FRIGIDA (FRI) locus is a major contributor to natural variation of flowering time and vernalization requirement in Arabidopsis thaliana. Dominant FRI inhibits flowering by activating the expression of the MADS box transcriptional repressor FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC), which represses flowering prior to vernalization. Four FRI orthologues had been identified in the domesticated amphidiploid Brassica napus.

Generation and characterization of tribenuron-methyl herbicide-resistant rapeseed (Brasscia napus) for hybrid seed production using chemically induced male sterility.

Identification and molecular analysis of four tribenuron-methyl resistant mutants in Brassica napus , which would be very useful in hybrid production using a Chemically induced male sterility system. Chemically induced male sterility (CIMS) systems dependent on chemical hybridization agents (CHAs) like tribenuron-methyl (TBM) represent an important approach for practical utilization of heterosis in rapeseed. However, when spraying the female parents with TBM to induce male sterility the male parents must be protected with a shield to avoid injury to the stamens, which would otherwise complicate the seed production protocol and increase the cost of hybrid seed production.

Characterization and site-directed mutagenesis of a novel class II 5-enopyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate (EPSP) synthase from the deep-sea bacterium Alcanivorax sp. L27.

The 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) is a key enzyme in the aromatic amino acid biosynthetic pathway in microorganisms and plants, which catalyzes the formation of 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate (EPSP) from shikimate-3-phosphate (S3P) and phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP). In this study, a novel AroA-encoding gene was identified from the deep sea bacterium Alcanivorax sp. L27 through screening the genomic library and termed as AroAA.