The early response of oil palm ( Jacq.) plants to water deprivation: Expression analysis of miRNAs and their putative target genes, and similarities with the response to salinity stress.

Oil palm ( Jacq.) is a oilseed crop of great economic importance drastically affected by abiotic stresses. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in transcription and post-transcription regulation of gene expression, being essential molecules in the response of plants to abiotic stress.

Insights from a Multi-Omics Integration (MOI) Study in Oil Palm ( Jacq.) Response to Abiotic Stresses: Part One-Salinity.

Oil palm ( Jacq.) is the number one source of consumed vegetable oil nowadays. It is cultivated in areas of tropical rainforest, where it meets its natural condition of high rainfall throughout the year.

Deep Untargeted Metabolomics Analysis to Further Characterize the Adaptation Response of (Jacq.) Walp. to Very High Salinity Stress.

The multipurpose tree (Jacq.) Walp. adapts to a very high level of salt stress (≥20 dS m) and resumes the production of new leaves around 2 weeks after losing all leaves due to abrupt salinity stress.

Integration of metabolomics and transcriptomics data to further characterize Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Kunth under high salinity stress.

Soil salinity is one abiotic stress that threatens agriculture in more than 100 countries. Gliricidia [Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Kunth] is a multipurpose tree known for its ability to adapt to a wide range of soils; however, its tolerance limits and responses to salt stress are not yet well understood.

Metabolic fingerprinting analysis of oil palm reveals a set of differentially expressed metabolites in fatal yellowing symptomatic and non-symptomatic plants.

Introduction: Oil palm (E. guineensis), the most consumed vegetable oil in the world, is affected by fatal yellowing (FY), a condition that can lead to the plant's death. Although studies have been performed since the 1980s, including investigations of biotic and abiotic factors, FY's cause remains unknown and efforts in researches are still necessary.

A procedure for maize genotypes discrimination to drought by chlorophyll fluorescence imaging rapid light curves.

Background: Photosynthesis can be roughly separated into biochemical and photochemical processes. Both are affected by drought and can be assessed by non-invasive standard methods. Gas exchange, which mainly assesses the first process, has well-defined protocols.

Reassessment of the Genome Size in Elaeis guineensis and Elaeis oleifera, and Its Interspecific Hybrid.

Aiming at generating a comprehensive genomic database on Elaeis spp., our group is leading several R&D initiatives with Elaeis guineensis (African oil palm) and Elaeis oleifera (American oil palm), including the whole-genome sequencing of the last. Genome size estimates currently available for this genus are controversial, as they indicate that American oil palm genome is about half the size of the African oil palm genome and that the genome of the interspecific hybrid is bigger than both the parental species genomes.

Development of expressed sequence tag and expressed sequence tag-simple sequence repeat marker resources for Musa acuminata.

Background And Aims: Banana (Musa acuminata) is a crop contributing to global food security. Many varieties lack resistance to biotic stresses, due to sterility and narrow genetic background. The objective of this study was to develop an expressed sequence tag (EST) database of transcripts expressed during compatible and incompatible banana-Mycosphaerella fijiensis (Mf) interactions.

Characterization of novel microsatellite markers in Musa acuminata subsp. burmannicoides, var. Calcutta 4.

Background: Banana is a nutritionally important crop across tropical and sub-tropical countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Central and South America and Asia. Although cultivars have evolved from diploid, triploid and tetraploid wild Asian species of Musa acuminata (A genome) and Musa balbisiana (B genome), many of today's commercial cultivars are sterile triploids or diploids, with fruit developing via parthenocarpy. As a result of restricted genetic variation, improvement has been limited, resulting in a crop frequently lacking resistance to pests and disease.

Analysis of non-TIR NBS-LRR resistance gene analogs in Musa acuminata Colla: isolation, RFLP marker development, and physical mapping.

Background: Many commercial banana varieties lack sources of resistance to pests and diseases, as a consequence of sterility and narrow genetic background. Fertile wild relatives, by contrast, possess greater variability and represent potential sources of disease resistance genes (R-genes). The largest known family of plant R-genes encode proteins with nucleotide-binding site (NBS) and C-terminal leucine-rich repeat (LRR) domains.

Insights into the Musa genome: syntenic relationships to rice and between Musa species.

Background: Musa species (Zingiberaceae, Zingiberales) including bananas and plantains are collectively the fourth most important crop in developing countries. Knowledge concerning Musa genome structure and the origin of distinct cultivars has greatly increased over the last few years. Until now, however, no large-scale analyses of Musa genomic sequence have been conducted.

Structural analysis of catalase from two Musa accessions, FHIA18 and Williams, and from Ravenala madagascariensis.

Nucleotide sequences of catalase were obtained following amplification using specific primers and were blasted against Musa acuminata catalase 2 mRNA from NCBI (157418810). Clustering of the amino acid sequences from NCBI was done using Clustal X. The latter revealed that FHIA18 catalase is more related to Ravenala madagascariensis (Musa relative) catalase while the Williams catalase is more related to a clade containing a Musa acuminata (Musa ancestor) catalase from NCBI.

Introduction of the anti-apoptotic baculovirus p35 gene in passion fruit induces herbicide tolerance, reduced bacterial lesions, but does not inhibits passion fruit woodiness disease progress induced by cowpea aphid-borne mosaic virus (CABMV).

The introduction of anti-apoptotic genes into plants leads to resistance to environmental stress and broad-spectrum disease resistance. The anti-apoptotic gene (p35) from a baculovirus was introduced into the genome of passion fruit plants by biobalistics. Eleven regenerated plants showed the presence of the p35 gene by PCR and/or dot blot hybridization.