Effects of mineral fertilization (NPK) on combined high temperature and ozone damage in rice.

Background: Increasing concern has recently been highlighted regarding crop damage due to extreme weather events caused by global warming and the increased production of ground-level ozone. Several studies have investigated rice growth in response to fertilization conditions under various environmental stress conditions; however, studies on growth development in response to fertilization conditions under combined high-temperature/ozone treatment conditions are scarce. In this study, we aimed investigate the growth and physiological development of rice under combined high temperature and ozone treatment conditions and to reveal the damage-mitigation effects of NPK fertilization treatments.

Characterization of Peroxidase and Laccase Gene Families and In Silico Identification of Potential Genes Involved in Upstream Steps of Lignan Formation in Sesame.

Peroxidases and laccases are oxidative enzymes involved in physiological processes in plants, covering responses to biotic and abiotic stress as well as biosynthesis of health-promoting specialized metabolites. Although they are thought to be involved in the biosynthesis of (+)-pinoresinol, a comprehensive investigation of this class of enzymes has not yet been conducted in the emerging oil crop sesame and no information is available regarding the potential (+)-pinoresinol synthase genes in this crop. In the present study, we conducted a pan-genome-wide identification of peroxidase and laccase genes coupled with transcriptome profiling of diverse sesame varieties.

Rice Genome Resequencing Reveals a Major Quantitative Trait Locus for Resistance to Bakanae Disease Caused by .

Bakanae disease (BD), caused by the fungal pathogen , has become a serious threat in rice-cultivating regions worldwide. In the present study, quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping was performed using F2 and F3 plants derived after crossing a BD-resistant and a BD-susceptible Korean japonica rice variety, 'Samgwang' and 'Junam', respectively. Resequencing of 'Junam' and 'Samgwang' genomes revealed 151,916 DNA polymorphisms between the two varieties.

Heterometal-Coordinated Monomeric Concanavalin A at pH 7.5 from Canavalia ensiformis.

The structure of concanavalin A (ConA) has been studied intensively owing to its specific interactions with carbohydrates and its heterometal (Ca²⁺ and Mn²⁺) coordination. Most structures from X-ray crystallography have shown ConA as a dimer or tetramer, because the complex formation requires specific crystallization conditions. Here, we reported the monomeric structure of ConA with a resolution of 1.

Oxidative defense metabolites induced by salinity stress in roots of Salicornia herbacea.

High salinity is a major abiotic stress that affects the growth and development of plants. This type of stress can influence flowering, the production of crops, defense mechanisms and other physiological processes. Previous studies have attempted to elucidate salt-tolerance mechanisms to improve plant growth and productivity in the presence of sodium chloride.

Rice hull extracts inhibit proliferation of MCF-7 cells with G₁ cell cycle arrest in parallel with their antioxidant activity.

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) has been a major dietary staple worldwide for centuries. Growing interest in the beneficial effects of antioxidants has inspired investigation of rice hulls as an attractive source of chemopreventive compounds for breast cancer intervention.

Seed wintering and deterioration characteristics between weedy and cultivated rice.

Background: Incidences of weedy rice continuously occurred in paddy fields because its shattering seeds were able to over-winter. In this research, the seed deterioration of weedy rice was investigated compared with cultivated rice, and the wintering characteristics of these two types of rice were investigated with the field wintering test, freezing resistance test, and accelerated aging test.

Results: For the wintering test, the seeds of weedy rice were placed on the soil surface of a paddy with cultivated rice seeds during the 2008/2009 and 2009/2010 winter seasons from November to April.