Elite Bradyrhizobium strains boost biological nitrogen fixation and peanut yield in tropical drylands.

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an important crop for the family-based systems in the tropics, mainly in Brazil. In the Brazilian drylands, peanuts are cropped in low technological systems, and cheap and efficient technologies are needed to improve crop yield and sustainability.

Polyphenol analysis using high-resolution mass spectrometry allows differentiation of drought tolerant peanut genotypes.

Background: Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an important economic food crop highly appreciated worldwide. Although peanut cultivation has been expanding to dry regions, with water stress during growth stages, current genotypes are not adapted to drought.

Introgression of wild alleles into the tetraploid peanut crop to improve water use efficiency, earliness and yield.

The introduction of genes from wild species is a practice little adopted by breeders for the improvement of commercial crops, although it represents an excellent opportunity to enrich the genetic basis and create new cultivars. In peanut, this practice is being increasingly adopted. In this study we present results of introgression of wild alleles from the wild species Arachis duranensis and A.

Validating a probe from GhSERK1 gene for selection of cotton genotypes with somatic embryogenic capacity.

Substantial progress is being reported in the techniques for plant transformation, but successful regeneration of some genotypes remains a challenging step in the attempts to transform some recalcitrant species. GhSERK1 gene is involved on embryo formation, and its overexpression enhances the embryogenic competence. In this study we validate a short GhSERK1 probe in order to identify embryogenic cotton genotypes using RT-qPCR and blotting assays.

Stable integration and expression of a cry1Ia gene conferring resistance to fall armyworm and boll weevil in cotton plants.

Background: Boll weevil is a serious pest of cotton crop. Effective control involves applications of chemical insecticides, increasing the cost of production and environmental pollution. The current genetically modified Bt crops have allowed great benefits to farmers but show activity limited to lepidopteran pests.

Plant promoters: an approach of structure and function.

With current advances in genomics, several technological processes have been generated, resulting in improvement in different segments of molecular research involving prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems. A widely used contribution is the identification of new genes and their functions, which has led to the elucidation of several issues concerning cell regulation and interactions. For this, increase in the knowledge generated from the identification of promoters becomes considerably relevant, especially considering that to generate new technological processes, such as genetically modified organisms, the availability of promoters that regulate the expression of new genes is still limited.

Translocation and insecticidal activity of Bacillus thuringiensis living inside of plants.

The major biological pesticide for the control of insect infestations of crops, Bacillus thuringiensis was found to be present naturally within cotton plants from fields that had never been treated with commercial formulations of this bacterium. The ability of B. thuringiensis to colonize plants as an endophyte was further established by the introduction of a strain marked by production of green fluorescent protein (GFP).

Molecular cloning of alpha-amylases from cotton boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis and structural relations to plant inhibitors: an approach to insect resistance.

Anthonomus grandis, the cotton boll weevil, causes severe cotton crop losses in North and South America. Here we demonstrate the presence of starch in the cotton pollen grains and young ovules that are the main A. grandis food source.

Effects of black-eyed pea trypsin/chymotrypsin inhibitor on proteolytic activity and on development of Anthonomus grandis.

The cotton boll weevil Anthonomus grandis (Boheman) is one of the major pests of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) in tropical and sub-tropical areas of the New World. This feeds on cotton floral fruits and buds causing severe crop losses.