Screening of Tomato Seed Bacterial Endophytes for Antifungal Activity Reveals Lipopeptide Producing Strain NKIT9 as a Potential Bio-Control Agent.

The current study investigates the diversity pattern and fungicidal potential of bacterial endophytes isolated from two different organic varieties of tomato plants (V1 and V2). A total of seventy-five bacterial isolates identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed a majority of genus as and one , which were grouped into eight different species. The Shannon diversity H' (1.

New insights into the intraspecific cytoplasmic DNA diversity, maternal lineages classification and conservation issues of Tunisian pearl millet landraces.

Tunisian pearl millet ( L.) landraces are still growing in contrasting agro-ecological environments and are considered potentially useful for national and international breeders. Despite its genetic potential, the cropping areas of this species are still limited and scattered which increases the risk of genetic erosion.

Application of Trehalose and Salicylic Acid Mitigates Drought Stress in Sweet Basil and Improves Plant Growth.

Trehalose (Tre) and salicylic acid (SA) are increasingly used to mitigate drought stress in crop plants. In this study, a pot experiment was performed to study the influence of Tre and SA applied individually or in combination on the growth, photosynthesis, and antioxidant responses of sweet basil ( L.) exposed to drought stress.

Post-stress restorative response of two quinoa genotypes differing in their salt resistance after salinity release.

Soil salinity is one of the most important environmental factors that adversely affect plant growth and productivity. Quinoa emerges as a good food candidate due to its exceptional nutritive value, and its adaptability to various abiotic stresses. This high quinoa potential was investigated in the present study by evaluating the impact of salinity and post-stress restorative processes, in order to test how a pulse of saline water affects the growth and survival of two quinoa genotypes differing in salt resistance, Kcoito (salt sensitive) and UDEC-5 (salt resistant).

Morpho-Physiological, Biochemical, and Genetic Responses to Salinity in .

We used an integrated morpho-physiological, biochemical, and genetic approach to investigate the salt responses of four lines (TN1.11, TN6.18, JA17, and A10) of .

Timely gene detection assay and reliable screening of genetically engineered plants using an improved direct PCR-based technology.

Engineered plants have been widely produced for fundamental and practical use. Several methods have been developed for genetically modified crop detection and quantification; however; they still laborious and expensive. Efforts are needed to set-up diagnosis-oriented techniques as alternatives to overcome DNA extraction which remains a tedious and time-consuming procedure.

Comparative proteomic approach to study the salinity effect on the growth of two contrasting quinoa genotypes.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of NaCl salinity (0, 100 and 300 mM) on the individual response of the quinoa varieties Kcoito (Altiplano Ecotype) and UDEC-5 (Sea-level Ecotype) with physiological and proteomic approaches. Leaf protein profile was performed using two dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE). UDEC-5 showed an enhanced capacity to withstand salinity stress compared to Kcoito.

Impact of Zinc Excess on Germination, Growth Parameters and Oxidative Stress of Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.).

In the present study, the effects of elevated zinc concentrations on germination, physiological and biochemical parameters were investigated in basil (Ocimum basilicum L.). Results indicate that zinc excess (1-5 mM ZnSO) did not affect germination process, but it drastically reduced vigor index and radicle elongation, and induced oxidative stress.

Protective Effects of Taif Rosewater Against Testicular Impairment Induced By Lead Intoxication In Rats.

This study explored treatment with Taif rosewater (RW) to protect against lead acetate-(PbAc) induced male testicular impairment. Male Wistar rats were divided into four groups and provided drinking water containing 4% Taif RW, PbAc, 4% Taif RW followed by PbAc or normal water (controls). Serum for hormonal assays and testicular tissue for histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations and molecular study were obtained.

Genome-wide analysis and expression profiling of H-type Trx family in Phaseolus vulgaris revealed distinctive isoforms associated with symbiotic N-fixing performance and abiotic stress response.

Thioredoxins (Trxs) are implicated in plant development and stress tolerance through redox regulation of target proteins. Trxs of Type h (Trxhs) constitute the largest and the most complicated cluster in the Trx family because of their unknown individual functions. Here, we identified and characterized the Phaseolus vulgaris Trxh family during development, mutualistic interactions and in response to abiotic stress.

Physiological responses and expression of sugar associated genes in faba bean ( L.) exposed to osmotic stress.

Unlabelled: Faba bean ( L.) is the major food legume crop in Tunisia. However, its growth and yield is strongly affected by water-limited environments.

Increasing aridity shapes beta diversity and the network dynamics of the belowground fungal microbiome associated with Opuntia ficus-indica.

Aims: The effects of aridity on soil and water-use efficient (WUE) crop species are relatively well known. However, the understanding of its impacts on the dynamics of below-ground microorganisms associated with plant roots is less well understood.

Methods: To investigate the influence of increasing aridity on the dynamics of the fungal communities, samples from the root endosphere and rhizosphere associated with the prickly pear cactus trees (Opuntia ficus-indica) growing along the aridity gradient were collected and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) were sequenced.

Photosynthetic performance of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) after exposure to a gradual drought stress followed by a recovery period.

Drought is an abiotic scourge, one of the major environmental stress factors that adversely affect plant growth and photosynthesis machinery through a disruption of cell organelles, arrangement thylakoid membranes and the electron transport chain. Herein, we probed the effect of drought stress on photosynthetic performance of Chenopodium quinoa Willd. Beforehand, plants were subjected to water deficit (as 15% Field Capacity, FC) for one (D-1W) or two weeks (D-2W), and were then re-watered at 95% FC for 2 weeks.

Salicylic acid and HO seed priming alleviates Fe deficiency through the modulation of growth, root acidification capacity and photosynthetic performance in Sulla carnosa.

Iron (Fe) is one of the essential nutrients for plant growth which is involved in several physiological functions. Hence, there are intensive efforts to improve plant tolerance to Fe deficiency, by genotypic screening and by the use of adapted physiological tools. The intend of the current study was to explore the seed priming effect with salicylic acid (SA 0.

Combinatorial reprogramming of lipid metabolism in plants: a way towards mass-production of bio-fortified arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi inoculants.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are among the most ancient, widespread and functionally important symbioses on Earth that help feed the world. Yet, mass-production of clean (i.e.

Drought and salinity: A comparison of their effects on the ammonium-preferring species Spartina alterniflora.

Drought and salinity are the most serious environmental factors affecting crop productivity worldwide; hence, it is important to select and develop both salt- and drought-tolerant crops. The perennial smooth cordgrass Spartina alterniflora Loisel is unusual in that it is highly salt-tolerant and seems to prefer ammonium (NH ) over nitrate (NO ) as an inorganic N source. In this study, we determined whether Spartina's unique preference for NH enhances performance under salt and drought stress.

Do Specialized Cells Play a Major Role in Organic Xenobiotic Detoxification in Higher Plants?

In the present work, we used a double cell screening approach based on phenanthrene (phe) epifluorescence histochemical localization and oxygen radical detection to generate new data about how some specialized cells are involved in tolerance to organic xenobiotics. Thereby, we bring new insights about phe [a common Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH)] cell specific detoxification, in two contrasting plant lineages thriving in different ecosystems. Our data suggest that in higher plants, detoxification may occur in specialized cells such as trichomes and pavement cells in , and in the basal cells of salt glands in species.

Essential oils: A promising eco-friendly food preservative.

Essential oils (EOs) are natural, volatile and aromatic liquids extracted from special plants. EOs are complex mixture of secondary metabolites (terpenes, phenolic compounds, alcohol). EOs possess a wide range of biological activities including antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory ones.

Gelatin-chitosan-pectin films incorporated with rosemary essential oil: Optimized formulation using mixture design and response surface methodology.

The aim of this study was to optimize the mechanical and texture properties of edible film improving its antibacterial property after adding rosemary essential oil (REO) using a Doehlert matrix. Films with the highest mechanical properties were acquired using a polymer composition of 65.2% glycerol, 24.

Recent advances in biotechnological studies on wild grapevines as valuable resistance sources for smart viticulture.

Cultivated grapevines, Vitis vinifera subsp. sativa, are thought to have been domesticated from wild populations of Vitis vinifera subsp. sylvestris in Central Asia.

Establishment of an in vitro regeneration system and genetic transformation of the Tunisian 'Maltese half-blood' (): an agro-economically important variety.

An efficient in vitro regeneration system using epicotyl segments was developed and then used for optimizing genetic transformation of the Tunisian 'Maltese half-blood' () variety using phosphinothricin (PPT) resistance as a selectable marker. The maximum regeneration efficiency was achieved after incubating epicotyl explants (excised in an oblique manner) in MT culture media containing BAP (4 mg/l) and IAA (0.3 mg/l) hormonal combination in the dark for 3 weeks before their transfer to light.

Genotypic and symbiotic diversity of native rhizobia nodulating red pea (Lathyrus cicera L.) in Tunisia.

Nodulation and genetic diversity of native rhizobia nodulating Lathyrus cicera plants grown in 24 cultivated and marginal soils collected from northern and central Tunisia were studied. L. cicera plants were nodulated and showed the presence of native rhizobia in 21 soils.

Inoculation of Lupinus albus with the nodule-endophyte Paenibacillus glycanilyticus LJ121 improves grain nutritional quality.

Metabolic changes occurring in white lupine grain were investigated in response to Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) root inoculation under field condition. We precisely targeted lipids and phenolics changes occurring in white lupine grain in response to Pseudomonas brenneri LJ215 and/or Paenibacillus glycanilyticus LJ121 inoculation. Lipids and phenolic composition were analyzed using an Ultra High-Performance Liquid Chromatography/Tandem Mass Spectrometry Methods.