Unique and Conserved Features of the Barley Root Meristem.

Plant root growth is enabled by root meristems that harbor the stem cell niches as a source of progenitors for the different root tissues. Understanding the root development of diverse plant species is important to be able to control root growth in order to gain better performances of crop plants. In this study, we analyzed the root meristem of the fourth most abundant crop plant, barley ().

Identification of Novel Associations of Candidate Genes with Resistance to Late Blight in Group Phureja.

The genetic basis of quantitative disease resistance has been studied in crops for several decades as an alternative to gene mediated resistance. The most important disease in the potato crop is late blight, caused by the oomycete Quantitative disease resistance (QDR), as any other quantitative trait in plants, can be genetically mapped to understand the genetic architecture. Association mapping using DNA-based markers has been implemented in many crops to dissect quantitative traits.

Key Components of Different Plant Defense Pathways Are Dispensable for Powdery Mildew Resistance of the Arabidopsis Triple Mutant.

Loss of function mutations of particular plant () genes confer durable and broad-spectrum penetration resistance against powdery mildew fungi. Here, we combined genetic, transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses to explore the defense mechanisms in the fully resistant triple mutant. We found that this genotype unexpectedly overcomes the requirement for indolic antimicrobials and defense-related secretion, which are critical for incomplete resistance of single mutants.

Genetic Diversity of Salt Tolerance in .

is a woody rhizomatous C4 grass that can be used as a CO neutral biofuel resource. It has potential to grow in marginal areas such as saline soils, avoiding competition for arable lands with food crops. This study explored genetic diversity for salt tolerance in and discovered mechanisms and traits that can be used to improve the yield under salt stress.

Proteasome Activity Profiling Uncovers Alteration of Catalytic β2 and β5 Subunits of the Stress-Induced Proteasome during Salinity Stress in Tomato Roots.

The stress proteasome in the animal kingdom facilitates faster conversion of oxidized proteins during stress conditions by incorporating different catalytic β subunits. Plants deal with similar kind of stresses and also carry multiple paralogous genes encoding for each of the three catalytic β subunits. Here, we investigated the existence of stress proteasomes upon abiotic stress (salt stress) in tomato roots.

Association Mapping for Aluminum Tolerance in a Core Collection of Rice Landraces.

Trivalent aluminum (Al) has drastic effect on the rice production in acidic soils. Elite genes for aluminum (Al) tolerance might exist in rice landraces. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to mine the elite genes within rice landraces.

Obligate Biotroph Pathogens of the Genus Albugo Are Better Adapted to Active Host Defense Compared to Niche Competitors.

Recent research suggested that plants behave differently under combined versus single abiotic and biotic stress conditions in controlled environments. While this work has provided a glimpse into how plants might behave under complex natural conditions, it also highlights the need for field experiments using established model systems. In nature, diverse microbes colonize the phyllosphere of Arabidopsis thaliana, including the obligate biotroph oomycete genus Albugo, causal agent of the common disease white rust.

Agronomic and Seed Quality Traits Dissected by Genome-Wide Association Mapping in Brassica napus.

In Brassica napus breeding, traits related to commercial success are of highest importance for plant breeders. However, such traits can only be assessed in an advanced developmental stage. Molecular markers genetically linked to such traits have the potential to accelerate the breeding process of B.