Genome-wide association mapping for stay-green and stem reserve mobilization traits in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under combined heat and drought stress.

Stay-green (SG) and stem reserve mobilization (SRM) are two significant mutually exclusive traits, which contributes to grain-filling during drought and heat stress in wheat. The current research was conducted in a genome-wide association study (GWAS) panel consisting of 278 wheat genotypes of advanced breeding lines to find the markers linked with SG and SRM traits and also to screen the superior genotypes. SG and SRM traits, viz.

Small RNA sequencing analysis provides novel insights into microRNA-mediated regulation of defense responses in chickpea against Fusarium wilt infection.

Small RNA sequencing analysis in two chickpea genotypes, JG 62 (Fusarium wilt-susceptible) and WR 315 (Fusarium wilt-resistant), under Fusarium wilt stress led to identification of 544 miRNAs which included 406 known and 138 novel miRNAs. A total of 115 miRNAs showed differential expression in both the genotypes across different combinations. A miRNA, Car-miR398 targeted copper chaperone for superoxide dismutase (CCS) that, in turn, regulated superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity during chickpea-Foc interaction.

Genome-wide association mapping of biochemical traits and its correlation with MYMIV resistance in mungbean (Vigna radiata L. Wilczek).

The mungbean yellow mosaic India virus (MYMIV, Begomovirus vignaradiataindiaense) causes Yellow Mosaic Disease (YMD) in mungbean (Vigna radiata L.). The biochemical assays including total phenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), ascorbic acid (AA), DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), and FRAP (Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power) were used to study the mungbean plants defense response to MYMIV infection.

Transcriptional Reprogramming and Allelic Variation in Pleiotropic QTL Regulates Days to Flowering and Growth Habit in Pigeonpea.

The present study investigated the linkage between days to flowering (DTF) and growth habit (GH) in pigeonpea using QTL mapping, QTL-seq, and GWAS approaches. The linkage map developed here is the largest to date, spanning 1825.56 cM with 7987 SNP markers.

Breeding hybrids with higher seed weight and oil content: Defining criteria for selection of parents.

Most of the released high-yielding hybrids of have a low 1000-seed weight (TSW) with no increment in the percent oil content (OC), and, therefore, these hybrids have poor acceptance among the farmers in India. It is, thus, imperative to understand the genetic basis of these traits and deploy them in commercial hybrid breeding programs. The present study utilized a set of 15 diverse genotypes with TSW and OC ranging from 1.

TPTC: topic-wise problems' trend clusters for smart agricultural insights extraction and forecasting of farmer's information demand.

To meet the challenges of increasing food production demand globally, extracting insights regarding the persistent agriculture-related problems on a nationwide scale is the need of the hour. Policymakers now have limited possibilities for acquiring a comprehensive knowledge of the difficulties that farmers face on a national level. In this direction, the presented work proposes a new artificial intelligence-based pipeline to gain insights at country level regarding the farmers' demand for assistance in India.

Epigenetic processes in insect adaptation to environmental stress.

Insects exhibit remarkable adaptability to a wide range of environmental stressors, including temperature fluctuations, pathogens, and changes in diet. This adaptability is often driven by epigenetic processes, which regulate gene expression without altering the underlying DNA sequence. This review provides a comprehensive overview of these epigenetic processes in insect adaptation, highlighting their impact on development, behaviour, and stress resilience.

ANPS: machine learning based server for identification of anti-nutritional proteins in plants.

Anti-nutrient factors are inherently present in almost all major crops, which impede the absorption of crucial vitamins and minerals upon human consumption. The commonly found anti-nutrients in food crops are saponins, tannins, lectins, and phytates etc. Currently, there is a lack of computational server for identification of proteins that encode for anti-nutritional factors in plants.

Metabolic Adaptations in Phosphine-Resistant Tribolium castaneum Driven by Mitochondrial Enzyme Variability and Gene Expression.

Phosphine fumigation is essential for controlling storage pests like Tribolium castaneum, but its frequent application has resulted in resistance, primarily due to mutations in the Dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (DLD) gene associated with the rph2 allele. This study demonstrates that the Patiala population exhibits homozygous resistance variations across populations, contrasting with the susceptibility observed in laboratory cultures. Our assessment of mitochondrial DLD and Cytochrome c oxidase (COX) activities showed significantly elevated levels in the Patiala population, with increases of approximately sevenfold for DLD and 6.

Development of infectious clones of mungbean yellow mosaic India virus (MYMIV, Begomovirus vignaradiataindiaense) infecting mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek] and evaluation of a RIL population for MYMIV resistance.

Yellow mosaic disease (YMD) is a major constraint for the low productivity of mungbean, mainly in South Asia. Addressing this issue requires a comprehensive approach, integrating field and challenge inoculation evaluations to identify effective solutions. In this study, an infectious clone of Begomovirus vignaradiataindiaense (MYMIV) was developed to obtain a pure culture of the virus and to confirm resistance in mungbean plants exhibiting resistance under natural field conditions.

Differential regulation of glucosinolate-myrosinase mediated defense determines host-aphid interaction in Indian mustard Brassica juncea L.

Background: India's oilseed economy falls short of self-sufficiency and is supplemented by huge imports every year. Increasing national productivity of the major oilseeds is confronted with yield losses due to diverse biotic and abiotic stresses. The productivity of Indian mustard (Brassica juncea Linnaeus), belonging to the family Brassicaceae, is significantly reduced due to damage caused by mustard aphids (Lipaphis erysimi Kaltenbach, Hemiptera: Aphididae).

Physiological and molecular insights into the alternate bearing in mango (Mangifera indica L.) using next-generation sequencing approaches.

India's mango productivity is hindered by many factors but more importantly due to limited understanding of the genomic complexities behind regular bearing habit. This study is the first to quantify carbohydrate fractions, protein content, and macro and micronutrient storage pools, their transportation, and contributions to regular 'Totapuri' and alternate bearer 'Bombay Green' mango varieties during the 'off' year. Deep RNA sequencing was used to assess gene expression dynamics between buds and flowers of these varieties.

Modified speed breeding approach reduced breeding cycle to less than half in vegetable soybean [ (L.) Merr.].

Unlabelled: Vegetable soybean [ (L.) Merr.] is gaining popularity because of its high nutritive values and health benefits; however, its productivity is scarce.

Biotechnological approaches to reduce the phytic acid content in millets to improve nutritional quality.

The review article summarizes the approaches and potential targets to address the challenges of anti-nutrient like phytic acid in millet grains for nutritional improvement. Millets are a diverse group of minor cereal grains that are agriculturally important, nutritionally rich, and the oldest cereals in the human diet. The grains are important for protein, vitamins, macro and micronutrients, fibre, and energy sources.

Physiological Basis of Plant Growth Promotion in Rice by Rhizosphere and Endosphere Associated Streptomyces Isolates from India.

This study demonstrated the plant growth-promoting capabilities of native actinobacterial strains obtained from different regions of the rice plant, including the rhizosphere (FT1, FTSA2, FB2, and FH7) and endosphere (EB6). We delved into the molecular mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of these plant-microbe interactions by conducting a transcriptional analysis of a select group of key genes involved in phytohormone pathways. Through in vitro screening for various plant growth-promoting (PGP) traits, all tested isolates exhibited positive traits for indole-3-acetic acid synthesis and siderophore production, with FT1 being the sole producer of hydrogen cyanide (HCN).

Identification and functional characterization of the npc-2-like domain containing rust effector protein that suppresses cell death in plants.

The MD-2-related lipid-recognition (ML/Md-2) domain is a lipid/sterol-binding domain that are involved in sterol transfer and innate immunity in eukaryotes. Here we report a genome-wide survey of this family, identifying 84 genes in 30 fungi including plant pathogens. All the studied species were found to have varied ML numbers, and expansion of the family was observed in Rhizophagus irregularis (RI) with 33 genes.

RiceMetaSys: Drought-miR, a one-stop solution for drought responsive miRNAs-mRNA module in rice.

MicroRNAs are key players involved in stress responses in plants and reports are available on the role of miRNAs in drought stress response in rice. This work reports the development of a database, RiceMetaSys: Drought-miR, based on the meta-analysis of publicly available sRNA datasets. From 28 drought stress-specific sRNA datasets, we identified 216 drought-responsive miRNAs (DRMs).