Editorial

J. POSPÍŠILOVÁ

Biologia plantarum 64: i, 2020

Light and temperature receptors and their convergence in plants

J. SONG, W. WU, B. HU

Biologia plantarum 64: 159-166, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.104

Light and temperature are two essential environmental cues for plants, helping to optimize plant body architecture and physiology. To sense a broad spectrum of sun radiation spanning from UV-B to far-red wavelength, plants are equipped with a sophisticated array of photoreceptors, including phytochromes, cryptochromes, phototropins, Zeitlupes, and UV-B photoreceptor UVR8. On the contrary, since the thermodynamic effects extensively affect the molecular and supramolecular structures, it is difficult to identify the entry point or initial receptor of temperature. Even so, several putative temperature sensors have been proposed, such as calcium ion channels,...

Cellulose biosynthesis in plants - the concerted action of CESA and non-CESA proteins

M. JURANIEC, B. GAJDA

Biologia plantarum 64: 363-377, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.065

Cellulose is the most abundant polysaccharide produced by plants. In the form of rigid microfibrils surrounding the cells, cellulose constitutes the load-bearing cell wall element that controls cell growth and shape. Cellulose microfibrils are laid down outside the cell by the multimeric plasma membrane-inserted cellulose synthase complexes (CSCs), which move along underlying cortical microtubules (CMTs). In plants, CSCs are shaped as rosettes with six lobes symmetrically arranged in a hexagonal structure. In Arabidopsis, the CSC is composed of at least three functionally non-redundant cellulose synthase (CESA) glycosyltransferases in both primary...

Silver nanoparticles with different concentrations and particle sizes affect the functional traits of wheat

S. WANG, B. D. WU, M. WEI, J. W. ZHOU, K. JIANG, C.Y. WANG

Biologia plantarum 64: 1-8, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.122

The response of functional traits of plants to external environment can influence their competitive ability because these functional traits are required for the acquisition of resources. The overuse of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) has gained attention due to their environmental toxicity. This study aimed to examine the effects of AgNPs with different concentrations and particle sizes on functional traits of wheat. It was observed that AgNPs significantly reduced the plant height and so decrease its competitive ability. Ag ions decreased leaf chlorophyll and nitrogen content and specific leaf area more than AgNPs, but the opposite was true for leaf...

Revision of the barley WRKY gene family phylogeny and expression analysis of the candidate genes in response to drought

B. YAZDANI, S. SANJARI, R. ASGHARI-ZAKARIA, F. GHANEGOLMOHAMMADI, E. POURABED, M. SHAHBAZI, Z.-S. SHOBBAR

Biologia plantarum 64: 9-19, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.109

The WRKY belongs to an important plant specific transcription factor families which are involved in response to various environmental stresses, as well as in growth and developmental processes. In the present report, a genome-wide identification and characterization of WRKY gene family in barley led to revision of HvWRKYs to 93 members. The phylogenetic tree was also reconstructed based on the full-length WRKY protein sequences in barley and Arabidopsis. HvWRKYs were classified into three major groups (I, II, and III) and group II was further divided to 5 subgroups (a to e). HvWRKYs were named after this classification. Interestingly,...

Biochemical and morphophysiological strategies of Myracrodruon

L.M. SOUZA, M.R. BARBOSA, M.B. MORAIS, L. PALHARES NETO, C. ULISSES, and T.R. CAMARA

Biologia plantarum 64: 20-31, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.070

In view of the ecological, social, and economic importance of Myracrodruon urundeuva Allemão, the objective of this study was to investigate the strategies of this species under drought during its initial phase of development. Two-month-old plants were cultivated under continuous irrigation or no irrigation for 20 d. After this period, the water-stressed plants were rehydrated for 20 d. Physiological, biochemical, and anatomical variables were evaluated on 20^th and 40^th day. Water deficit (25 and 85 % leaf relative content) caused senescence followed by leaf abscission. Growth in height was negatively affected by water...

Treatment of Glycine max seeds with gibberellins alters root morphology, anatomy, and transcriptional networks

Y.Q. HAN, Y. SHI, Y.M. GAO, J.D. DU, N.J. FENG, Y.X. ZHANG, D.F. ZHENG

Biologia plantarum 64: 32-42, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.124

Gibberellins (GAs) regulate diverse aspects of growth and development, but their role in root development and lateral root (LR) formation is poorly understood. In this study, GA₃ was applied to soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr] by seed soaking. The results showed that root length and root surface area were significantly inhibited in early stages after GA₃ treatment. Microscopic examination showed that GA₃ treatment changed the cortex thickness, the pericycle diameter, and cell size in main root. Interestingly, exogenous GA₃ increased the quantity of lateral root primordia (LRP), but LR number decreased...

Changes of lipid metabolism of Arabidopsis thaliana in response to oligochitosan treatment

X.J. WANG, X.L. SU, J.M. LI, P. ZHU

Biologia plantarum 64: 43-49, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.133

Lipids are vital cellular constituents in plant, and lipid peroxidation metabolites are critical defence substances in plants. In this study, mass spectrometry along with projections to latent structures discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) was used to detect lipid metabolism changes in Arabidopsis thaliana in response to oligochitosan (an effective resistance elicitor for the control of plant diseases). The PLS-DA showed that lipid metabolites of Arabidopsis thaliana were influenced by oligochitosan treatment. The total content of oxylipin containing monogalactosyldiacylglycerols, oxylipin-containing digalactosyldiacylglycerols, and oxylipin-containing...

Overexpression of Iris lactea tonoplast Na⁺/H⁺ antiporter gene IlNHX confers improved salt tolerance in tobacco

Q. GUO, X.X. TIAN, P.C. MAO, L. MENG

Biologia plantarum 64: 50-57, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.126

Sodium cation compartmentalization into vacuoles is one of the effective strategies for adaptation of halophytes to saline environments. Tonoplast Na⁺/H⁺ antiporter (NHX) is involved in Na⁺ sequestration into vacuoles under salt stress. However, the function of NHX in halophyte Iris lactea is still unclear. In this study, a significant positive correlation was observed between Na⁺ accumulations and IlNHX expression in tissues under 0 - 200 mM NaCl, indicating IlNHX might be responsible for Na⁺ accumulation of I. lactea under salt stress. More important, IlNHX was specifically...

Overexpression of oil palm EgDREB1 in tomato decreased fruit size and produced parthenocarpic fruits

A.M. AZZEME, S.N.A. ABDULLAH, M.A. AZIZ, P.E. MEGAT WAHAB

Biologia plantarum 64: 58-67, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.084

Drought-responsive element binding (DREB) is involved in the regulation of stress-responsive gene expressions in plants through abscisic acid (ABA)-independent pathway. In this study, constitutive expression of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) EgDREB1 driven by double strength cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) reduced seed number, produced parthenocarpic fruits, changed morphology of leaves, and increased root biomass of transgenic plants. Early flowering and fruiting of the transgenic lines were observed in the culture vessels. EgDREB1 was specifically expressed in the fruits and its expression...

Genes involved in strigolactone biosyntheses and their expression analyses in columnar apple and standard apple

X. SUN, C. WEN, H. HOU, H. HUO, J. ZHU, H. DAI, Y. ZHANG

Biologia plantarum 64: 68-76, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.047

Columnar apple is a valuable resource for genetic improvement of cultivated apples due to its special tree architecture. Strigolactones (SLs) are a novel class of plant hormones controlling shoot branching. The content of SLs is higher in columnar apple than in standard apples. In this study, the members of major gene families involved in SLs biosynthesis and signaling were identified from apple genomic sequences and their expression profiles were characterized in columnar and standard apples using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reactions. In comparison with standard apple, the higher expressions of MORE AXILLARY GROWTH...

Pyramiding insect and disease resistance in an elite indica rice cultivar ASD16

T. RAJESH, S. MARUTHASALAM, K. KALPANA, K. POOVANNAN, K.K. KUMAR, E. KOKILADEVI, D. SUDHAKAR, R. VELAZHAHAN, P. BALASUBRAMANIAN

Biologia plantarum 64: 77-86, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.106

Pyramiding transgenes of interest is one of the strategies to engineer multiple stress resistance in crop plants. Transgenic plants which stably express different genes can be hybridized to bring these genes together in one plant. Transgenic rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. ASD 16) plants harbouring genes Xa21 (conferring bacterial blight resistance), tlp (conferring resistance to sheath blight), or gna (conferring resistance to brown planthopper) were used in hybridization experiments. Sexual hybridization was carried out in two different gene combinations: Xa21 × gna and tlp × gna. Molecular analyses were...

Reactive oxygen species derived from NADPH oxidase regulate autophagy

H. JING, Z. WANG, L. ZHANG, G. ZHOU, Z. GU, Y. SHAN, Y. ZHOU, Z. YANG, Z. KONG

Biologia plantarum 64: 87-94, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.127

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) originating from nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase (NOX) play vital roles in regulating autophagy. However, the relationship between autophagy and NOX in common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is still unknown. In order to clarify the mechanism of autophagy in wheat, ROS content, NOX activity, and autophagy levels in root tip cells under condition of N or C deficiency were measured. The results showed that the N and C deficiency increased the production of superoxide anions (O₂^-.) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) via the NOX activation, leading...

Three tandemly aligned LEA genes from Medicago truncatula confer differential protection to Escherichia coli against abiotic stresses

Y.-M. ZHANG, H.-Q. WANG, D.-M. LIU, R.-J. LIU

Biologia plantarum 64: 95-103, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.112

Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins are important for abiotic stress tolerance in diverse organisms. Within the LEA protein superfamily, group 4 members are characterized by a conserved N-terminal region and a structurally disordered C-terminal region that varies regarding length and amino acid content. Previous in vitro assays have suggested that the conserved N-terminal region shared by group 4 LEA proteins is critical for forming an amphipathic α-helix and protecting enzymatic activities from the adverse effects of desiccation or freezing. However, the cellular roles of the varying C-terminal region remain largely to be characterized....

High-throughput sequencing reveals the change of microRNA expression caused by allopolyploidization in Cucumis

X. YU, Z. ZHU, T. ZHANG, J. LI, C. CHENG, Q. LOU, C.-O. OTTOSEN, J. CHEN

Biologia plantarum 64: 104-109, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.121

Allopolyploidy is long recognized as an essential driving force in plant evolution. Recent studies have demonstrated that small RNAs, including microRNAs (miRNAs), play important roles in the process of allopolyploidy. However, the question that how the distinct parent-of-origin miRNAs are maintained in allopolyploids and how these small RNAs affect gene expression and phenotype remain to be answered. Therefore, we investigated the miRNA expression profiles of a synthesized allotetraploid, Cucumis ×hytivus and its parents. The different developmental stages of leaves of C.×hytivus showing contrasting leaf colour were compared...

Di-n-butyl phthalate-induced phytotoxicity in Hordeum vulgare seedlings and subsequent antioxidant defense response

A. KUMARI, R. KAUR

Biologia plantarum 64: 110-118, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.095

Di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) is one of the frequently detected phthalates in environmental samples. The effects of phthalates are extensively studied in the animals but the effects on plants are scarce. Therefore, the present study is aimed to envisage the effects of DBP on the antioxidative defense system in Hordeum vulgare L. seedlings grown under laboratory conditions for 7 d. The activities of different antioxidative enzymes were enhanced in the shoots. In the roots, the activity of guaiacol peroxidase increased and the catalase activity decreased initially but increased at higher DBP concentrations, whereas the activities of superoxide...

Grey poplar explant acclimation to improve the dehydration tolerance and cryopreservation

E. POKORNÁ, M. FALTUS, P. MÁCHOVÁ, J. ZÁMEČNÍK, M. FULÍN

Biologia plantarum 64: 119-128, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.148

Cryostorage techniques have been developed to preserve the most valuable genotype from an endangered native population of Populus × canescens Aiton Sm. (grey poplar), which is located in the floodplain forest in the South Moravia region of the Czech Republic and which is difficult to propagate using cuttings. The prevailing genotype with valuable traits was selected by the simple sequence repeats method. This genotype was used to determine the most effective pre-cultivation conditions (cold hardening, and cold hardening combine with osmotic treatment) on dehydration tolerance and post-thaw recovery of the grey poplar shoot tips. The pre-cultivation...

Genome-wide transcriptome profiling provides new insights into bud dormancy in pear

L.L. SUN, R. ZHANG, S.T. HE, J.P. LIU, G.Q. LIU

Biologia plantarum 64: 129-135, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.116

Dormancy is important for the pear (Pyrus pyrifolia) to survive a harsh environment. The molecular base of dormancy in pear, especially in some local cultivars, is still unclear. Genome-wide transcriptome analysis in flower buds of cv. Huangli (an excellent local cultivar native to Guizhou mountain area in China) was conducted to explore the mechanism regulating bud dormancy in pear. For the release of endo-dormancy 223 chilling hours (CHs) was needed in Huangli flower buds, which was less than in commercial cultivars. Comparisons of transcript amounts among seven dates during dormancy (30 Oct. vs. 15 Nov., 15 Nov. vs. 30...

Drought tolerance of transgenic rice overexpressing maize C₄-PEPC gene related to increased anthocyanin synthesis regulated by sucrose and calcium

Y.F. HE, Y.F. XIE, X. LI, J. YANG

Biologia plantarum 64: 136-149, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.031

In order to reveal the role of sucrose (Suc) in early drought response in plants, transgenic rice (Oryza sativa L.) plants overexpressing the maize (Zea mays L.) C₄-phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC, EC 4.1.1.31) gene (C₄-pepc) (PC) and their untransformed wild type (WT) were used under 12 % (m/v) polyethylene glycol 6000 to simulate drought conditions. The results showed that PC has higher relative water content, the increased Suc content, and anthocyanin accumulation than WT during PEG treatment. By spraying 1 % Suc and 1 % Suc non-metabolic analog, turanose, on these plants, Suc...

The enhancement of salt stress tolerance by salicylic acid pretreatment in Arabidopsis thaliana

L.-L. YU, Y. LIU, F. ZHU, X.-X. GENG, Y. YANG, Z.-Q. HE, F. XU

Biologia plantarum 64: 150-158, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.151

Salicylic acid (SA) is an important plant hormone involved in the activation of defense responses against environmental stresses. However, there are still large of unsolved mysteries about how SA pretreatment affects the establishment of plant stress tolerance. In this study, application of SA at different concentrations and different times were conducted to investigate their effects on the response of Arabidopsis seedlings to salt stress. The pretreatment with 10 or 20 μM SA for more than 6 h promoted Arabidopsis seedlings resistance to salt stress. On the other hand, pretreatment with 200 μM SA reduced Arabidopsis resistance...

Altered fatty acid composition of Nicotiana benthamiana and Nicotiana excelsior leaves under transient overexpression of the cyanobacterial desC gene

M. BERESTOVOY, O.S. PAVLENKO, A.A. TYURIN, E.N. GORSHKOVA, I.V. GOLDENKOVA-PAVLOVA

Biologia plantarum 64: 167-177, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.144

Transient heterologous gene expression in two model plant species, Nicotiana benthamiana and N. excelsior, has been used to study the localization of the heterologous Δ9 acyl-lipid desaturase (Δ9 desaturase) of Synechococcus vulcanus in different cell compartments and its functional activity in the cases of the cytosol, chloroplast, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) localization. The functional activity and substrate specificity of the heterologous desaturase under the conditions of transient expression have been confirmed by comparison of fatty acid (FA) profiles. The Δ9 desaturase, responsible for the synthesis of...

Calcium distribution during anther development in Impatiens balsamina

S.J. YANG, W.Y. LIANG, J. SHI, L. PENG, R. ZHENG

Biologia plantarum 64: 178-184, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.147

The subcellular localization of loosely bound calcium in developing anthers of Impatiens balsamina (rose balzam) was investigated using potassium antimonate to precipitate the ions. At the sporogenous stage, few calcium precipitates were found in the young anthers. During meiosis of the microspore mother cell, the amount of calcium precipitates increased both inside these cells and in their cell walls. After meiosis, the resulting microspores accumulated abundant calcium precipitates in their cytoplasm and vacuoles. The microspores underwent mitosis to produce a bicellular pollen grain, in which the large vacuoles disintegrated, and the calcium...

Differences in physiological traits at the initial stage of Fusarium head blight infection in wheat

V. SPANIC, Z. ZDUNIC, G. DREZNER, M. VILJEVAC VULETIC

Biologia plantarum 64: 185-192, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.014

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is leading cereal crop worldwide, but its yield is highly affected due to various diseases, especially Fusarium head blight (FHB), which affects the metabolism of plants. The present study was conducted at the Agricultural Institute Osijek using three winter wheat cultivars (Apache, Bezostaya1, and U1) during 2016/2017. The objectives of our studies were to examine differences in physiological characteristics of FHB resistance among wheat cultivars in the early stage of infection. The FHB incidence and severity was the highest in 'Bezostaya1'. Results suggest that activation of some anti-oxidative enzymes in the...

Characterization and functional analysis of microRNA399 in Cunninghamia lanceolata

F.R. ZHU, Z.B. QIU, Y.M. ZHANG, X. R. ZHANG, W. L.WANG

Biologia plantarum 64: 193-199, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.037

The miR399 is a conserved microRNA (miRNA) family, and it has been characterized as an essential regulator of phosphorus transport in plants. However, the biological function of miR399 in Cunninghamia lanceolata is still largely unclear. In this study, the comparison of mature miR399 sequence revealed a high similarity between Arabidopsis thaliana and C. lanceolate, and the pre-miR399 was capable of forming a typical stem-loop hairpin structure. A gene PHOSPHATE 2 (PHO2) was identified as a target of cln-miR399 using 5' rapid amplification of cDNA ends. Furthermore, the relationship between cln-miR399...

Molecular characterization of the promoter of the stress-inducible ZmMYB30 gene in maize

J. LUO, C.M. YU, M. YAN, Y. H. CHEN

Biologia plantarum 64: 200-210, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.011

The ZmMYB30 is a member of the myeloblastosis (MYB) transcription factor superfamily, which has been shown to be a transcription regulator in abiotic stress tolerance in maize (Zea mays). To further identify the biological function of ZmMYB30 and reveal how its expression is induced in response to stress, we isolated the ZmMYB30 promoter and conducted a functional analysis. A 1461-bp promoter fragment was cloned and sequenced. Motif prediction using PlantCARE revealed several stress-responsive elements in the promoter sequence. Deletions in the promoter sequence affected the activity of the promoter and demonstrated that...

Analysis of LEA protein family members in Lepidium apetalum seeds and the expression of LaLEA1 in seedlings in response to abiotic stresses

Q.L. YANG, H. LU, Q. ZHOU, H.T. XIE, J.Y. LI, Z.Y. CHEN, S.C. HAN, H.P. ZHAO, H.X. ZHAO

Biologia plantarum 64: 211-219, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.161

To study the biological function of late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins in Lepidium apetalum Willd., genes encoding LEA family proteins were identified from the seed transcriptome. The sequence most closely related to germination at a low temperature was selected and gene expressions in response to low temperature stress further studied. The results show that 27 LEA genes were expressed in seeds germinating at the low temperature: 3 genes were upregulated, 20 were downregulated, and 4 were not significantly different from controls. The most prominent of the upregulated genes, LaLEA1, contained an open reading frame of 624...

Induction of somatic embryogenesis and evaluation of genetic stability in regenerated plants of Magnolia dealbata

A. CHÁVEZ-CORTAZAR, M. MATA-ROSAS, K. OYAMA, M.S. SAMAIN, M. QUESADA

Biologia plantarum 64: 224-233, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.006

The utility of plant tissue culture for the mass propagation of trees is well known, but continuous in vitro multiplication of plant material may increase the possibility of somaclonal variation; therefore, it is essential to evaluate the genetic integrity of regenerants from species-specific in vitro protocols prior to mass production and implementation. The objectives of this study were: 1) to determine the effect of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) concentration over two cycles of secondary somatic embryogenesis in Magnolia dealbata; and 2) to verify the genetic stability of the regenerants obtained. The...

Do soil and leaf silicon content affect leaf functional traits in Deschampsia caespitosa from different habitats?

M. GRAŠIČ, T. SAKOVIČ, D. ABRAM, K. VOGEL-MIKUŠ, A. GABERŠČIK

Biologia plantarum 64: 234-243, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.155

The purpose of this study was to show the extent of phenotypic plasticity of the grass Deschampsia caespitosa from four habitats with different soil properties by comparing selected leaf traits and content of silicon and other elements. Morphological, biochemical, and optical properties were examined in leaves, but content of silicon and other elements also in soil samples. Plant-available silicon in the soil was determined following extraction in CaCl₂. Bulk element analysis was conducted using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. The habitats of D. caespitosa differed significantly according to soil structure, which resulted...

Identification of novel hypoxia-responsive factors in deep-water rice conferring tolerance to flood during germination

D. KUMAR, P.K. DAS, B.K. SARMAH

Biologia plantarum 64: 244-252, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.128

Flood in rice fields at the time of seed sowing and early seedling establishment causes extensive crop loss due to the inability of the seeds to tolerate and overcome submergence. In the present study, rice genotypes from Assam, India tolerant to hypoxia during germination were identified through systematic screening of deep-water rice genotype collection from flood-prone ecosystem of Brahmaputra river valley. The difference in tolerance to hypoxia during germination within the species provides scope for identification of novel hypoxia-responsive factors involved in tolerance as mechanism of tolerance may not be conserved across tolerant germplasms....

Transcriptome-based validation of proper reference genes for reverse trascription quantitative PCR analysis of Sinocalycanthus chinensis

C. ZHANG, Q.-N. JIANG, Y.-G. WANG, J.-X. FU, B. DONG, L.-H. ZHOU, H.-B. ZHAO

Biologia plantarum 64: 253-257, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.016

Reverse transcription quantitative PCR is a widely used method to detect gene expressions. To obtain accurate expression results, the selection of proper reference genes is important and necessary. However, related works concerning reference gene selection have not been carried on many plant species, especially endangered ones. The aim of the present study was to select dependable reference genes for expression normalization of an endangered plant species with medicinal and ornamental value: Sinocalycanthus chinensis (Calycanthaceae). Nine reference genes with stable expressions were chosen for further analysis according to transcriptomic sequencing...

Salt tolerance of potato genetically engineered with the Atriplex canescens BADH gene

A. ALI, Q. ALI, M.S. IQBAL, I.A. NASIR, X. WANG

Biologia plantarum 64: 271-279, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.080

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is among the top staple foods in the world, and salinity adversely affects its yield and quality. To improve salt tolerance in potato, the present study is focused on the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of potato by the Atriplex canescens betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase (BADH) gene driven by single, double, and triple CaMV 35S promoters. The study led first to the detection of seven lines containing the BADH gene followed by the identification of T-DNA insertions via DNA hybridization and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The salt tolerance was found to be promoter dependent,...

Isolation and expression profiles of class III PRX gene family under drought stress in Camellia sinensis

H.J. LI, H.B. WANG, Y. CHEN, Q.P. MA, Z. ZHAO, X.H. LI, X. CHEN

Biologia plantarum 64: 280-288, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.120

The class III PRX family is a class of heme-containing oxidases and plays important roles in response to abiotic stress in plants. The responses to abiotic stresses could be regulated by phytohormones like abscisic acid (ABA) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA). In this research, 11 CsPRXs genes in tea plant (Camellia sinensis) were cloned and analyzed. Based on the similarity of the sequences, they were classified into 5 sub-groups. According to the results of reverse transcription PCR, CsPRX55 presented the highest expression in roots compared to stems and leaves of both tea cultivars LJ43 and Baiye 1. Besides, the expressions of CsPRX12...

Comparative analysis of nitrogen metabolism-related genes in two inbred maize lines with different low-nitrogen tolerance

M. YAN, J. LUO, L. LIANG, L. CHEN, Y.Y. CAO, Y.H. CHEN, X.Y. ZHU, C.M. YU

Biologia plantarum 64: 289-301, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.093

Maize is an important crop and its nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) has been an issue for plant scientists and breeders for many years. To meet the demand of genetic diversity in cultivating local elite maize cultivars, researchers need to isolate germplasms with a high NUE. In this study, 30 maize inbred lines were screened under hydroponic conditions, and three inbred lines that tolerate low nitrogen concentration were identified. A comparative analysis of genes involved in N uptake, transport, and assimilation between two lines with different tolerances revealed that the low-nitrogen-tolerant inbred line MBST exhibited higher expressions of nitrate...

Silicon alleviates salt and drought stress of Glycyrrhiza uralensis plants by improving photosynthesis and water status

W.J. ZHANG, X.J. ZHANG, D.Y. LANG, M. LI, H. LIU, X.H. ZHANG

Biologia plantarum 64: 302-313, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.136

Silicon has been widely reported to have a beneficial effect on improving plant tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. However, the mechanisms of Si in mediating responses to simultaneous salt and drought stresses are still poorly understood. Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. is classified as a non-Si accumulator and suffered from salt and drought stresses. In this study, we investigated the long-term application of Si on Si content in G. uralensis roots, stems and leaves, leaf anatomy, ultrastructure, chlorophyll (Chl) content, gas exchange characteristics, relative water content, and growth of two-year-old plants under different salt...

Cloning and functional characterization of the β-amyrin synthase genefrom Bupleurum chinense

J.-C. LI, C. WANG, W.-T. QI, C.-L. LIU

Biologia plantarum 64: 314-319, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.008

Bupleurum chinense DC., a source of the traditional Chinese medicine Bupleuri Radix, is rich in triterpenoid saikosaponins with high pharmacological activities. The enzyme β-amyrin synthase (BAS), which converts the precursor 2,3-oxidosqualene to produce the triterpene skeleton, is crucial for the biosynthesis of triterpenoid saponins. In this study, we cloned the full-length sequence of the BAS gene from B. chinense, conducted a bioinformatics analysis, and expressed it in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to investigate its function. The cDNA of β-amyrin synthase (BcBAS, GenBank accession number: MN186093) cloned...

The classification of tetraploid wheat by phylogenetic and cytogenetic analyses

S.-Y. LI, L. XI, H.-J. LIU, W. ZHU, L.-L XU, Y. WANG, J. ZENG, X. FAN, L.-N. SHA, H.-Q. ZHANG, W.-L. QI, G.-Y. CHEN, Y.-H. ZHOU, H.-Y. KANG

Biologia plantarum 64: 324-334, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.013

Tetraploid wheat (Triticum turgidum L.) is an important species within the genus Triticum and harbors many desirable agronomic traits. The classification, origin, and evolution of tetraploid wheat remain confused and controversial, resulting in useless germplasm resources. Two classification systems for tetraploid wheat are widely used: 1) tetraploid wheat comprises two species; 2) all forms of tetraploid wheat are classified as one species. The present study aimed to reassess the classification of tetraploid wheat using phylogenetic analysis of nuclear rDNA internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) sequence data, fluorescence...

Imazamox detoxification and recovery of plants after application of imazamox to an imidazolinone resistant sunflower hybrid

D. BALABANOVA, T. REMANS, A. CUYPERS, J. VANGRONSVELD, A. VASSILEV

Biologia plantarum 64: 335-342, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.150

Imidazolinone herbicides combined with imidazolinone resistant (IMI-R) crops provide a tool for solving the important problem of the occurrence of weeds during the early growth stages of sunflower. These herbicides inhibit the synthesis of branched chain amino acids by interrupting the key enzyme acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS). We studied the imazamox detoxification in an IMI-R sunflower hybrid together with plant growth and photosynthetic performance. Inhibition of photosynthesis and growth were observed as initial effects of imazamox application. A slight decrease in AHAS activity was also noticed. These effects disappeared within two weeks after...

Impacts of silicon and silicon nanoparticles on leaf ultrastructure and TaPIP1 and TaNIP2 gene expressions in heat stressed wheat seedlings

A.A. YOUNIS, H. KHATTAB, M.M. EMAM

Biologia plantarum 64: 343-352, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.030

Heat stress is one of the most crucial factors affecting crop growth and productivity worldwide. So, searching for a potent eco-friendly heat stress alleviator is the main issue nowadays. The current study was conducted to assess the ameliorative effects of 1.5 mM potassium silicate (K₂SiO₃, further only Si) or 1.66 mM silicon dioxide nanoparticles (SiNPs) on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seedlings exposed to heat stress (45 °C, 4 h). The observations show that Si or SiNPs treatments significantly restored the heat stress-provoked ultrastructural distortions of cellular organelles, particularly chloroplasts and the nucleus....

Foliar applications of spermidine improve foxtail millet seedling characteristics under salt stress

M. SUN, T. WANG, L. FAN, H. WANG, H. PAN, X. CUI, Y. LOU, Y. ZHUGE

Biologia plantarum 64: 353-362, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.158

This study investigated the mitigating effects of spermidine (Spd) application on salinity-induced ion inbalance, physiological properties, and the expression of some genes in foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.). We observed 30-d-old seedlings maintained at a half-strength Hoagland solution (control), 1.0 % NaCl, 10, 20, and 40 μM Spd, and 10, 20, and 40 μM Spd + 1.0 % (m/v) NaCl for 14 d. The results show that salt stress significantly inhibited plant growth, and this was significantly ameliorated by Spd. The mass of the shoots and roots, content of chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b, root activity, and K⁺ content...

An HD-Zip IV transcription factor protein NbGL3 regulates glandular trichome initiation in tobacco

Y.S. TIAN, T.W. DAI, C.X. FAN, J. ZHOU, X.L. REN, Y. XU

Biologia plantarum 64: 378-384, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.012

Glandular trichomes, a specialized multicellular structure, are considered as biofactories due to their capability to synthesize and secrete a large amount of secondary metabolites. Tobacco leaves have a high density of glandular trichomes that produce huge amounts of secondary metabolites, which can be used as important industrial raw materials. However, molecular mechanism controling glandular trichome development in tobacco still remains largely unknown. In the present study, we found that NbGL3, an HD-Zip IV family gene from Nicotiana benthamiana, was highly expressed in mature leaves, and ethylene or auxin application could increase...

Identification and expression pattern analysis of YUCCA and ARF gene families during somatic embryogenesis of Lilium spp.

M.-M. CHEN, X. LI, Y.-M. CAI, Y.-C. ZHANG, J.-J. GU, L.-Y. YANG

Biologia plantarum 64: 385-394, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.026

Auxin is a key phytohormone in plant somatic embryogenesis (SE) and YUCCA and AUXIN RESPONSE FACTORS (ARFs) are two key genes involved in auxin biosynthesis and auxin signaling pathways, respectively. They have been reported in participating to the catalytic production of endogenous indole-3-acetic acid (IAA; a natural auxin) and regulating the transcription of auxin-responsive genes. To explore the structural characteristics of the YUCCA and ARF families of Lilium spp. L. and its expression pattern during SE induction and development processes, 6 YUCCA genes and 12 ARF genes were screened from...

Reserve metabolism and ubiquitin proteasome system are involved in germination progress of wheat grains

W.D. ZHANG, L. WANG, Q.R. GAO, Y. WANG, Y.Z. WANG

Biologia plantarum 64: 395-405, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.003

To further elucidate the molecular mechanism of the germination in common wheat, a differential proteomic analysis was completed between the F₁ hybrid RS5322 and its parental lines (RS53 and SN22) using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) based strategy. Rapid grain germination and superior young seedling growth were observed in the F₁ hybrid line. A total of 807 differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) were identified by iTRAQ analysis of grains at 48 h after imbibition in distilled water. Bioinformatics analysis shows that 638 DAPs were annotated in 38 Gene Ontology functional groups, 764 DAPs...

Mannose regulates water balance, leaf senescence, and genes related to stress tolerance in white clover under osmotic stress

S.Y. ZHAO, W.H. ZENG, Z. LI, Y. PENG

Biologia plantarum 64: 406-416, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.017

Mannose (MAN), an important monosaccharide, contributes to coping with abiotic stresses in plants. Objectives of this study were to examine whether exogenous MAN (30 mM) could significantly increase drought tolerance and further to reveal MAN-regulated tolerance mechanism in white clover under osmotic stress induced by 18 % (m/v) polyethylene glycol 6000 for 10 d in controlled growth chambers. Results show that the application of MAN significanlty alleviated stress damage and the inhibition of growth and photosynthesis in white clover under osmotic stress. The MAN-induced increase in endogenous MAN content and the accumulation of organic osmolytes...

Isolation and characterization of the promoter of SEPALLATA1-like gene from Platanus acerifolia

S.J. LU, S.S. YI, L. LIU, M.Z. BAO, G.F. LIU

Biologia plantarum 64: 430-438, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.036

London plane (Platanus acerifolia Wild.) is a famous landscape plant because of its numerous desirable traits except the abundant pollens and seed hairs, which not only pollute the environment but also affect human health. To resolve these problems, we herein isolated and functionally analyzed the promoter of PlacSEP1.1, an orthologous gene of Arabidopsis SEPALLATA1, and investigated the potential usability for cell ablation strategies to engineer reproductive sterility in plants. A 2130 bp 5' upstream region of PlacSEP1.1 was isolated and termed pPlacSEP1.1. Putative motif detections show that there were several...

Leaf nutrient homeostasis and maintenance of photosynthesis integrity contribute to adaptation of the pea mutant SGECd^t to cadmium

A.A. BELIMOV, I.C. DODD, V.I. SAFRONOVA, K.-J. DIETZ

Biologia plantarum 64: 447-453, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.061

Cadmium (Cd) is a highly toxic and widespread soil pollutant, which negatively affects various aspects of plant growth and physiology. Here, the role of photosynthesis in response to Cd was investigated in the Cd-tolerant pea (Pisum sativum L.) mutant SGECd^t. The wild type SGE and the mutant SGECd^t were grown in a hydroponic solution supplemented with 1, 3, or 4 µM CdCl₂ for 12 d. Root and shoot biomasses of the Cd-treated SGECd^t were significantly higher than of SGE. Cadmium had little effect on the quantum yield of photosystem II (φPSII) and chlorophyll content of intact leaves of both...

The rice Aux/IAA transcription factor gene OsIAA18 enhances salt and osmotic tolerance in Arabidopsis

G. LI, Y.X. YE, X.Q. REN, M.Y. QI, H.Y. ZHAO, Q. ZHOU, X.H. CHEN, J. WANG, C.Y. YUAN, F.B. WANG

Biologia plantarum 64: 454-464, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.069

In plants, auxin/indoleacetic acid (Aux/IAA) proteins are transcriptional regulators, which regulate developmental process and responses to phytohormones and stress treatments. A previous study has shown that the rice Aux/IAA transcription factor gene OsIAA18 is induced by salt and osmotic stresses. However, little is known about the regulatory functions of this gene. In this study, the OsIAA18 gene was successfully cloned from rice. Subcellular localization analysis in onion epidermal cells indicated that OsIAA18 was localized to the nucleus. Expression analysis in yeast showed that the full length OsIAA18 exhibited transcriptional activation....

Changes of cytosine methylation in pecan tissues of different stages by quantitative methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism

Z.Z. LIU, F. ZHOU, J. SHANG, F.R. PENG, Z.H. MO, Y.R. LI

Biologia plantarum 64: 473-484, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.066

Cytosine methylation plays an important role in plant development by regulating gene expressions. However, few studies have investigated methylation changes during the tissue differentiation and development of perennial plants. Here, the fluorescence-labeled methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism method was used with eight primer combinations to detect methylation in leaves and xylem obtained at the stages of inflorescence emergence (IE), ovary start growth, and fruit maturity (FM) in two pecan (Carya illinoinensis) cvs. Pawnee and Stuart. The results show that the total methylation in the xylem was generally higher than in the leaves...

Distribution of Na⁺ in roots and stem bases of buckwheat seedlings

W.-Y. ZHAN, Y.-C. YU, L.-X. HOU, C.-Y. LIU, F.-G. ZHAO, Y.-P. ZHANG, H.-B. YANG

Biologia plantarum 64: 485-489, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.051

The localizations of sodium exclusion are roots and stem base, however, Na⁺ distribution in these localizations is unclear. Here, we used a salt-tolerant buckwheat cultivar Chuanqiao No.1 and a salt-sensitive cultivar TQ-0808 to demonstrate Na⁺ distribution. We found that Na⁺ content was highest in vacuole, the following was in cell wall or free space, and the least was in cytoplasm. Comparative analysis shows that Na⁺ accumulation in vacuole, cell wall, or free space of roots and stem base in 'Chuanqiao No.1' was obviously higher than in 'TQ-0808'; in contrast, Na⁺ accumulation in cytoplasm of...

Successful generation of anti-ToCV and TYLCV transgenic tomato plants by RNAi

F.-M. JIN, J. SONG, J. XUE, H.B. SUN, Y. ZHNAG, S. WANG, Y.-H. WANG

Biologia plantarum 64: 490-496, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.069

Tomato is an economically important vegetable. Tomato chlorosis virus (ToCV) and Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) are two major viruses that cause serious losses to tomato production. The effective method to control these two viruses is to breed antiviral species by genetic engineering techniques. In order to obtain the RNA interference (RNAi) expression vector of tomato, the coat protein (CP) genes of ToCV and TYLCV were selected in this study. The tandem sequences of the two CP genes were obtained using the recombinant PCR technique. Using Gateway cloning technology, the RNAi expression vector pRNAi-ToCV-TY...

Comprehensive transcriptome analyses of different Crocus flower tissues uncover genes involved in crocin biosynthesis

H.M. SHU, S.Q. GUO, W.C. NI

Biologia plantarum 64: 504-511, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.068

The stigma of Crocus sativus is used in traditional Chinese medicine and has drawn attention as a rich source of crocin, a compound with a reported activity that counters various cancers, depression, and cardiovascular diseases. However, our knowledge of crocin biosynthesis in Crocus is still limited. To identify the genes that encode key enzymes responsible for crocin production, transcriptome analyses of Crocus stigma, petal, and stamen were performed. There were 109 136 unigenes in the three Crocus flower tissues: 10 862 unigenes were expressed explicitly in stigmas. A total of 469 and 335 down-regulated differentially...

Different responses of the halophyte Carex pumila to salt stress

S.W. WANG, F.F. XU, L.J. GUO, T.T. HE, X.L. LI, L. YUAN, Q.F. WANG, H.T. LIU

Biologia plantarum 64: 519-528, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.075

Salt stress is one of the most important stresses that affect coastal vegetation. A halophyte Carex pumila plays a crucial role in the maintenance of fragile ecosystems in coastal areas. Thus, understanding the mechanism of C. pumila responses to salt stress is a prerequisite for the conservation and utilization of this species. After treatment with 200, 300, 400, 500 mM NaCl for 60 h, C. pumila leaves displayed a decline in the relative water content and an increase in salt injury index. Osmolyte accumulation, as a function of osmotic adjustment, and antioxidant enzyme activities were maintained under salinity, even at a high...

A rapid translocation of photoassimilates from source organs maintains grain yield in cowpea subjected to drought stress during grain filling

C. EGASHIRA, Y. HASHIGUCHI, E. KURAUCHI, Y. TATSUMI, A.C.S. NAKAGAWA, N. HAMAOKA, T. YUASA, M. IWAYA-INOUE, Y. ISHIBASHI

Biologia plantarum 64: 529-534, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.129

We examined the influence of drought stress during grain filling on grain yield to investigate changes in assimilates in sink and source organs. When plants were subjected to drought stress from the start of grain filling until harvest, the photosynthetic rate rapidly decreased. Grain dry mass during maturation was not significantly different between the control and drought-stressed plants. Under drought stress conditions, starch content in source organs (peduncle, leaf, petiole, stem, and root) was significantly lower than in corresponding organs of control plants; the greatest difference was seen in leaves. Consistent with this observation, α-...

Evaluation of two promoters for generating transgenic potato plants as salicylic acid biosensors

H.M. ABD EL-HALIM, I.M. ISMAIL, N.M. AL ABOUD, D. ELGHAREEB, E.A. METRY, A.F. HOSSIEN, E.M. FAHMY

Biologia plantarum 64: 535-540, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.067

Plants are severely affected by many biotic stresses, which cause a reduction in crop quality and quantity. One of the strategies to manage biotic stresses is the generation of transgenic plant lines that can be used as biosensors. These biosensor plants can trigger an early warning upon any pathogen infection. Two promoters with β-glucuronidase reporter gene fusions were constructed. The first contained the flagellin sensing 2 gene promoter, whereas the second contained synthetic promoter containing four repeats of cis-acting elements from the pathogen-related protein 1 gene and two transcription enhancers from the...

MicroRNA profiling the resurrection plant Haberlea rhodopensis unveils essential regulators of survival under severe drought

E. APOSTOLOVA, M. GOZMANOVA, L. NACHEVA, Z. IVANOVA, V. TONEVA, I. MINKOV, V. BAEV, G. YAHUBYAN

Biologia plantarum 64: 541-550, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.062

Small RNAs (sRNAs) are essential components of gene-regulatory networks, which guide plant development and tune it to environmental challenges. Though the past years have witnessed evidences on sRNA importance for stress response, there is scarce data on their involvement in resurrection plant survival under severe drought. Haberlea rhodopensis (hrh) is an angiosperm resurrection species, whose vegetative tissues can tolerate desiccation and recover upon rehydration. In this study, high-throughput sequencing sRNAs indicated a higher complexity of the sRNA population, especially of a 24 nt sRNA category, in the desiccated vegetative tissue of...

Genes for defense response to Plasmodiophora brassicae during late infection in small spheroid galls of Brassica rapa

H. YANG, X.Y. FANG, X.L. WANG, J. ZHENG, C.L. YI, J. FAN, S. YUAN, J. SHANG, I.Y. HUANG, W.M. WANG

Biologia plantarum 64: 551-560, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.024

Plasmodiophora brassicae is a biotrophic pathogen causing clubroots of cruciferous crops. The Brassica rapa accession T1-145 has an ability to produce small spheroid galls (SSGs), which represent neither a fully compatible interaction nor a complete resistance. To explore the defense response in SSGs induced by P. brassicae infection, global transcriptome profiling SSGs was performed at different time points. By comparing gene expression patterns, we identified many defense related genes. The first group included genes encoding receptor-like protein/kinases, such as cysteine-rich receptor-like protein kinases, receptor-like...

Comparative metabolomic profiling in the roots of salt-tolerant and salt-intolerant maize cultivars treated with NaCl stress

J.Y. YUE, L.H. WANG, X.T. DOU, Y.J. WANG, H.Z. WANG

Biologia plantarum 64: 569-577, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.082

Maize crops are sensitive to NaCl stress, which is one of the most harmful abiotic stresses affecting agricultural productivity. To gain further insights into the differential metabolic responses to NaCl stress, we employed metabolomics and physiological approaches to understand the response of salt-tolerant (PH6WC) and sensitive (PH4CV) cultivars of maize. Salt stress caused a significant reduction in root growth, lower root numbers, softened roots, leaf etiolation, inhibition of leaf formation, and decreased shoot height and stem width in both the tolerant and sensitive genotypes compared with the control. These morphological characteristics increased...

The toxicity of BDE-47 to the photosystem of Lemna minor fronds

N.W. QIU, W.R. ZHANG, X.H. YAN, R.J. WANG, L. TIAN, G.L. HAN, F. ZHOU

Biologia plantarum 64: 591-597, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.091

To elucidate the toxicity of 2,2ʹ,4,4ʹ-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) on photosynthetic primary processes, in vivo and in vitro treatments of BDE-47 were performed. The 20-d treatment in vivo (5 - 20 μg dm^-3) suppressed the reproduction of duckweed (Lemna minor) and led to decline in chlorophyll (Chl) content of fronds. The most obvious features of BDE-47-treated fronds included a Chl a fluorescence rise at the J phase and a depression at the G phase, whereas significant fluorescence rises at the L, K, and J phases were found on the ΔV_t curve of thylakoid membranes treated...

Exogenous melatonin enhances salt stress tolerance in tomato seedlings

M.A. ALTAF, R. SHAHID, M.X. REN, S. NAZ, M.M. ALTAF, A. QADIR, M. ANWAR, A. SHAKOOR, F. HAYAT

Biologia plantarum 64: 604-615, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.090

Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) is an essential molecule which regulates plant growth and development and alleviates the damaging effects of abiotic stresses. To evaluate the important functions of melatonin in response to salinity stress, the effects of exogenous melatonin on the antioxidant system and growth of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) under 150 mM NaCl stress were investigated. The application of 100 μM melatonin compensated the growth inhibition caused by salt-stress. Melatonin treated seedlings had an increased fresh and dry masses of shoots and roots. The application of 1 - 200 µM melatonin notably enhanced the...

Lower photosynthetic capacity under higher spectral reflectance? The case of Actinidia polygama

Z.-X. WANG, G.-L. SHI, L. CHEN, D. SUN, P.-L. Xu, H.-Y. Qin, J. AI

Biologia plantarum 64: 616-622, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.083

The variegated leaves of Actinidia polygama exhibit a striking colour change during development. However, little is known whether the photosynthetic capacity of white leaves can be maintained. Therefore, spectrum properties, leaf structure, net photosynthetic rate (P_N), and chlorophyll fluorescence in the green and white leaves were investigated. Although reflectance at 400 - 700 nm in white leaves was higher than that in green leaves, total chlorophyll content of white leaves was similar to that in green leaves. Palisade tissue cells of white leaves contained functional chloroplasts. Large intercellular spaces were observed between...

Flag leaf vein traits and their correlation with photosynthesis and grain yield in wheat genotypes of differing ploidy

H.M. XU, Y.L. CHEN, Y.Y. LI

Biologia plantarum 64: 633-641, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.092

Leaf venation and coupled physiological function of wild plants co-evolve during the natural selection. How artificial selection affects leaf vein traits and coordinated physiological functions of main crops are largely unknown. This study examined the changes of leaf vein traits and their correlation with gas exchange of flag leaves and yield in eight wheat genotypes of differing ploidy under the same growing conditions. The results indicate that flag leaf vein density (VLA), major-vein density (VLA_major), and minor-vein density (VLA_minor) decreased whereas the proportion of minor-vein length and interveinal distance between...

Cadmium and zinc uptake and translocation in dwarf Polish wheat seedlings as affected by calcium and potassium combination

W. SHUAI, Q. YAO, X. CHEN, Y. CHENG, X. XIAO, J. ZENG, X. FAN, H. KANG, L. SHA, H. ZHANG, Y. ZHOU, Y. WANG

Biologia plantarum 64: 642-652, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.162

Combination of calcium and potassium (Ca-K) influences cadmium and zinc uptake and translocation in dwarf Polish wheat (Triticum polonicum), but its effects remain unclear. In the present study, a high concentration of Ca-K reduced uptake of Cd and Zn by roots and promoted their translocations to shoots under Cd and Zn excess. Whatever under a low or high concentration of Ca-K, Zn inhibited Cd uptake and translocation under Cd+Zn stress when compared with Cd stress alone. However, the reduced Cd content caused by Zn under the high concentration of Ca-K was significantly lower than under the low concentration of Ca-K. Under both Ca-K treatments,...

Cloning and characterization of a UDP-glucose dehydrogenase gene from mulberry Broussonetia kazinoki × Broussonetia papyifera

R.H. JI, Z. ZHANG, X. GUO, Y.L. BAO, W.B. ZHANG, X.F. LIN, S.L. BAI

Biologia plantarum 64: 667-678, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.099

Uridine diphosphate glucose dehydrogenase (UGDH) is a key enzyme in the hemicellulose and pectin biosynthesis pathway and participates in the regulation of growth and development in plants. In this study, we isolated a BpUGDH gene from paper mulberry (Broussonetia kazinoki × Broussonetia papyifera) and analyzed its function and expression characteristics. The results show that the BpUGDH was expressed in all organs of paper mulberry with a higher expression in stems than in leaves and roots. A pBpUGDH::GUS gene construct was highly expressed in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings, and its expression was induced...

Identification of potential key genes affecting soybean growth under salt stress via transcriptome study

N. LI, Z. LI, S. FAN, Y. PU, Y. GONG, R. TIAN, X. GUO, H. DING

Biologia plantarum 64: 692-700, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.096

Soybean is one of the most important economic crops in the world. However, the salinization of soil results in the decrease of soybean yield as it is only a moderately salt-tolerant crop. We treated three soybean cultivars with low and high concentrations of NaCl. The differentially expressed genes between the control group and the salt treatment group were identified by mRNA sequencing and analyzed by gene ontology and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes annotations. We performed weighted gene co-expression network analysis on all samples and found genes most related to the phenotype. After verifying the results of differentially...

Transcriptome-sequencing analyses reveal flower color formation in Strelitzia reginae

R.H. FAN, B. LIN, N.Y. FANG, X.X. YE, M.L. HUANG, H.Q. ZHONG

Biologia plantarum 64: 717-724, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.102

Strelitzia reginae is a popular cut flower that has blue petals and orange sepals. Flower color is an important plant trait; however, little is known about its molecular mechanisms in S. reginae. In this study, cDNA libraries were constructed for blue petals and orange sepals of S. reginae. A total of 75 487 unigenes were obtained from transcriptome sequencing and de novo assembly, of which 41.86 % were annotated by public databases. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography analysis revealed that anthocyanins were the main pigment in blue petals, and that carotenoids controled pigment formation in the orange sepals. Using a...

Analysis of ABC1 protein family members in Lepidium apetalum seeds and the expression of LaAbc1 in seedlings in response to abiotic stresses

Q.L. YANG, Z.Y. CHEN, H. LU, H.T. XIE, J.Y. LI, Y. DU, S.C. HAN, H.P. ZHAO, H.X. ZHAO

Biologia plantarum 64: 725-735, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.104

To study the biological function of activity of bcl complex (ABC1) proteins in Lepidium apetalum Willd., genes encoding ABC1 family proteins were identified from the seed transcriptome. The sequence most closely related to germination at a low temperature was selected and gene expressions in response to low temperature stress further studied. The results show that 21 ABC1 genes were expressed in seeds germinating at the low temperature: 4 genes were upregulated, 6 were downregulated, and 11 were not significantly different from controls. The results of fluorescence quantification of the low-temperature stress on the seedlings of 7-d-old...

Effects of 5-aminolevulinic acid on osmotic adjustment and antioxidant system in mung bean under chilling stress

J.J. ZHAO, N. ZHOU, N.J. FENG, D.F. ZHENG

Biologia plantarum 64: 736-743, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.101

Temperature is an important factor for growth, development, productivity and geographical distribution of many plants (Nahar et al. 2015). Chilling stress is a major abiotic stress of crop production in Northeast China. Chilling stress exposure has been shown to enhance production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidative stress occurs (Nahar et al. 2015). The ROS, which include superoxide radical (O₂^*-), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), hydroxyl radical (.OH), and singlet oxygen (¹O₂), cause damage to structural proteins, nucleic acids, enzymes, cell membranes, and...

γ-Aminobutyric acid induces transcriptional changes contributing to salt tolerance in creeping bentgrass

Z. LI, B.Z. CHENG, Y. PENG, Y. ZHANG

Biologia plantarum 64: 744-752, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.117

γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) regulates plant tolerance to abiotic stresses; however, a transcriptomic change and key stress-related genes induced by GABA have not been investigated in plants during a prolonged period of salt stress. Roots of creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) cv. Penncross were pretreated with or without 0.5 mM GABA solution for 2 days and then subjected to salt stress for 20 days (150 mM NaCl solution for 3 d, 200 mM NaCl for another 3 d, and 250 mM NaCl for 14 d) in controlled growth chambers. The application of GABA significantly increased GABA content in roots and alleviated a salt-stress induced decrease in GABA...

Sex-specific responses of Populus deltoides to combined salinity and calcium under waterlogging conditions

L.-F. MIAO, D.-D. LI, F. YANG, Z.-H. TAN

Biologia plantarum 64: 753-763, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.116

In this study, we investigated the sex-specific ion uptake and physiological and biochemical responses to combined salinity and calcium treatments of male and female Populus deltoides under waterlogging conditions. Results indicate that both P. deltoides clones were sensitive to salinity and calcium. Under well-watered conditions, salinity stress could especially increase the Na content in female P. deltoides clones, whereas salinity and calcium could increase the K and Ca content in male clones. Waterlogging could evidently stimulate Na content in leaves under salinity, especially in female P. deltoides clones. However,...

Ultraviolet-B radiation induces cell death in root tips and reprograms metabolism in Arabidopsis

P. ZHANG, R. WANG, Y. WANG, J. XU

Biologia plantarum 64: 764-772, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.122

Ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation inhibits root system growth, however, the influence of UV-B radiation on the regulation of root development remains unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of UV-B radiation on root growth and metabolism in Arabidopsis using physiological, pharmacological, and transcriptome approaches. Our previous study has demonstrated that UV-B radiation depresses auxin accumulation in roots by reducing auxin biosynthesis, transport, and response. In this study, we found that UV-B radiation inhibited primary root (PR) growth by inducing root tip cell death and thereby disrupting cell division and elongation in root tips....

Identifying citrus CBL and CIPK gene families and their expressions in response to drought and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi colonization

B. SHU, D. CAI, F. ZHANG, D.J. ZHANG, C.Y. LIU, Q.S. WU, C. LUO

Biologia plantarum 64: 773-783, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.123

The calcineurin B-like protein (CBL)-interacting protein kinase (CIPK) complex is an essential calcium sensor and contributes to biotic and abiotic stress responses. However, citrus CBL and CIPK gene family members and their underlying roles during drought and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) colonization remain relatively unknown. In the present study, CBLs and CIPKs were characterized in Citrus sinensis by analyzing the presence of specific domains such as the elongation factor (EF)-hand motif in CBLs, and a protein kinase and an Asn-Ala-Phe domain in CIPKs. After mining the C. sinensis genome, we identified...

Transcriptome-based screening and the optimal reference genes for real-time quantitative PCR in Rehmannia chingii and R. henryi

X. ZUO, F.-Q. WANG, X.-R. LI, M.-M. LI

Biologia plantarum 64: 798-806, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.154

Real time quantitative PCR (qPCR) is a powerful tool for studying the expression of specific genes. The accuracy and reliability of qPCR analysis data require the selection of reference genes with stable expression. However, the reference genes that can be used for qPCR of Rehmannia chingii and R. henryi have not yet been identified. In this study, based on the transcriptome data of R. chingii and R. henryi, we initially selected genes with relatively stable expression in different samples. We screened six candidate reference genes in R. chingii and R. henryi and calculated their expression abundance by real...

Virus induced PhFTRv gene silencing results in yellow-green leaves and reduced cold tolerance in petunia

L. SANG, L. PENG, Z. QIU, F. LUO, G. CHEN, L. GAO, Y. YU, J. LIU

Biologia plantarum 64: 807-813, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.151

Ferredoxin-thioredoxin reductase (FTR) is an iron-sulfur protein that supplies electrons from photochemically reduced ferredoxin (Fd) to thioredoxin (Trx) in the ferredoxin/thioredoxin system in chloroplasts. The FTR is a heterodimer with a variable subunit (FTRv) and a catalytic subunit (FTRc). The function of FTRv is not well known. In petunia (Petunia hybrida), FTRv is a single-copy gene, which is named PhFTRv. In this study, the spatio-temporal expression of PhFTRv in petunia was analyzed, and PhFTRv transcription was found to be high in leaves and stems. A tobacco rattle virus gene silencing was used in...

Simultaneous induction of anthocyanin and peroxidase by sucrose in hypocotyls and roots of Chinese red radish seedlings

L. WANG, X.-X. JING, P.-P. ZHAO, L.-F. WANG, Y. YIN, Y.-F. LI

Biologia plantarum 64: 828-837, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.156

Anthocyanin and peroxidase (POD) are important active compounds in Chinese red radish (Raphanus sativus L.). The effects of exogenous sucrose, mixture of fructose and glucose (F/G 1:1), and mannose on anthocyanin accumulation and POD activity were investigated in hypocotyls and roots of red radish seedlings. Sucrose was most effective in inducing anthocyanin accumulation and POD activity in both organs, followed by F/G; mannose caused only a little increase of anthocyanin content and POD activity in hypocotyls, but a decrease in roots. The distribution of anthocyanin accumulation was different between hypocotyls and roots in the presence or...

Reference gene selections for real time quantitative PCR analysis of gene expression in different oat tissues and under salt stress

Z.L. DUAN, W.H. HAN, L. YAN, B. WU

Biologia plantarum 64: 838-844, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.153

Appropriate choice of reference genes for data normalization is of critical importance for accurate real time reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis of gene expression. Oat is an agriculturally important crop cultivated widely around the world for grain or forage, and appropriate reference genes for reliable gene expression analysis remain to be identified. In this study, we selected nine candidate reference genes based on available oat RNA-seq data. We then conducted a systematic evaluation of the relative expression stability of these genes in different tissues and under salt stress using statistical algorithms, geNorm,...

Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of the potato ZIP gene family under Zn-deficiency

X. B. LI, H.C. SUO, J.T. LIU, L. WANG, C.C. LI, W. LIU

Biologia plantarum 64: 845-855, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.125

Zinc deficiency is a worldwide problem for crops including potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), the fourth most important crop worldwide. The zinc/iron-regulated transporter-like protein (ZIP) transporter family is thought to play key roles in Zn uptake and transport. However, little is known about the potato ZIP family. In this study, 12 genes encoding members of the ZIP family were identified in the potato genome. The 12 StZIP genes were predicted to encode proteins of 220 - 407 amino acids harboring 5 - 9 putative transmembrane domains (TMDs), and 11 of these proteins had a variable region rich in histidine residues between TMDIII and TMDIV....

Comparative proteomics of phloem exudates reveals long-distance signals potentially involved in Litchi chinensis flowering

L.-J. HUANG, H.-B. CHEN, Z.-Q. HU, X.-Y. LU, H.-Y. WANG, H. LIU, B.-Y ZHOU

Biologia plantarum 64: 220-224, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.163

It is well known that phloem is essential for transporting proteins as long-distance signals. In this study, a proteomic approach was carried out to identify proteins accumulated in phloem exudates at the pre-floral induction (PFId) stage, at the floral induction (FId) stage, and at the floral initiation (FIn) stage. As a result, 45 phloem exudate proteins were detected. Six proteins were found at all three stages. Sixteen proteins were specific to the PFId stage, 14 proteins were specific to the FId and FIn stages. From the enriched gene ontology (GO)-terms related to transport, signaling, hormone, and development, 12 transport-related, 5 signaling-related,...

Overexpression of a stilbene synthase gene from Fallopia multiflora causes trans-piceid accumulation in transgenic Arabidopsis

S. SHENG, W. XIA, W. RUI, W. ZHAO, T. SHE, J. XIE, S. ZHAO, L. CHEN

Biologia plantarum 64: 266-270, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.152

Fallopia multiflora, also known as Polygonum multiflorum, is a traditional Chinese medicine with stilbenes as the main characteristic components. We previously isolated the presumed stilbene synthase gene FmSTS1 from F. multiflora and inserted the FmSTS1 gene into the genome of Arabidopsis thaliana under the control of cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter to evaluate its biological functions. Southern blot and Northern blot analyses were performed to confirm the integration and expression of FmSTS1 in Arabidopsis. A new stilbene compound, which was identified as trans-piceid, was found to accumulate...

Effect of virus inducible cis-element insertion on transcription properties of improved GWSF promoter in Arabidopsis thaliana

Z.C. HUANG, H. LI

Biologia plantarum 64: 320-323, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.032

An ideal synthetic promoter can accurately regulate gene expression and the minimal cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter (GWSF) is an ideal synthetic pathogen-inducible promoter (SPIP) with several advantages. Three modified SPIPs, named as VGWSF, GWVSF, and GWSFV according to the arrangement of cis-elements, were optimized by inserting the dimer of a virus inducible cis-element (TTGGGAAGGAATTTCCTACT, V-box) upstream, midstream, or downstream the GWSF sequence. The three promoters were used to replace the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter in the plasmid pBI121 in order to control the expression of the β-glucuronidase...

A new approach to prevent hazelnut callus browning by modification of sub-culture

M. RAEISPOUR SHIRAZI, S.A. RAHPEYMA, J. ZOLALA

Biologia plantarum 64: 417-421, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.009

Tissue culture of hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) represented the promising strategy for production of its valuable compound, paclitaxel, but one of the most important problems is initial callus browning in its callus culture. To obtain healthy callus cells of C. avellana, three different culture media, Murashige and Skoog (MS), Nas and Read (NRM), and Driver and Koniuki (DKW), in combination with 500 mg dm^-3 citric acid, 500 mg dm^-3 acetic acid, and 500 mg dm^-3 polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) were applied. These cultures were passed two sub-cultures in the same media. Also, a novel modified sub-culture system...

Effects of cadmium and lead on the growth and the activity of peroxidase and superoxide dismutase of blueberry plantlets in vitro

J.Z. CHEN, L.P. ZHOU, C.Y. TIAN, F. YANG, G.Z. WANG

Biologia plantarum 64: 784-788, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.143

To study the effects of cadmium and lead on the growth of blueberry (Vaccinium ashei Reade) plantlets in vitro and on the activity of peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) of blueberry shoots, Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺ were added separately to a cultivation medium. The results show that 0.01 mM Cd²⁺ significantly inhibited the growth of blueberry shoots, and the height and fresh mass of the shoots were significantly lower than those of the control; 0.05 mM Cd²⁺ significantly inhibited the proliferation of the shoots; the inhibitory effect on the growth and proliferation of blueberry in vitro...

Effects of potassium chloride and nitric oxide on growth and physiological characteristics of winter wheat under salt stress

Y.J. DONG, Q. ZHANG, X.L. DAI, M.R. HE

Biologia plantarum 64: 258-265, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.091

A hydroponic culture was conducted to evaluate the effects of KCl and sodium nitroprusside (SNP; a nitric oxide donor) in wheat seedlings under salt stress. Exposure to 100 mM NaCl for 7 d decreased biomass of wheat seedlings, root activity and H⁺-ATPase activity, significantly increased free proline content, reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and lipid peroxidation, and suppressed the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD). Moreover, NaCl stress significantly decreased the K⁺ and increased the Na⁺ content. Addition of KCl or SNP led to the increase in root activity and soluble protein content, stimulated the...

Effects of exogenous nitric oxide and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid on cadmium toxicity and accumulation in ryegrass

Q. ZHANG, Y. Y. ZHU, Y. J. DONG

Biologia plantarum 64: 422-429, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.046

The effects of exogenous nitric oxide (NO) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) on cadmium toxicity and accumulation in ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) were studied in a hydroponic experiment. The results show that in plants without Cd application, addition of EDTA and sodium nitroprusside (SNP, an exogenous NO donor) significantly reduced the plant height, root length, and root activity of ryegrass, and significantly increased the O₂^*- generation rate and H₂O₂ and malondialdehyde (MDA) content in the aboveground and underground parts of ryegrass. Cadmium stress significantly inhibited ryegrass...

Transcriptome analysis deciphers the mechanisms of exogenous nitric oxide action on the response of melon leaves to chilling stress

Q. DIAO, Y. CAO, H. FAN, Y. ZHANG

Biologia plantarum 64: 465-472, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.021

Chilling stress is a major abiotic factor that limits the growth and productivity of melon (Cucumis melo L.). The application of nitric oxide (NO) can enhance plant tolerance to chilling stress; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms for this process remain poorly understood. In this study, RNA sequencing was performed on melon seedlings exposed to control conditions, chilling stress, or chilling stress in the presence of NO donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP), to identify NO-mediated transcript changes in response to chilling stress. The results identified 488, 1 012, and 1 589 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between plants in optimum...

Nitric oxide mediated mechanisms adopted by plants to cope with salinity

A. SHARMA, D. KAPOOR, J. WANG, M. LANDI, B. ZHENG, D. YAN, H. YUAN

Biologia plantarum 64: 512-518, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.070

Worldwide, a relevant surface of arable lands is facing salt stress, and this surface is increasing continuously due to both natural and anthropogenic activities. Nitric oxide (NO) is a small, gaseous molecule with a plethora of physiological roles in plants. In addition to its normal physiological functions, NO protects plants subjected to different environmental cues including salinity. For example, NO mediates photosynthesis and stomatal conductance, stimulates the activity of Na⁺/H⁺ antiport in tonoplast, promotes the biosynthesis of osmolytes, and counteracts overaccumulation of reactive oxygen species in plant cells under...

The role of gasotransmitters in movement of stomata: mechanisms of action and importance for plant immunity

S. GAHIR, P. BHARATH, A.S. RAGHAVENDRA

Biologia plantarum 64: 623-632, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.071

Stomatal guard cells are specialized epidermal cells regulating gas exchange. The ability to open or close in response to external and internal cues makes stomata a dynamic and fascinating system. Stomatal closure upon infection ensures restriction of pathogen entry into the plant and forms an essential component of innate immunity. The opening or closure of stomata is dependent on the turgidity or flaccidity of guard cells, respectively, facilitated by several signaling components, including reactive oxygen species, nitric oxide (NO) and Ca²⁺. Among these, NO is the most extensively studied gasotransmitter. Its pivotal role in stomatal...

Impact of nitric oxide on proline and putrescine biosynthesisin Chlamydomonas via transcriptional regulation

Z. ZALUTSKAYA, V. DERKACH, R. PUZANSKIY, E. ERMILOVA

Biologia plantarum 64: 653-659, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.094

Nitric oxide plays an important role in regulating adaption of the model alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to various environmental stresses. One response to abiotic stresses is the accumulation of protective molecules such as proline and putrescine. The NO treatment led to a significant accumulation of proline in cells. Quantitative real-time expression analysis of proline metabolic genes in NO-treated cells showed a prolonged upregulation of the gene encoding γ-glutamyl kinase 1 (GGK1) in the glutamate biosynthetic pathway. Furthermore, truncated hemoglobin 2 (THB2)-underexpressing strains with an enhanced endogenous NO demonstrated a higher...

Quantitative trait loci for winter hardiness and other agronomic traits in the progeny of two amphiploid Festulolium hybrids (Festuca pratensis × Lolium perenne) backcrossed twice to tetraploid Lolium perenne

K. TAMURA, Y. SANADA, K. TASE, Y. AKIYAMA, A. KUBOTA

Biologia plantarum 64: 439-446, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.057

To clarify the effects of the introduction of Festuca pratensis-derived genomic regions in a tetraploid Lolium perenne genomic background, we analyzed quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for winter hardiness and eight other agronomic traits using two mapping populations generated by sequential backcrosses of two different amphiploid F. pratensis × L. perenne hybrids to tetraploid L. perenne. We constructed two interspecific linkage maps: FLBC2A (143 DNA markers, 301.2 cM total) and FLBC2C (126 markers, 256.2 cM), based on F. pratensis-derived alleles, with 72 markers in common. Interval mapping detected QTLs for...

Mechanisms of drought resistance in introgression forms of Lolium multiflorum/Festuca arundinacea

D. PERLIKOWSKI, A. KOSMALA

Biologia plantarum 64: 497-503, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.076

Drought resistance in plants can be associated with four different strategies to cope with water stress. These strategies are classified as drought escape, avoidance, tolerance, and recovery. The expression of each strategy depends on plant species and its genetic potential, but also on the environmental conditions, including the stress intensity and duration. Often, prolonged drought conditions are associated with drought escape or avoidance, whereas short but severe drought periods induce drought tolerance. To analyze the components of drought resistance in forage grasses, we applied two Lolium multiflorum/Festuca arundinacea introgression...

Drought tolerance and regrowth capacity revealed in the Festuca-Lolium complex

V. CERNOCH, D. KOPECKY

Biologia plantarum 64: 561-568, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.093

The climate change appears to have accelerated in recent years, and more changes are envisaged in the near future. With this in mind, breeders should consider the choices of materials to be used in breeding for the future to potentially mitigate the impacts of changes. In forage grasses, a special attention has to be paid to drought and heat tolerance. Here, in a screening trial of numerous accessions, we investigated drought tolerance and after-drought recovery rates among the species of the Festuca-Lolium complex, including cultivars and breeding materials as well as various ecotypes of wild species. Experimental trials were done using rainout...

Festulolium, a century of research and breeding and its increased relevance in meeting the requirements for multifunctional grassland agriculture

M.W. HUMPHREYS, Z. ZWIERZYKOWSKI

Biologia plantarum 64: 578-590, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.108

Festulolium are grasses formed through interspecific hybridisation of ryegrass (Lolium) and fescue (Festuca) species. The Lolium-Festuca genome complex represents a vast array of heterogeneous and largely outbreeding grass species that have evolved, diverged, and adapted, allowing their world-wide colonisation of temperate grasslands. While strategies for grass improvement have focused primarily on intraspecific breeding and, in particular, on the agronomically desirable species Lolium perenne and Lolium multiflorum, a growing interest has emerged in interspecific hybrids as alternatives. The principal driver has...

Cytogenetic insights into Festulolium

J. MAJKA, M. MAJKA, D. KOPECKÝ, J. DOLEŽEL

Biologia plantarum 64: 598-603, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.095

Climate change calls for new methods and plant materials to breed crops adapted to new environmental conditions. Sustainable forage and amenity grass production during periods of severe drought and heat waves during summer, and unequal distribution of precipitation over the year will require drought-tolerant genotypes. However, high-yielding ryegrasses (Lolium spp.), which are the most commonly used grass species, suffer during abiotic stresses. Introgression of drought and heat tolerance from closely related fescues (Festuca spp.) offers an opportunity to develop superior hybrid cultivars to mitigate the negative impact of climate change....

Tensile strength of the rachilla in spikelets of Polish Festulolium braunii cultivars

B. GOLIŃSKA, P. GOLIŃSKI

Biologia plantarum 64: 660-666, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.103

The aim of this study was to evaluate the tensile strength of the rachilla in spikelets of Polish cultivars of Festulolium braunii (K. Rich.) A. Camus during seed development and maturation. The investigations were carried out in 2009 - 2010 at the Plant Breeding, Szelejewo, Poland. The inflorescences were randomly harvested in June - July from plant collection in maintenance breeding of three Polish cultivars (Agula, Felopa, and Sulino). Using a specifically developed testing machine, tensile strength of the rachilla of individual spikelets were determined. Regardless of the F. braunii cultivar, the tensile strength of the rachilla...

Spontaneous natural formation of interspecific hybrids within the Festuca-Lolium complex

B. BOLLER, J. HARPER, E. WILLNER, J. FUCHS, M. GLOMBIK, J. MAJKA, V. MAHELKA, C. ZHAO, D. KOPECKÝ

Biologia plantarum 64: 679-691, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.111

Interspecific and intergeneric hybridization within the Festuca-Lolium complex is frequently used in forage plant breeding. However, little is known about the natural occurrence and competitiveness of such hybrids. We collected naturally formed hybrids between Festuca apennina, Festuca pratensis, and Lolium perenne in different habitats of Switzerland and the British Isles and studied their origin, the ease of their spontaneous formation, and their competitiveness with parental species. A special attention was paid to the largely sterile triploid forms and their rare sexual progeny. The triploid hybrid F. apennina ×...

Prolonged drought stress induced changes in yield and physiological processes of Trifolium repens and Festulolium braunii

M. STANIAK, J. BOJARSZCZUK, P. KRASKA, C. KWIATKOWSKI, E. HARASIM

Biologia plantarum 64: 701-709, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.114

Water deficit is one of the main environmental factors, and the recognition of plant response to drought stress seems to be crucial for the yield improvement of the important crops. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of prolonged drought stress on dry matter yield, gas exchange parameters, and relative chlorophyll content in the leaves of Festulolium braunii and Trifolium repens grown in pure stands and in mixture. In the pot experiment, different levels of soil moisture (well-watered conditions and drought stress) and of cultivation method (pure stand and mixture) have been applied. The study has shown that all measured...

Rapid increases in β-1,3-glucanase and chitinase activities are markers of resistance to Microdochium nivale in grasses of the Lolium‑Festuca complex

K. MARZEC-SCHMIDT, K. HURA, A. PŁAŻEK

Biologia plantarum 64: 710-716, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.088

Microdochium nivale causes pink snow mould - a destructive disease of seedlings, stem bases, and ears of winter grasses and cereals. Glucanase and chitinase belong to pathogenesis-related proteins and exhibit a specific activity in response to pathogens. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in the activity of these enzymes in the leaves of chosen forage grasses during Microdochium nivale infection. Different cultivars of Festuca arudinacea, F. pratensis, Festulolium brauni, Lolium multiflorum, and L. perenne were prehardened at 12 °C and hardened at 2 °C and then inoculated with M. nivale...

Breeding and genetics of two new amphiploid Festulolium synthetics with improved yield and digestibility

J. BAERT, K. VAN LAERE, C. VAN WAES, A. GHESQUIERE, J. APER

Biologia plantarum 64: 789-797, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.138

In order to introduce drought tolerance and improved cell wall digestibility from fescue in fodder ryegrasses, we developed two amphiploid Festulolium synthetics. One is a synthetic composed of three selected drought tolerant F1 hybrid genotypes from a cross between tetraploid Lolium multiflorum and hexaploid Festuca arundinacea, further on called LMFA. The other is a synthetic composed of five selected genotypes with soft leaves from a cross between tetraploid Lolium perenne and tetraploid Festuca pratensis, further on called LPFP. We produced seeds in polycrosses of two generations of both amphiploids, i.e.,...

Morphological diversity of seeds of Polish Festulolium cultivars depending on weather conditions

B. BORAWSKA-JARMUŁOWICZ, G. MASTALERCZUK, E. MAŁUSZYŃSKA, W. BORUCKI

Biologia plantarum 64: 814-820, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.146

Morphological traits of seeds of Festulolium braunii (K. Richt.) A. Camus cultivars were studied in relation to weather conditions. The obtained results show that morphological traits of seeds varied among cultivars and years of cultivation. The values of seed characteristics were higher in year 2016 due to more favorable weather conditions for plant growth. It was found that the husked seeds of Festulolium cultivars were characterized by a similar length and width regardless of the year, whereas naked seeds significantly differed in these characteristics. Mean values (from the research years) of seed parameters, such as thousand seed...

Festulolium field performance under fluctuating growing conditions in Lithuania

V. KEMEŠYTĖ, K. JAŠKŪNĖ, G. STATKEVIČIŪTĖ

Biologia plantarum 64: 821-827, 2020 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2020.165

Festulolium cultivars are widely utilized in Lithuania because they are persistent under abiotic stresses and are high yielding. However, changing climate challenges the existing Festulolium cultivars to adapt to new growing conditions and still maintain the yield. In this study, we aimed at evaluating the yield stability of two Festulolium cultivars in field trials under fluctuating Lithuanian conditions. The mean total dry matter yield (DMY) of both Festulolium cultivars fluctuated greatly between the years and ANOVA analysis showed a significant effect of environment on total DMY as well as DMY of each cut, but the genotype...