Wildfire smoke contains certain potent bioactive compounds (butenolides) that play a major role in regulating the germination of many plant species, predominantly grasses and shrub species from fire-prone ecosystems but also many non-fire-dependent plants such as rice (Oryza sativa), wild oats (Avena sativa), and lettuce (Lactuca sativa). Karrikinolide (KAR1), a butenolide derived from smoke, exhibits […]
Gravity is a key determinant in orienting plant stems for proper growth and development. An intact and dynamic actin cytoskeleton is thought to be important for plants to respond to gravity; however, pharmaceutical treatment and mutant analyses have yielded conflicting results. In Arabidopsis (Arabdopsis thaliana) shoots, for example, pharmacological disruption of the F-actin cytoskeleton formation […]
High temperatures caused by climate change are predicted to decrease cereal productivity in many parts of the world. Yield losses due to rising temperatures have already been reported for major cereal crops including maize (Zea mays), wheat (Triticum sp.), and rice (Oryza sativa). These cereals together are the main sources of caloric intake of the […]
In acidic soils, phytotoxic levels of active aluminum (Al) are released from Al-containing minerals when the pH drops to 5 or lower. These active Al forms, primarily Al3+, often threaten root vitality and inhibit primary root elongation, thus limiting the acquisition of nutrient elements and water necessary for crop growth. Thus, Al toxicity is a […]
Turnip Mosaic Virus (TuMV) is a +RNA virus that belongs to the order Picornavirales. +RNA viruses reorganize the endomembrane system to generate quasi-organelle structures called “viral factories”. In the case of TuMV, these factories are motile vesicles of ~100 nm in diameter that contain the TuMV genome as well as viral and host proteins involved […]
The seeds of flowering plants consist of three genetically distinct components: the diploid embryo with one genome copy from each of the parents, the triploid endosperm with two maternal copies and one paternal copy, and the seed coat having the same genotype as the diploid mother plant. Balanced parental gene expression for proper development of […]
High exogenous concentrations (>50 µM) of salicylic acid (SA) stimulate systemic acquired resistance (SAR), a vitally important adaptive immunity response that protects against a broad spectrum of pathogens. The transcription of PATHOGENESIS-RELATED GENE 1 (PR1) is rapidly induced in leaves upon both pathogen exposure and high exogenous concentrations of SA. At low concentrations (<50 µM), […]
The biochemistry of photosynthesis and biophysical processes that constrain it are intrinsically linked within the landscape of the inner leaf. Because leaf tissue is heterogeneous in structure as well as photosynthetic capacity, it follows that chlorophyll may also be spatially heterogeneous. Yet, while bulk chlorophyll content of leaves can be readily measured, fewer studies have […]
Comparative analyses of wild and domesticated accessions have previously identified several aboveground domestication-related traits in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). Genetic analyses of these traits suggested the presence of several major quantitative trait loci (QTLs) with large effects. However, due to the subterranean growth habit of root systems, root traits have been omitted from previous analyses […]