Search results for "ABIOTIC"
showing 10 items of 201 documents
Arabidopsis mutant dnd2 exhibits increased auxin and abscisic acid content and reduced stomatal conductance
2019
Arabidopsis thaliana cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channel gene 4 (AtCNGC4) loss-of-function mutant dnd2 exhibits elevated accumulation of salicylic acid (SA), dwarfed morphology, reduced hypersensitive response (HR), altered disease resistance and spontaneous lesions on plant leaves. An orthologous barley mutant, nec1, has been reported to over-accumulate indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and to exhibit changes in stomatal regulation in response to exogenous auxin. Here we show that the Arabidopsis dnd2 over-accumulates both IAA and abscisic acid (ABA) and displays related phenotypic and physiological changes, such as, reduced stomatal size, higher stomatal density and stomatal index. dnd2 showed i…
Ecological conditions alter cooperative behaviour and its costs in a chemically defended sawfly
2018
The evolution of cooperation and social behaviour is often studied in isolation from the ecology of organisms. Yet, the selective environment under which individuals evolve is much more complex in nature, consisting of ecological and abiotic interactions in addition to social ones. Here, we measured the life-history costs of cooperative chemical defence in a gregarious social herbivore, Diprion pini pine sawfly larvae, and how these costs vary under different ecological conditions. We ran a rearing experiment where we manipulated diet (resin content) and attack intensity by repeatedly harassing larvae to produce a chemical defence. We show that forcing individuals to allocate more to coope…
Current Experience with Application of Metal-based Nanofertilizers
2019
Agriculture is one of the many fields in which nanotechnology is currently applied. At the nano-scale, materials exhibit different properties mainly due to the reduced molecular size which allows different interactions between molecules. Nowadays, the agricultural sector demands methods that not only increase crop productivity, but are also sustainable and produce less environmental impact. Large-scale application of chemical fertilizers is common in farming with the aim of increasing productivity. The use of large doses of fertilizers, however, causes more harm than good. Chemically intensive agriculture disturbs the soil-mineral balance, pollutes soil, water and air, and makes lands less …
New insight to the role of microbes in the methane exchange in trees: evidence from metagenomic sequencing
2021
Methane (CH4) exchange in tree stems and canopies and the processes involved are among the least understood components of the global CH4 cycle. Recent studies have focused on quantifying tree stems as sources of CH4 and understanding abiotic CH4 emissions in plant canopies, with the role of microbial in situ CH4 formation receiving less attention. Moreover, despite initial reports revealing CH4 consumption, studies have not adequately evaluated the potential of microbial CH4 oxidation within trees. In this paper, we discuss the current level of understanding on these processes. Further, we demonstrate the potential of novel metagenomic tools in revealing the involvement of microbes in the C…
Identification of conserved genes linked to responses to abiotic stresses in leaves among different plant species
2020
As a consequence of global climate change, certain stress factors that have a negative impact on crop productivity such as heat, cold, drought and salinity are becoming increasingly prevalent. We conducted a meta-analysis to identify genes conserved across plant species involved in (1) general abiotic stress conditions, and (2) specific and unique abiotic stress factors (drought, salinity, extreme temperature) in leaf tissues. We collected raw data and re-analysed eight RNA-Seq studies using our previously published bioinformatic pipeline. A total of 68 samples were analysed. Gene set enrichment analysis was performed using MapMan and PageMan whereas DAVID (Database for Annotation, Visuali…
Identification of ABA-Mediated Genetic and Metabolic Responses to Soil Flooding in Tomato (
2021
Soil flooding is a compound abiotic stress that alters soil properties and limits atmospheric gas diffusion (O2 and CO2) to the roots. The involvement of abscisic acid (ABA) in the regulation of soil flooding-specific genetic and metabolic responses has been scarcely studied despite its key importance as regulator in other abiotic stress conditions. To attain this objective, wild type and ABA-deficient tomatoes were subjected to short-term (24 h) soil waterlogging. After this period, gas exchange parameters were reduced in the wild type but not in ABA-deficient plants that always had higher E and gs. Transcript and metabolite alterations were more intense in waterlogged tissues, with genoty…
Arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis mitigates the negative effects of salinity on durum wheat
2017
Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis is generally considered to be effective in ameliorating the plant tolerance to salt stress. Unfortunately, the comprehension of the mechanisms implicated in salinity stress alleviation by AM symbiosis is far from being complete. Thus, an experiment was performed by growing durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) plants under salt-stress conditions to evaluate the influence of AM symbiosis on both the plant growth and the regulation of a number of genes related to salt stress and nutrient uptake. Durum wheat plants were grown outdoors in pots in absence or in presence of salt stress and with or without AM fungi inoculation. The inoculum consisted of a mixture…
Estimating the genetic diversity and structure ofQuercus trojanaWebb populations in Italy by SSRs: implications for management and conservation
2017
Studying the genetic diversity and structure of the current forest populations is essential for evaluating the ability to survive to future biotic and abiotic changes and planning conservation strategies. Quercus trojana is an eastern Mediterranean tree species with a fragmented distribution range, and its westernmost outposts are located in southern Italy. The demand for timber and cropland over the centuries has severely reduced it s occurrence in this part of the range. We assessed the genetic diversity and structure of the extant Italian populations of Q. trojana and derived conservation guidelines. A total of 322 samples were genotyped with six polymorphic nuclear microsatellite marker…
Autotetraploid Emergence via Somatic Embryogenesis in Vitis vinifera Induces Marked Morphological Changes in Shoots, Mature Leaves, and Stomata
2021
Polyploidy plays an important role in plant adaptation to biotic and abiotic stresses. Alterations of the ploidy in grapevine plants regenerated via somatic embryogenesis (SE) may provide a source of genetic variability useful for the improvement of agronomic characteristics of crops. In the grapevine, the SE induction process may cause ploidy changes without alterations in DNA profile. In the present research, tetraploid plants were observed for 9.3% of ‘Frappato’ grapevine somatic embryos regenerated in medium supplemented with the growth regulators β-naphthoxyacetic acid (10 µM) and N6-benzylaminopurine (4.4 µM). Autotetraploid plants regenerated via SE without detectable changes in the …
Oxygen Availability during Growth Modulates the Phytochemical Profile and the Chemo-Protective Properties of Spinach Juice.
2018
Fruits and vegetables are a good source of potentially biologically active compounds. Their regular consumption in the human diet can help reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Plants produce additional chemical substances when subject to abiotic stress or infected by microorganisms. The phytochemical profile of spinach leaves (Spinacia oleracea L.), which is a vegetable with widely recognized health-promoting activity, has been affected by applying root hypoxic and re-oxygenation stress during plant growth. Leaf juice at different sampling times has been subject to liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MSn) analysis and tested on t…