Search results for "Biotic Stress"

Characterization of Sicilian Olive Genotypes by Multivariate Analysis of Leaf and Fruit Chemical and Morphological Properties

2013

Leaf and fruit size and shape were measured and mannitol, glucose, sucrose and malic acid were quantified in leaf, bark and fruit of 25 Sicilian olive genotypes. Multivariate analysis was used to individuate groups with similar chemical composition and morphological traits suggesting potential for stress tolerance and/or oil yield and quality. Mannitol content varied greatly among genotypes and was the most abundant carbohydrate in leaf and bark, whereas glucose was the most abundant in fruit. Sucrose and malic acid were generally low indicating a marginal role in olive tissues. Mannitol and glucose were directly related in both leaf and fruit tissues. Genotypes also differed for carbohydra…

Essential Oil Composition of Alluaudia procera and in Vitro Biological Activity on Two Drug-Resistant Models

2019

Drug resistance is a major obstacle in antibiotic and antitumor chemotherapy. In response to the necessity to find new therapeutic strategies, plant secondary metabolites including essential oils (EOs) may represent one of the best sources. EOs in plants act as constitutive defenses against biotic and abiotic stress, and they play an important role in the pharmacology for their low toxicity, good pharmacokinetic and multitarget activity. In this context, natural products such as EOs are one of the most important sources of drugs used in pharmaceutical therapeutics. The aim of this paper was to identify the chemical composition of the essential oil of Alluaudia procera leaves, obtained by hy…

FUNCTIONAL GENOMIC APPROACHES TO ELUCIDATE BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC STRESS RESPONSES IN PLANTS

WRKY gene family drives dormancy release in onion bulbs

2022

Onion (Allium cepa L.) is an important bulb crop grown worldwide. Dormancy in bulbous plants is an important physiological state mainly regulated by a complex gene network that determines a stop of vegetative growth during unfavorable seasons. Limited knowledge on the molecular mechanisms that regulate dormancy in onion were available until now. Here, a comparison between uninfected and onion yellow dwarf virus (OYDV)-infected onion bulbs highlighted an altered dormancy in the virus-infected plants, causing several symptoms, such as leaf striping, growth reduction, early bulb sprouting and rooting, as well as a lower abscisic acid (ABA) level at the start of dormancy. Furthermore, by compar…

Grass Pea

2011

Grass pea (Lathyrus. sativus L.) is an annual legume crop with high protein content and remarkable resistance to extreme environmental conditions, including fl ooding, drought, salinity and low soil fertility, and a signifi cant degree of resistance to biotic stress agents. It is rightly considered one of the most promising sources of calories and protein for the vast and expanding populations of drought-prone and marginal areas of Asia and Africa and as an interesting alternative for cropping systems diversifi cation in marginal lands in Europe, Australia and America. It is a dual purpose crop with great agronomic potential as a grain and forage legume. Nevertheless, as a result of the lit…

Overexpression of SAMDC1 gene in Arabidopsis thaliana increases expression of defense-related genes as well as resistance to Pseudomonas syringae and…

2014

It has been previously described that elevation of endogenous spermine levels in Arabidopsis could be achieved by transgenic overexpression of S-Adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (SAMDC) or Spermine synthase (SPMS). In both cases, spermine accumulation had an impact on the plant transcriptome, with up-regulation of a set of genes enriched in functional categories involved in defense-related processes against both biotic and abiotic stresses. In this work, the response of SAMDC1-overexpressing plants against bacterial and oomycete pathogens has been tested. The expression of several pathogen defense-related genes was induced in these plants as well as in wild type plants exposed to an exogeno…