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<jats:p>This research investigated the mechanism of ozone treatment on sweet cherry (<jats:italic>Prunus avium</jats:italic> L.) by Lable-free quantification proteomics and physiological traits. The results showed that 4557 master proteins were identified in all the samples, and 3149 proteins were common to all groups. Mfuzz analyses revealed 3149 candidate proteins. KEGG annotation and enrichment analysis showed proteins related to carbohydrate and energy metabolism, protein, amino acids, and nucleotide sugar biosynthesis and degradation, and fruit parameters were characterized and quantified. The conclusions were supported by the fact that the qRT-PCR results agreed with the proteomics results. For the first time, this study reveals the mechanism of cherry in response to ozone treatment at a proteome level.</jats:p>

<jats:p><jats:italic>Alternaria alternata</jats:italic> is a necrotrophic fungal pathogen with a broad host range that causes widespread and devastating disease in sweet cherry (<jats:italic>Prunus avium</jats:italic>). We selected a resistant cultivar (RC) and a susceptible cultivar (SC) of cherry and used a combined physiological, transcriptomic, and metabolomic approach to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the plant’s resistance to <jats:italic>A. alternata</jats:italic>, of which little is known. We found that <jats:italic>A. alternata</jats:italic> infection stimulated the outbreak of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cherry. The responses of the antioxidant enzymes and chitinase to disease were observed earlier in the RC than in the SC. Moreover, cell wall defense ability was stronger in the RC. Differential genes and metabolites involved in defense responses and secondary metabolism were primarily enriched in the biosynthesis of phenylpropanoids, tropane, piperidine and pyridine alkaloids, flavonoids, amino acids, and α-linolenic acid. Reprogramming the phenylpropanoid pathway and the α-linolenic acid metabolic pathway led to lignin accumulation and early induction of jasmonic acid signaling, respectively, in the RC, which consequently enhanced antifungal and ROS scavenging activity. The RC contained a high level of coumarin, and <jats:italic>in vitro</jats:italic> tests showed that coumarin significantly inhibited <jats:italic>A. alternata</jats:italic> growth and development and had antifungal effect on cherry leaves. In addition, differentially expressed genes encoding transcription factors from the MYB, NAC, WRKY, ERF, and bHLH families were highly expressed, they could be the key responsive factor in the response of cherry to infection by <jats:italic>A. alternata</jats:italic>. Overall, this study provides molecular clues and a multifaceted understanding of the specific response of cherry to <jats:italic>A. alternata</jats:italic>.</jats:p>

<jats:p>Heavy damage to tomato crops due to wilt stress caused by the pathogenic bacterium <jats:italic>Ralstonia solanacearum</jats:italic> and the insufficient availability of management strategies with desired control levels urged the researchers to investigate more reliable control methods to manage this issue in tomato and other horticultural crops. In this study, <jats:italic>Parthenium hysterophorus</jats:italic>, a locally and freely available herbaceous plant, was successfully used to manage bacterial wilt of tomatoes. The significant growth reduction ability of <jats:italic>P. hysterophorus</jats:italic> leaf extract was recorded in an agar well diffusion test and its ability to severally damage the bacterial cells was confirmed in SEM analysis. In both greenhouse and field trials, soil amended with <jats:italic>P. hysterophorus</jats:italic> leaf powder at 25 g/kg soil was found to effectively suppress the pathogen population in soil and significantly reduce the wilt severity on tomato plants, resulting in increased growth and yield of tomato plants. <jats:italic>P. hysterophorus</jats:italic> leaf powder at concentrations greater than 25 g/kg soil caused phytotoxicity in tomato plants. The results showed that <jats:italic>P. hysterophorus</jats:italic> powder applied through the mixing of soil for a longer period of time before transplanting tomato plants was more effective than mulching application and a shorter period of transplantation. Finally, the indirect effect of <jats:italic>P. hysterophorus</jats:italic> powder in managing bacterial wilt stress was evaluated using expression analysis of two resistance-related genes, <jats:italic>PR2</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>TPX</jats:italic>. The upregulation of these two resistance-related genes was recorded by the soil application of <jats:italic>P. hysterophorus</jats:italic> powder. The findings of this study revealed the direct and indirect action mechanisms of <jats:italic>P. hysterophorus</jats:italic> powder applied to the soil for the management of bacterial wilting stress in tomato plants and provided the basis for including this technique as a safe and effective management strategy in an integrated disease management package.</jats:p>

<jats:p>Stem growth and development has considerable effects on plant architecture and yield performance. Strigolactones (SLs) modulate shoot branching and root architecture in plants. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying SLs regulate cherry rootstocks stem growth and development remain unclear. Our studies showed that the synthetic SL analog rac-GR24 and the biosynthetic inhibitor TIS108 affected stem length and diameter, aboveground weight, and chlorophyll content. The stem length of cherry rootstocks following TIS108 treatment reached a maximum value of 6.97 cm, which was much higher than that following rac-GR24 treatments at 30 days after treatment. Stem paraffin section showed that SLs affected cell size. A total of 1936, 743, and 1656 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were observed in stems treated with 10 μM rac-GR24, 0.1 μM rac-GR24, and 10 μM TIS108, respectively. RNA-seq results highlighted several DEGs, including <jats:italic>CKX</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>LOG</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>YUCCA</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>AUX</jats:italic>, and <jats:italic>EXP</jats:italic>, which play vital roles in stem growth and development. UPLC-3Q-MS analysis revealed that SL analogs and inhibitors affected the levels of several hormones in the stems. The endogenous GA<jats:sub>3</jats:sub> content of stems increased significantly with 0.1 μM rac-GR24 or 10 μM TIS108 treatment, which is consistent with changes in the stem length following the same treatments. This study demonstrated that SLs affected stem growth of cherry rootstocks by changing other endogenous hormone levels. These results provide a solid theoretical basis for using SLs to modulate plant height and achieve sweet cherry dwarfing and high-density cultivation.</jats:p>

<jats:p>Plants have to cope with a myriad of soilborne pathogens that affect crop production and food security. The complex interactions between the root system and microorganisms are determinant for the whole plant health. However, the knowledge regarding root defense responses is limited as compared to the aerial parts of the plant. Immune responses in roots appear to be tissue-specific suggesting a compartmentalization of defense mechanisms in these organs. The root cap releases cells termed root “associated cap-derived cells” (AC-DCs) or “border cells” embedded in a thick mucilage layer forming the root extracellular trap (RET) dedicated to root protection against soilborne pathogens. Pea (<jats:italic>Pisum sativum</jats:italic>) is the plant model used to characterize the composition of the RET and to unravel its function in root defense. The objective of this paper is to review modes of action of the RET from pea against diverse pathogens with a special focus on root rot disease caused by <jats:italic>Aphanomyces euteiches</jats:italic>, one of the most widely occurring and large-scale pea crop diseases. The RET, at the interface between the soil and the root, is enriched in antimicrobial compounds including defense-related proteins, secondary metabolites, and glycan-containing molecules. More especially arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs), a family of plant extracellular proteoglycans belonging to the hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins were found to be particularly present in pea border cells and mucilage. Herein, we discuss the role of RET and AGPs in the interaction between roots and microorganisms and future potential developments for pea crop protection.</jats:p>

<jats:p>Drought is a severe environmental condition that restricts the vegetative growth and reduces the yield of grapevine (<jats:italic>Vitis vinifera L.</jats:italic>). However, the mechanisms underlying grapevine response and adaptation to drought stress remain unclear. In the present study, we characterized an ANNEXIN gene, <jats:italic>VvANN1</jats:italic>, which plays a positive role in the drought stress response. The results indicated that <jats:italic>VvANN1</jats:italic> was significantly induced by osmotic stress. Expression of <jats:italic>VvANN1</jats:italic> in <jats:italic>Arabidopsis thaliana</jats:italic> enhanced osmotic and drought tolerance through modulating the level of MDA, H<jats:sub>2</jats:sub>O<jats:sub>2</jats:sub>, and O<jats:sub>2</jats:sub><jats:sup>·-</jats:sup> at the seedling stage, implying that <jats:italic>VvANN1</jats:italic> might be involved in the process of ROS homeostasis under drought or osmotic stress conditions. Moreover, we used yeast one-hybridization and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays to show that VvbZIP45 could regulate <jats:italic>VvANN</jats:italic>1 expression by directly binding to the promoter region of <jats:italic>VvANN</jats:italic>1 in response to drought stress. We also generated transgenic <jats:italic>Arabidopsis</jats:italic> that constitutively expressed the <jats:italic>VvbZIP45</jats:italic> gene (35S::<jats:italic>VvbZIP45</jats:italic>) and further produced <jats:italic>VvANN1Pro</jats:italic>::GUS/35S::<jats:italic>VvbZIP45 Arabidopsis</jats:italic> plants <jats:italic>via</jats:italic> crossing. The genetic analysis results subsequently indicated that VvbZIP45 could enhance GUS expression <jats:italic>in vivo</jats:italic> under drought stress. Our findings suggest that VvbZIP45 may modulate <jats:italic>VvANN1</jats:italic> expression in response to drought stress and reduce the impact of drought on fruit quality and yield.</jats:p>

<jats:p>Nectaries are a promising frontier for plant evo-devo research, and are particularly fascinating given their diversity in form, position, and secretion methods across angiosperms. Emerging model systems permit investigations of the molecular basis for nectary development and nectar secretion across a range of taxa, which addresses fundamental questions about underlying parallelisms and convergence. Herein, we explore nectary development and nectar secretion in the emerging model taxa, <jats:italic>Cleome violacea</jats:italic> (Cleomaceae), which exhibits a prominent adaxial nectary. First, we characterized nectary anatomy and quantified nectar secretion to establish a foundation for quantitative and functional gene experiments. Next, we leveraged RNA-seq to establish gene expression profiles of nectaries across three key stages of development: pre-anthesis, anthesis, and post-fertilization. We then performed functional studies on five genes that were putatively involved in nectary and nectar formation: <jats:italic>CvCRABSCLAW</jats:italic> (<jats:italic>CvCRC)</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>CvAGAMOUS</jats:italic> (<jats:italic>CvAG), CvSHATTERPROOF (CvSHP), CvSWEET9</jats:italic>, and a highly expressed but uncharacterized transcript. These experiments revealed a high degree of functional convergence to homologues from other core Eudicots, especially <jats:italic>Arabidopsis</jats:italic>. <jats:italic>CvCRC</jats:italic>, redundantly with <jats:italic>CvAG</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>CvSHP</jats:italic>, are required for nectary initiation. Concordantly, <jats:italic>CvSWEET9</jats:italic> is essential for nectar formation and secretion, which indicates that the process is eccrine based in <jats:italic>C. violacea</jats:italic>. While demonstration of conservation is informative to our understanding of nectary evolution, questions remain. For example, it is unknown which genes are downstream of the developmental initiators <jats:italic>CvCRC</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>CvAG</jats:italic>, and <jats:italic>CvSHP</jats:italic>, or what role the <jats:italic>TCP</jats:italic> gene family plays in nectary initiation in this family. Further to this, we have initiated a characterization of associations between nectaries, yeast, and bacteria, but more research is required beyond establishing their presence. <jats:italic>Cleome violacea</jats:italic> is an excellent model for continued research into nectary development because of its conspicuous nectaries, short generation time, and close taxonomic distance to <jats:italic>Arabidopsis</jats:italic>.</jats:p>

<jats:p>The resource allocation of different component organs of crops under drought stress is a strategy for the coordinated growth of crops, which also reflects the adaptability of crops to drought condition. In this study, maize variety namely ‘Denghai 618’, under the ventilation shed, two treatment groups of light drought (LD) and moderate drought (MD), and the same rehydration after drought are set, as well as the normal water supply for control in shed (CS). The drought experiment was conducted in the jointing–tasseling stage in 2021. The effects of different drought stress on the water content and biomass allocation of each component organ were analyzed. The results showed that (1) during the drought period, the water content of each component organ of summer maize decreased in general, but the Water content distribution ratio (WCDR) of the root increased by 1.83%– 2.35%. The WCDR of stem increased by 0.52%– 1.40%. (2) Under different drought treatments, the root biomass (RB) increased 33.94% ~ 46.09%, and fruit biomass (FB) increased 1.46% ~ 2.49%, the leaf biomass (LB) decreased by 8.2% and 1.46% respectively under LD and MD. (3) The allometric growth model constructed under sufficient water is not suitable for drought stress; the allometric exponent α under drought stress is lower than that of the CS: CS (α=1.175) &amp;gt; MD (α = 1.136) &amp;gt; LD (α = 1.048), which also indicates that the impact of existing climate change on grain yield may be underestimated. This study is helpful to understand the adaptive strategies of the coordinated growth of maize component organs under drought stress and provide a reference for the prediction of grain yield under climate change.</jats:p>

<jats:p>The most common symptom of iron (Fe) deficiency in plants is leaf chlorosis caused by impairment of chlorophyll biosynthesis. Magnesium (Mg)-chelatase H subunit (CHLH) is a key component in both chlorophyll biosynthesis and plastid signaling, but its role in Fe deficiency is poorly understood. Heterologous expression of the <jats:italic>Arabidopsis thaliana</jats:italic> Mg-chelatase H subunit gene (<jats:italic>AtCHLH</jats:italic>) increased Mg-chelatase activity by up to 6-fold and abundance of its product, Mg-protoporphyrin IX (Mg-Proto IX), by 60–75% in transgenic rice (<jats:italic>Oryza sativa</jats:italic>) seedlings compared to wild-type (WT) controls. Noticeably, the transgenic seedlings showed alleviation of Fe deficiency symptoms, as evidenced by their less pronounced leaf chlorosis and lower declines in shoot growth, chlorophyll contents, and photosynthetic efficiency, as indicated by <jats:italic>F</jats:italic><jats:sub>v</jats:sub>/<jats:italic>F</jats:italic><jats:sub>m</jats:sub> and electron transport rate, compared to those in WT seedlings under Fe deficiency. Porphyrin metabolism was differentially regulated by Fe deficiency between WT and transgenic seedlings, particularly with a higher level of Mg-Proto IX in transgenic lines, showing that overexpression of <jats:italic>AtCHLH</jats:italic> reprograms porphyrin metabolism in transgenic rice. Leaves of Fe-deficient transgenic seedlings exhibited greater upregulation of deoxymugineic acid biosynthesis-related genes (i.e., <jats:italic>NAS</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>NAS2</jats:italic>, and <jats:italic>NAAT1</jats:italic>), <jats:italic>YSL2</jats:italic> transporter gene, and Fe-related transcription factor genes <jats:italic>IRO2</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>IDEF2</jats:italic> than those of WT, which may also partly contribute to alleviating Fe deficiency. Although <jats:italic>At</jats:italic>CHLH was postulated to act as a receptor for abscisic acid (ABA), exogenous ABA did not alter the phenotypes of Fe-deficient WT or transgenic seedlings. Our study demonstrates that modulation of porphyrin biosynthesis through expression of <jats:italic>AtCHLH</jats:italic> in transgenic rice alleviates Fe deficiency-induced stress, suggesting a possible role for CHLH in Fe deficiency responses.</jats:p>

<jats:p>Pearl millet is a staple food for more than 90 million people residing in highly vulnerable hot arid and semi–arid regions of Africa and Asia. These regions are more prone to detrimental effects of soil salinity on crop performance in terms of reduced biomass and crop yields. We investigated the physiological mechanisms of salt tolerance to irrigation induced salinity stress (EC<jats:sub>iw</jats:sub> ~3, 6 &amp;amp; 9 dSm<jats:sup>–1</jats:sup>) and their confounding effects on plant growth and yield in pearl millet inbred lines and hybrids. On average, nearly 30% reduction in above ground plant biomass was observed at EC<jats:sub>iw</jats:sub> ~6 dSm<jats:sup>-1</jats:sup> which stretched to 56% at EC<jats:sub>iw</jats:sub> ~9 dSm<jats:sup>-1</jats:sup> in comparison to best available water. With increasing salinity stress, the crop performance of test hybrids was better in comparison to inbred lines; exhibiting relatively higher stomatal conductance (gS; 16%), accumulated lower proline (Pro; –12%) and shoot Na<jats:sup>+</jats:sup>/K<jats:sup>+</jats:sup>(–31%), synthesized more protein (SP; 2%) and sugars (TSS; 32%) compensating in lower biomass (AGB; –22%) and grain yield (GY: –14%) reductions at highest salinity stress of EC<jats:sub>iw</jats:sub> ~9 dSm<jats:sup>–1</jats:sup>. Physiological traits modeling underpinning plant salt tolerance and adaptation mechanism illustrated the key role of 7 traits (AGB, Pro, SS, gS, SPAD, Pn, and SP) in hybrids and 8 traits (AGB, Pro, PH, Na<jats:sup>+</jats:sup>, K<jats:sup>+</jats:sup>, Na<jats:sup>+</jats:sup>/K<jats:sup>+</jats:sup>, SPAD, and gS) in inbred lines towards anticipated grain yield variations in salinity stressed pearl millet. Most importantly, the AGB alone, explained &amp;gt;91% of yield variation among evaluated hybrids and inbreed lines at EC<jats:sub>iw</jats:sub> ~9 dSm<jats:sup>–1</jats:sup>. Cumulatively, the better morpho–physiological adaptation and lesser yield reduction with increasing salinity stress in pearl millet hybrids (HHB 146, HHB 272, and HHB 234) and inbred lines (H77/833–2–202, ICMA 94555 and ICMA 843–22) substantially complemented in increased plant salt tolerance and yield stability over a broad range of salinity stress. The information generated herein will help address in deciphering the trait associated physiological alterations to irrigation induced salt stress, and developing potential hybrids in pearl millet using these parents with special characteristics.</jats:p>