Catálogo de publicaciones - revistas

<jats:p>Recent anthropogenic sources and excess usage have immensely threatened the communities and habitat ecology of this region’s medicinally and economically significant crops. Therefore, our study aims to evaluate the community structure and related environmental characteristics sustaining <jats:italic>Nasturtium officinale</jats:italic> communities along the river basin (RB) in Northwest Pakistan, using the clustering procedure (Ward’s method) and Redundancy analysis (RDA). From 340 phytosociological plots (34 × 10 = 340), we identified four ecologically distinct assemblages of <jats:italic>N. officinale</jats:italic> governed by different environmental and anthropogenic factors for the first time. The floristic structure shows the dominance of herbaceous (100%), native (77%), and annual (58.09%) species indicating relatively stable communities; however, the existence of the invasive plants (14%) is perturbing and may cause instability in the future, resulting in the replacement of herbaceous plant species. Likewise, we noticed apparent variations in the environmental factors, i.e., clay percentage (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic> = 3.1 × 10<jats:bold><jats:sup>−5</jats:sup></jats:bold>), silt and sand percentage (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic>&amp;lt; 0.05), organic matter (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic>&amp;lt; 0.001), phosphorus and potassium (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic>&amp;lt; 0.05), and heavy metals, i.e., Pb, Zn, and Cd (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic>&amp;lt; 0.05), indicating their dynamic role in maintaining the structure and composition of these ecologically distinct communities. RDA has also demonstrated the fundamental role of these factors in species–environment correlations and explained the geospatial variability and plants’ ecological amplitudes in the Swat River wetland ecosystem. We concluded from this study that <jats:italic>N. officinale</jats:italic> communities are relatively stable due to their rapid colonization; however, most recent high anthropogenic interventions especially overharvesting and sand mining activities, apart from natural enemies, water deficit, mega-droughts, and recent flood intensification due to climate change scenario, are robust future threats to these communities. Our research highlights the dire need for the sustainable uses and conservation of these critical communities for aesthetics, as food for aquatic macrobiota and humans, enhancing water quality, breeding habitat, fodder crop, and its most promising medicinal properties in the region.</jats:p>

<jats:p>Target spot caused by <jats:italic>Corynespora cassiicola</jats:italic> is a problematic disease in tropical and subtropical soybean (<jats:italic>Glycine max</jats:italic>) growing regions. Although resistant soybean genotypes have been identified, the genetic mechanisms underlying target spot resistance has not yet been studied. To address this knowledge gap, this is the first genome-wide association study (GWAS) conducted using the SoySNP50K array on a panel of 246 soybean accessions, aiming to unravel the genetic architecture of resistance. The results revealed significant associations of 14 and 33 loci with resistance to LIM01 and SSTA <jats:italic>C. cassiicola</jats:italic> isolates, respectively, with six loci demonstrating consistent associations across both isolates. To identify potential candidate genes within GWAS-identified loci, dynamic transcriptome profiling was conducted through RNA-Seq analysis. The analysis involved comparing gene expression patterns between resistant and susceptible genotypes, utilizing leaf tissue collected at different time points after inoculation. Integrating results of GWAS and RNA-Seq analyses identified 238 differentially expressed genes within a 200 kb region encompassing significant quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for disease severity ratings. These genes were involved in defense response to pathogen, innate immune response, chitinase activity, histone H3-K9 methylation, salicylic acid mediated signaling pathway, kinase activity, and biosynthesis of flavonoid, jasmonic acid, phenylpropanoid, and wax. In addition, when combining results from this study with previous GWAS research, 11 colocalized regions associated with disease resistance were identified for biotic and abiotic stress. This finding provides valuable insight into the genetic resources that can be harnessed for future breeding programs aiming to enhance soybean resistance against target spot and other diseases simultaneously.</jats:p>

<jats:p>Chrysanthemums are one of the top ten most well-known traditional famous flowers in China and one of the top four cut flowers worldwide, holding a significant position in landscape gardening. The cold temperatures of winter restrict the cultivation, introduction, and application of chrysanthemum, resulting in high costs for year-round production. This severely impacts the ornamental and economic value of chrysanthemum. Therefore, research on cold tolerance is of vital importance for guiding chrysanthemum production and application. With the development of genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, and other omics approaches, along with high-throughput molecular marker technologies, research on chrysanthemum cold tolerance has been continuously advancing. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the progress in cold tolerance research from various aspects, including chrysanthemum phenotype, physiological mechanisms, the forward genetics, molecular mechanisms, and breeding. The aim is to offer insights into the mechanisms of cold tolerance in chrysanthemum and provide reference for in-depth research and the development of new cold tolerance chrysanthemum varieties.</jats:p>

<jats:p>Nitrogen (N) is the most extracted and exported element by the soybean crop. In high yield tropical environments with irrigation, little is known about N accumulation in different soybean plant organs as well as the N balance. The objective of this study was to characterize soybean growth, N accumulation in plant organs, N balance, and N gap in a high yield tropical environment. This study was performed in a homogeneous field, in a soil with low organic matter, with 20 kg ha<jats:sup>-1</jats:sup> of N, under furrow fertilization. Evaluations were performed ten times, temporally distributed from emergence to senescence. The soybean cultivar used was ‘RK7518 IPRO’ and was sown with row spacing of 0.45 m and a seeding rate of 300,000 plants ha<jats:sup>-1</jats:sup>. Plant N partition, N from the biological N fixation (BNF), grain yield, crop harvest index (HI), N harvest index (NHI) with and without root contribution were evaluated. Also, at the grain filling stage the N gap was evaluated from the soil by difference between whole plant accumulated N and the amount of N from BNF. The average grain yield was 6,470 kg ha<jats:sup>-1</jats:sup> and leads to a negative partial balance of N of -33.4 and -42.8 kg<jats:sub>[N]</jats:sub> ha<jats:sup>-1</jats:sup> with and without roots, respectively. The N gap from the soil was 231.7 kg<jats:sub>[N]</jats:sub> ha<jats:sup>-1</jats:sup>. It is recommended to adopt techniques that increase the efficiency of BNF and the soil N accumulation to balance these production systems in the medium to long term.</jats:p>

<jats:p>Drought stress (DS) is one of the main abiotic negative factors for plants. Phthalanilic acid (PPA), as a plant growth regulator, can promote the growth and development of crops. In order to evaluate the ideal application concentration and frequency of PPA-induced drought resistance in pepper (<jats:italic>Capsicum annuum</jats:italic>) seedlings, the concentration of PPA was 133.3 mg·L<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup>; 200.0 mg·L<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup>; 266.7 mg·L<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup>, and some key indicators were investigated, including leaf wilting index (LWI), relative water content (RWC), and malondialdehyde (MDA). We found that the LWI and RWC in the PPA-applied pepper leaves under light drought stress (LDS) and moderate drought stress (MDS) were all elevated, while MDA contents were decreased. To better understand how PPA makes pepper drought resistant, we examined the photosynthetic characteristics, growth parameters, antioxidant activities, and osmotic substances in pepper seedlings treated twice with PPA at a concentration of 133.3 mg·L<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup> under LDS, MDS, and severe drought stress (SDS). Results showed that PPA increased the chlorophyll, plant height, stem diameter, root-shoot ratio, and seedling index of pepper leaves under LDS, MDS, and SDS. The net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Gs), intercellular CO<jats:sub>2</jats:sub> concentration (Ci), transpiration rates (Tr), and water-use efficiency (WUE) in the PPA-treated pepper leaves under LDS and MDS were improved, while their stomatal limitation (Ls) were reduced. PPA also boosted the activities of enzymatic antioxidants (superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase), as well as enhanced the accumulation of osmotic substances such as soluble sugar, soluble protein, and free proline in pepper leaves under LDS, MDS, and SDS. Thus, PPA can alleviate the growth inhibition and damage to pepper seedlings caused by DS, and the PPA-mediated efficacy may be associated with the improvement in PPA-mediated antioxidant activities, Pn, and accumulation of osmotic substances. </jats:p>

<jats:p>With a great diversity of species, Orchidaceae stands out as an essential component of plant biodiversity, making it a primary resource for studying angiosperms evolution and genomics. This study focuses on 13 published orchid genomes to identify and analyze the CYP75 gene family belonging to the cytochrome P450 superfamily, which is closely related to flavonoid biosynthetic enzymes and pigment regulation. We found 72 <jats:italic>CYP75</jats:italic>s in the 13 orchid genomes and further classified them into two classes: CYP75A and CYP75B subfamily, the former synthesizes blue anthocyanins, while the latter is involved in the production of red anthocyanins. Furthermore, the amount of <jats:italic>CYP75B</jats:italic>s (53/72) greatly exceeds the amount of <jats:italic>CYP75A</jats:italic>s (19/72) in orchids. Our findings suggest that <jats:italic>CYP75B</jats:italic> genes have a more important evolutionary role, as red plants are more common in nature than blue plants. We also discovered unique conserved motifs in each subfamily that serve as specific recognition features (motif 19 belong to CYP75A; motif 17 belong to CYP75B). Two diverse-colored varieties of <jats:italic>C. goeringii</jats:italic> were selected for qRT-PCR experiments. The expression of <jats:italic>CgCYP75B1</jats:italic> was significantly higher in the purple-red variant compared to the yellow-green variant, while <jats:italic>CgCYP75A1</jats:italic> showed no significant difference. Based on transcriptomic expression analysis, <jats:italic>CYP75B</jats:italic>s are more highly expressed than <jats:italic>CYP75A</jats:italic>s in floral organs, especially in colorful petals and lips. These results provide valuable information for future studies on <jats:italic>CYP75</jats:italic>s in orchids and other angiosperms.</jats:p>

<jats:p>The KIX domain, conserved among various nuclear and co-activator factors, acts as a binding site that interacts with other transcriptional activators and co-activators, playing a crucial role in gene expression regulation. In plants, the KIX domain is involved in plant hormone signaling, stress response regulation, cell cycle control, and differentiation, indicating its potential relevance to crop productivity. This study aims to identify and characterize KIX domains within the soybean (<jats:italic>Glycine max</jats:italic> L.) genome to predict their potential role in improving crop productivity. The conservation and evolutionary history of the KIX domains were explored in 59 plant species, confirming the presence of the KIX domains in diverse plants. Specifically, 13 KIX domains were identified within the soybean genome and classified into four main groups, namely <jats:italic>GmKIX8/9</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>GmMED15</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>GmHAC</jats:italic>, and <jats:italic>GmRECQL</jats:italic>, through sequence alignment, structural analysis, and phylogenetic tree construction. Association analysis was performed between KIX domain haplotypes and soybean seed-related agronomic traits using re-sequencing data from a core collection of 422 accessions. The results revealed correlations between SNP variations observed in <jats:italic>GmKIX8-3</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>GmMED15-4</jats:italic> and soybean seed phenotypic traits. Additionally, transcriptome analysis confirmed significant expression of the KIX domains during the early stages of soybean seed development. This study provides the first characterization of the structural, expression, genomic haplotype, and molecular features of the KIX domain in soybean, offering a foundation for functional analysis of the KIX domain in soybean and other plants.</jats:p>