Plants, Volume 8, Issue 7

Impatiens parviflora is non-native invasive plant species occupying large areas all over the Europe and threatens native communities by altering their species composition and reducing native biodiversity. The factor responsible for its spreading coul...

Based on mutant phenotypes the MONOPTEROS (MP)/Auxin Response Factor 5 (ARF5) gene acts in several developmental processes including leaf vein development. Since overlapping functions among ARF genes are common, we assessed the related ARF 3-8 and 19...

Leaves, the primary plant organs that function in photosynthesis and respiration, have highly organized, flat structures that vary within and among species. In recent years, it has become evident that auxin plays central roles in leaf development, in...

The availability of water is the critical factor driving plant growth, physiological responses, population and community succession in arid and semiarid regions, thus a precipitation addition-reduction platform with five experimental treatments, was...

One of the greatest challenges of terrestrial vegetation is to acquire water through soil-grown roots. Owing to the scarcity of high-quality water in the soil and the environment’s spatial heterogeneity and temporal variability, ranging from ex...

During analysis of kiwifruit derived from hybrids between the high vitamin C (ascorbic acid; AsA) species Actinidia eriantha and A. chinensis, we observed bimodal segregation of fruit AsA concentration suggesting major gene segregation. To test this...

A majority of plant species generate and accumulate triacylglycerol (TAG) in their seeds, which is the main resource of carbon and energy supporting the process of seedling development. Plant seed oils have broad ranges of uses, being not only import...

Water deficit stress (WDS)-tolerance in grain amaranths (Amaranthus hypochondriacus, A. cruentus and A. caudatus), and A. hybridus, their presumed shared ancestor, was examined. A. hypochondriacus was the most WDS-tolerant species, a trait that corre...

The spermatophyte root system is composed of a primary root that develops from an embryonically formed root meristem, and of different post-embryonic root types: lateral and adventitious roots. Adventitious roots, arising from the stem of the plants,...

Ozone (O₃) is a phytotoxic air pollutant that limits crop productivity. Breeding efforts to improve yield under elevated O₃ conditions will benefit from understanding the mechanisms that contribute to O₃ tolerance. In this study, leaf gas exchange an...

Plants produce a high diversity of metabolites which help them sustain environmental stresses and are involved in local adaptation. However, shaped by both the genome and the environment, the patterns of variation of the metabolome in nature are diff...

In this study, the allelopathic properties of Medicago sativa on different weeds were investigated under in vitro conditions. The compounds involved in the autotoxicity of M. sativa were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography. The extr...

Inactivation of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase1 (ADG1) causes a starchless phenotype in Arabidopsis. Mutants defective in ADG1 show severe growth retardation in day/night conditions but exhibit similar growth to wild type under continuous light, imply...

In this research, seven different models to predict leaf area (LA) of loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl) were tested and evaluated. This species was chosen due to the relevant importance of its fruit as an appreciated early summer product and of its...

Natural products derived from plants play a vital role in the discovery of new drug candidates, and these are used for novel therapeutic drug development. Andrographis paniculata and Spilanthes paniculata are used extensively as medicinal herbs for t...

Increasing consciousness regarding the nutritional value of olive oil has enhanced the demand for this product and, consequently, the expansion of olive tree cultivation. Although it is considered a highly resilient and tolerant crop to several abiot...

Heat and drought are two major limiting factors for perennial pasture production in south eastern Australia. Although previous studies have focused on the effects of prolonged heat and drought stresses on pasture growth and physiology, the effects of...

Despite the fact that the vegetation pattern and history of the Bale Mountains in Ethiopia were reconstructed using pollen, little is known about the former extent of Erica species. The main objective of the present study is to identify unambiguous c...

Plants both generate and shed organs throughout their lifetime. Cell separation is in function during opening of anthers to release pollen; floral organs are detached after pollination when they have served their purpose; unfertilized flowers are she...

The rooting of stem cuttings is a highly efficient procedure for the vegetative propagation of ornamental plants. In cultivated carnations, an increased auxin level in the stem cutting base produced by active auxin transport from the leaves triggers...

Lupins anthracnose is a destructive seed and airborne disease caused by Colletotrichum lupini, affecting stems and pods. Primary seed infections as low as 0.01–0.1% can cause very severe yield losses. One of the most effective management strate...

Frankincense, the oleogum resin from members of Boswellia, has been used as medicine and incense for thousands of years, and essential oils derived from frankincense are important articles of commerce today. A new source of frankincense resin, Boswel...

Interspecific hybridization is one of the major actuators of evolutionary changes in plants. As the result of allopolyploid hybridization, offspring may gain different ploidy levels in comparison to parental species, which can provide them instant re...

Root architecture is a complex structure that comprises multiple traits of the root phenotype. Novel platforms and models have been developed to better understand root architecture. In this methods paper, we introduce a novel allometric model, named...

Systemic acquired resistance (SAR) is a mechanism through which plants may respond to initial challenge by a pathogen through activation of inducible defense responses, thereby increasing resistance to subsequent infection attempts. Fitness costs are...

Ground-level ozone (O₃) pollution is known to adversely affect the production of O₃-sensitive crops such as wheat. The magnitude of impact is dependent on the accumulated stomatal flux of O₃ into the leaves. In well-irrigated plants, the leaf pores (...

Plant specific NAC (NAM, ATAF1/2 and CUC2) transcription factors (TFs) play important roles in response to abiotic stress. In this study, we identified and characterized a NAC protein, ThNAC7, from Tamarix hispida. ThNAC7 is a nuclear localized prote...

WUSCHEL-related homeobox (WOX) is a family of transcription factors that are unique to plants and is characterized by the presence of a homeodomain. The WOX transcription factor plays an important role in regulating plant growth and development and t...

Anthurium andraeanum Lind. is a popular potted and cut-flower plant with an attractive spathe and foliage. It is native to tropical rainforest areas and is able to blossom throughout the year under suitable conditions. However, various abiotic stress...

The aim of the study was to evaluate the antioxidant activity of selenium in the roots of Cucumis sativus L. seedlings pre-treated with selenium (Se) in the form of sodium selenite at concentrations of 1, 5, and 10 µM, and then subjected to a w...

We quantified how root–shoot biomass allocation and whole-plant growth rate co-varied ontogenetically in contrasting species in response to cooling. Seven grass and four forb species were grown for 56 days in hydroponics. Growth was measured re...

Cichorium intybus L., well known in Italy with the common name “Radicchio”, is an important leafy vegetable that is prevalently reproduced by allogamy due to very efficient barriers of self-incompatibility. Marker-assisted breeding is wid...

Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L.), a protein-rich legume, is a major food component of the daily diet for residents in semi-arid tropical regions of the word. Pigeonpea is also known for its high level of tolerance against biotic and abiotic stresses. In...

The genus Blumea is one of the most economically important genera of Inuleae (Asteraceae) in China. It is particularly diverse in South China, where 30 species are found, more than half of which are used as herbal medicines or in the chemical industr...

Transmitting tissue-specific proteins (TTS proteins) are abundant in the extracellular matrix of Nicotiana pistils, and vital for optimal pollen tube growth and seed set. We have identified orthologs from several species in the Solanaceae, including...

Phytic acid, or myo-inositol 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexakisphosphate, is the main storage form of phosphorus in plants. It is localized in seeds, deposited as mixed salts of mineral cations in protein storage vacuoles; during germination, it is hydrolyzed by ph...

Research has been increasingly focusing on the environmentally friendly biostimulation of vegetable crop performances under sustainable farming management. An experiment was carried out in southern Italy on Diplotaxis tenuifolia to assess the effects...

The Arabidopsis high-affinity K⁺ transporter (AtHKT1;1) plays roles in salt tolerance by unloading Na⁺ from the root xylem to the xylem parenchyma cells and/or uploading Na⁺ from the shoot/leaf xylem to the xylem parenchyma cells. To use this promote...

The objective of this study was to determine and compare the sugar profile, distribution in fruits and leaves and sink-source relationship in three strawberry (‘Favette’, ‘Alba’ and ‘Clery’) and three blueberry cul...

Research on plant antioxidants, such as ascorbic acid (AsA) and polyphenols, is of increasing interest in plant science because of the health benefits and preventive role in chronic diseases of these natural compounds. Pepper (Capiscum annuum L.) is...

WRINKLED1 (WRI1), an AP2 domain transcription factor, is a master regulator of oil synthesis in plant seeds. Its closely related proteins (WRIs) are also involved in regulating the synthesis of fatty acids, which play a role in producing oils, membra...

Jasmonate ZIM-domain (JAZ) family proteins are the key repressors in the jasmonate signaling pathway and play crucial roles in plant development, defenses, and responses to stresses. However, our knowledge about the JAZ protein family in petunia is l...

In a scenario of global climate change, water scarcity is a major threat for agriculture, severely limiting crop yields. Therefore, alternatives are urgently needed for improving plant adaptation to drought stress. Among them, gene expression reprogr...

The global agricultural industry requires improved efficacy of sprays being applied to weeds and crops to increase financial returns and reduce environmental impact. Enhancing foliar penetration is one way to improve efficacy. Within the plant leaf,...

Several studies have demonstrated Si absorption in monocotyledon and dicotyledon species. Regarding Si accumulation, studies in monocotyledons have identified Si deposition around the cell wall, cuticle layer bulliform cells, silica cells and endoder...

Plants accumulate and tolerate Se to varying degrees, up to 15,000 mg Se/kg dry weight for Se hyperaccumulators. Plant Se accumulation may exert positive or negative effects on other species in the community. The movement of plant Se into ecological...

Exposing Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) seedlings fed with soil nitrogen to 10–50 ppb nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) for several weeks stimulated the uptake of major elements, photosynthesis, and cellular metabolisms to more than double the biomass...

Variation in resource acquisition strategies enables plants to adapt to different environments and may partly determine their responses to climate change. However, little is known about how belowground plant traits vary across climate and soil gradie...

The present study was designed to investigate the duration-dependent changes in the biochemical attributes of sesame in response to waterlogging stress. Sesame plants (Sesamum indicum L. cv. BARI Til-4) were subjected to waterlogging for 2, 4, 6, and...

Plants from the genus Mercurialis have a long history of use as herbal remedies in traditional Spanish medicine. The growing interest in the conservation of knowledge related to biodiversity has encouraged us to review the bioactive phytochemicals fr...