Search Results (24)

Climate change in the Pannonian region is accelerating a shift toward autumn sowing of cool-season grain legumes (pea, faba bean, lentil, chickpea, lupine) to achieve higher yields, greater biomass production, enhanced nitrogen fixation, improved soil cover, and superior resource use efficiency compared with spring sowing. However, successful overwintering depends on the availability of robust winter-hardy cultivars. This review synthesizes recent breeding advances, integrating traditional approaches—such as germplasm screening, hybridization, and field-based selection—with genomics-assisted strategies, including genome-wide association studies (GWAS), quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping, marker-assisted selection (MAS), and CRISPR/Cas-mediated editing of CBF transcription factors. Key physiological mechanisms—LT₅₀ determination, cold acclimation, osmoprotectant accumulation (sugars, proline), and membrane stability—are assessed using field survival rates, electrolyte leakage assays, and chlorophyll fluorescence measurements. Despite challenges posed by genotype × environment interactions, variable winter severity, and polygenic trait control, the release of cultivars worldwide (e.g., ‘NS-Mraz’, ‘Lavinia F’, ‘Ghab series’, ‘Pinklevi’, and ‘Rézi’) and ongoing breeding programs demonstrate substantial progress. Future breeding efforts will increasingly rely on genomic selection (GS), high-throughput phenomics, pangenomics, and G×E modeling to accelerate the development of climate-resilient legume cultivars, ensuring stable and sustainable production under increasingly unpredictable winter conditions. Full article

Global climate change has intensified temperature fluctuations, significantly impacting insect populations. Thermal tolerance has emerged as a critical determinant of species distribution and invasion potential. Liriomyza trifolii, an economically important invasive pest, has been rapidly expanding in southeastern coastal regions of China, gradually displacing its congeners L. sativae and L. huidobrensis. This competitive advantage is closely associated with its superior thermal adaptation strategies. Here, we first examine the temperature-mediated competitive dominance of L. trifolii, then systematically elucidate the physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms underlying its temperature tolerance, revealing its survival strategies under extreme temperatures. Notably, L. trifolii exhibits a lower developmental threshold temperature and higher thermal constant, extending its damage period, while its significantly lower supercooling point confers exceptional overwintering capacity. Physiologically, rapid cold hardening (RCH) enhances cold tolerance through glycerol accumulation and increased fatty acid unsaturation, while heat acclimation improves thermotolerance via a trade-off between developmental processes and reproductive investment. Molecular analyses demonstrate that L. trifolii combines the low-temperature inducible characteristics of L. huidobrensis with the high-temperature responsive advantages of L. sativae in heat shock protein (Hsp) expression patterns. Transcriptomic studies further identify differential expressions of lipid metabolism and chaperone-related genes as key to thermal adaptation. Current research limitations include incomplete understanding of non-Hsp gene regulatory networks and laboratory–field adaptation discrepancies. Future studies should integrate multi-omics approaches with ecological modeling to predict L. trifolii’s expansion under climate change scenarios and develop temperature-based green control strategies. Full article

We summarize our present knowledge of the regulation of photostasis and photosynthetic performance versus photoprotection in response to vernalization and conclude that the enhanced photosynthetic performance of winter crops is due to an inherent increase in photosynthetic energy conversion efficiency induced by vernalization which translates into high seed yield in the field as well as under controlled environment conditions. This is consistent with the published data for enhanced photosynthetic performance of the only two extant terrestrial angiosperms, Colobanthus quitensis and Deschampsia antarctica, native to the frigid conditions of terrestrial Antarctica. The Cold Binding factor family of transcription factors (CBFs/DREBs) governs the enhanced photosynthetic performance of winter cereals as well as the Antarctic angiosperms. In contrast to winter crops, spring varieties survive cold environments by stimulating photoprotection at the expense of photosynthetic performance like that observed for green algae and cyanobacteria. Consequently, this minimizes the photosynthetic energy conversion efficiency of spring varieties and limits their seed yield upon cold acclimation. This review provides critical insights into the regulation of photostasis and the balance between photosynthetic performance and photoprotection in plants and how vernalization has enhanced photosynthetic energy conversion, which is essential for understanding plant adaptation to cold environments and optimizing agricultural productivity for improving crop resilience and yield in challenging climates. Full article

The abiotic stresses associated with spring/fall freezes and extreme winter cold cause significant economic losses in blueberry production. These problems are exacerbated by climate change and increasingly erratic weather patterns. Developing freeze-tolerant blueberry cultivars with optimized cold hardiness, chilling requirement, and flowering and fruiting phenology holds promise for mitigating the risk of these weather-related damages. These weather-resilient cultivars will ensure the long-term productivity and sustainability of the blueberry industry. The focus of this review is to present the current understanding of the major components of genetic breeding for blueberry freeze tolerance, i.e., phenotyping, genotyping, genetic association analysis, and marker development. The advancement in gene regulation and corresponding proteomic changes upon cold acclimation, dormancy, de-acclamation, and flowering and fruiting aids in the understanding of the adaptive stress response in blueberries. A wide range of genetic diversity in freeze tolerance and phenological traits has been identified among cultivated and wild blueberry relatives. Significant efforts have been made to phenotype freeze tolerance, chilling requirement, and flower and fruit development in both field and controlled environmental conditions. Recent studies emphasize the need for high-throughput, image-based phenotyping of blueberry flower development to improve the precision and efficiency of selecting freeze-resilient genotypes. In addition, advancements in blueberry genomics and pangenome resources expanded the potential of variant calling and high-density linkage map construction. Genetic association studies have identified QTL regions linked to freeze tolerance in blueberries, providing valuable targets for selection. The implementation of these advanced genomic tools and high-throughput phenotyping methodology will accelerate the development of weather-resilient blueberry cultivars. Full article

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is a globally distributed economic legume crop used for forage and ecological restoration. We aimed to explore the mechanisms underlying the cold acclimation observed in this species. Our results for fall plant growth showed that non-dormant alfalfa (SD) maintained a vigorous growth rate compared to that of fall-dormant alfalfa (ZD); however, the winter survival rate of ZD was higher than that of SD. Among the ZD samples, the starch content first accumulated and then decreased; the sucrose content was consumed first along with simultaneous raffinose accumulation, which was followed by sucrose content accumulation, with consistent changes in the corresponding related synthase and hydrolase activity. SD exhibited the opposite trend. The transcriptome data showed that most of the differentially expressed genes were involved in carbon metabolism (ko01200), amino acid biosynthesis (ko01230), and starch and sucrose metabolism (ko00500). Our data clearly show that alfalfa’s cold acclimation mechanism is a complex process, with the establishment of stable carbon homeostasis; sucrose is first converted into starch and raffinose, and then, starch is converted into sucrose, which enables alfalfa’s cold resistance. The process is accompanied by CBF/DREB1A TF regulation. This study provides important insights into the cold acclimation mechanisms of alfalfa. Full article

Plasma technology, relatively new in the fields of biomedicine, agriculture, and ecology, is the subject of intensive research as a prospective means of decontamination of various microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, and fungi). The objectives of the present study were to follow the effect of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) treatment on in vitro grown plum plants (Prunus domestica L. ‘Kyustendilska sinya’ cv.) and the possibility of eradicating or inactivating plum pox virus (PPV) causing Sharka disease by CAP. The source tree is naturally co-infected by PPV (both M and D strains). In the experiments, two different plasma sources were used. First, a surface-wave-sustained Argon plasma torch and second, an underwater diaphragm discharge. For the treatments, nodal segments (10 mm in length) from in vitro cultured plum plants with or without one leaf were prepared. Apical shoots from treated plants (PPV-positive and negative clones as well non-treated controls) were cultivated in vitro for four passages. Then they were rooted and acclimatized to ex vitro conditions, and their virus status was observed periodically for more than 3 years after treatment for the appearance of Sharka symptoms. All plants, acclimatized to ex vitro conditions, were tested for PPV by immune capture–reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (IC-RT-PCR). As a first step in understanding the plasma treatment of living plants, a plasma treatment variant causing no damage must be established; this has been done in our previous works. Treatment of plants by plasma with parameters that have been carefully selected leads to better development than the non-treated plants. In the treated in vitro plants, no significant differences were found in the number and length of shoots compared to the control plantlets. In ex vitro acclimated plants, greater stem length was reported, but no differences in leaf number were observed. No significant differences in growth were recorded between the control and plants that were treated twice or three times. At this stage, 3 years after ex vitro cultivation in a greenhouse, Sharka symptoms were not registered on treated in vitro negative PPV plants, and the virus was not detected by IC-RT-PCR. Very mild symptoms were showing in CAP-treated PPV-positive plants. Development of typical Sharka symptoms on non-treated controls were observed. Full article

Climate change, which causes periods with relatively high temperatures in winter in Poland, can lead to a shortening or interruption of the cold hardening of crops. Previous research indicates that cold acclimation is of key importance in the process of acquiring cereal tolerance to stress factors. The objective of this work was to verify the hypothesis that both natural temperature fluctuations and the plant genotype influence the content of metabolites as well as proteins, including antioxidant enzymes and photosystem proteins. The research material involved four winter triticale genotypes, differing in their tolerance to stress under controlled conditions. The values of chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters and antioxidant activity were measured in their seedlings. Subsequently, the contribution of selected proteins was verified using specific antibodies. In parallel, the profiling of the contents of chlorophylls, carotenoids, phenolic compounds, and proteins was carried out by Raman spectroscopy. The obtained results indicate that a better PSII performance along with a higher photosystem II proteins content and thioredoxin reductase abundance were accompanied by a higher antioxidant activity in the field-grown triticale seedlings. The Raman studies showed that the cold hardening led to a variation in photosynthetic dyes and an increase in the phenolic to carotenoids ratio in all DH lines. Full article

Antarctic marine ectotherms live in the constant cold and are characterised by limited resilience to elevated temperature. Here we tested three of the central paradigms underlying this resilience. Firstly, we assessed the ability of eight species, from seven classes representing a range of functional groups, to survive, for 100 to 303 days, at temperatures 0 to 4 °C above previously calculated long-term temperature limits. Survivors were then tested for acclimation responses to acute warming and acclimatisation, in the field, was tested in the seastar Odontaster validus collected in different years, seasons and locations within Antarctica. Finally, we tested the importance of oxygen limitation in controlling upper thermal limits. We found that four of 11 species studied were able to survive for more than 245 days (245–303 days) at higher than previously recorded temperatures, between 6 and 10 °C. Only survivors of the anemone Urticinopsis antarctica did not acclimate CT_max and there was no evidence of acclimatisation in O. validus. We found species-specific effects of mild hyperoxia (30% oxygen) on survival duration, which was extended (two species), not changed (four species) or reduced (one species), re-enforcing that oxygen limitation is not universal in dictating thermal survival thresholds. Thermal sensitivity is clearly the product of multiple ecological and physiological capacities, and this diversity of response needs further investigation and interpretation to improve our ability to predict future patterns of biodiversity. Full article

Alfalfa represents one of the most important legume forages, and it is also applied as an organic fertilizer to improve soil quality. However, this perennial plant is native to warmer temperate regions, and its valuable cold-acclimation-related regulatory mechanisms are still less known. In higher plants, the bHLH transcription factors play pleiotropic regulatory roles in response to abiotic stresses. The recently released whole genome sequencing data of alfalfa allowed us to identify 469 MsbHLHs by multi-step homolog search. Herein, we primarily identified 65 MsbHLH genes that significantly upregulated under cold stress, and such bHLHs were classified into six clades according to their expression patterns. Interestingly, the phylogenetic analysis and conserved motif screening of the cold-induced MsbHLHs showed that the expression pattern is relatively varied in each bHLH subfamily, this result indicating that the 65 MsbHLHs may be involved in a complex cold-responsive regulatory network. Hence, we analyzed the TFBSs at promoter regions that unraveled a relatively conserved TFBS distribution with genes exhibiting similar expression patterns. Eventually, to verify the core components involved in long-term cold acclimation, we examined transcriptome data from a freezing-tolerant species (cv. Zhaodong) in the field and compared the expression of cold-sensitive/tolerant subspecies of alfalfa, giving 11 bHLH as candidates, which could be important for further cold-tolerance enhancement and molecular breeding through genetic engineering in alfalfa. Full article

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a chilling-sensitive staple food crop, and thus, low temperature significantly affects rice growth and yield. Many studies have focused on the cold shock of rice although chilling acclimation is more likely to happen in the field. In this paper, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was used to identify the genes that participated in cold stress and chilling accumulation. A total of 235 significantly associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified. Among them, we detected 120 and 88 SNPs for the relative shoot fresh weight under cold stress and chilling acclimation, respectively. Furthermore, 11 and 12 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were identified for cold stress and chilling acclimation, respectively, by integrating the co-localized SNPs. Interestingly, we identified 10 and 15 candidate genes in 11 and 12 QTLs involved in cold stress and chilling acclimation, respectively, and two new candidate genes (LOC_Os01g62410, LOC_Os12g24490) were obviously up-regulated under chilling acclimation. Furthermore, OsMYB3R-2 (LOC_Os01g62410) that encodes a R1R2R3 MYB gene was associated with cold tolerance, while a new C3HC4-type zinc finger protein-encoding gene LOC_Os12g24490 was found to function as a putative E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase in rice. Moreover, haplotype, distribution, and Wright’s fixation index (FST) of both genes showed that haplotype 3 of LOC_Os12g24490 is more stable in chilling acclimation, and the SNP (A > T) showed a difference in latitudinal distribution. FST analysis of SNPs in OsMYB3R-2 (LOC_Os01g62410) and LOC_Os12g24490 indicated that several SNPs were under selection in rice indica and japonica subspecies. This study provided new candidate genes in genetic improvement of chilling acclimation response in rice. Full article

Cold is a major environmental key factor influencing plant growth, development, and productivity. Responses and adaption processes depend on plant physiological and biochemical modifications, first of all via the hormonal system. Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) plays a critical role in the processes of plant functioning. To assess the influence of the auxin-like compounds 1-[2-chloroethoxycarbonylmethyl]-4-naphthalenesulfonic acid calcium salt (TA-12) and 1-[2-dimethylaminoethoxycarbonylmethyl]naphthalene chloromethylate (TA-14) in the process of cold acclimation, long-term field trials over four years were performed with two rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) plant cultivars with different wintering resistance in temperate-zone countries. In these two rapeseed cultivars, namely ‘Casino’ (less resistant) and ‘Valesca’ (more resistant), investigations were conducted in the terminal buds and root collars. The application of auxin-like compounds revealed a close interlinkage between the composition of dehydrins and the participation of the phytohormone IAA in the adaptation processes. By applying TA-12 and TA-14, the importance of the proteins, especially the composition of the dehydrins, the IAA amount, and the status of the oilseed rape cultivars at the end of the cold acclimation period were confirmed. Following on from this, when introducing oilseed rape cultivars from foreign countries, it may also be of value to assess their suitability for cultivation in temperate-zone countries. Full article

Daily temperature amplitudes (DTAs) significantly affect the ecological and physiological traits of insects. Most studies in this field are based on laboratory experiments, while there is limited research on the effects of changes in DTA on insect phenotypic plasticity under natural conditions. Therefore, we studied the acclimation effects of DTA on the longevity, total fecundity, early fecundity, and the thermal tolerance of adult diamondback moths (Plutella xylostella L.) under naturally occurring environmental conditions. As DTAs increased, male longevity and total fecundity decreased, and early fecundity increased. An increase in DTA was significantly associated with the increased heat coma temperature (CT_max) of both males and females, but had no significant effect on their cold coma temperature (CT_min). Our findings highlight the effects of DTA on the acclimation response of P. xylostella and emphasize the importance of considering DTA in predicting models for assessing insect populations and the effects of climate change. Full article

In nature or field conditions, plants are frequently exposed to diverse environmental stressors. Among abiotic stresses, the low temperature of freezing conditions is a critical factor that influences plants, including horticultural crops, decreasing their growth, development, and eventually quality and productivity. Fortunately, plants have developed a mechanism to improve the tolerance to freezing during exposure to a range of low temperatures. In this present review, current findings on freezing stress physiology and genetics in peach (Prunus persica) were refined with an emphasis on adaptive mechanisms for cold acclimation, deacclimation, and reacclimation. In addition, advancements using multi-omics and genetic engineering approaches unravel the molecular physiological mechanisms, including hormonal regulations and their general perceptions of freezing tolerance in peach were comprehensively described. This review might pave the way for future research to the horticulturalists and research scientists to overcome the challenges of freezing temperature and improvement of crop management in these conditions. Full article

Zoysia japonica is a warm-season turfgrass that is extensively used in landscaping, sports fields, and golf courses worldwide. Uncovering the low-temperature response mechanism of Z. japonica can help to accelerate the development of new cold-tolerant cultivars, which could be used to prolong the ornamental and usage duration of turf. A novel Z. japonica biotype, YueNong-9 (YN-9), was collected from northeastern China for this study. Phenotypic measurements, cold-tolerance investigation, and whole-transcriptome surveys were performed on YN-9 and LanYin-3 (LY-3), the most popular Z. japonica cultivar in Southern China. The results indicated the following: YN-9 has longer second and third leaves than LY-3; when exposed to the natural low temperature during winter in Guangzhou, YN-9 accumulated 4.74 times more anthocyanin than LY-3; after cold acclimation and freezing treatment, 83.25 ± 9.55% of YN-9 survived while all LY-3 leaves died, and the dark green color index (DGCI) value of YN-9 was 1.78 times that of LY-3; in YN-9, there was a unique up-regulation of Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), Homeobox-leucine Zipper IV (HD-ZIP), and ATP-Binding Cassette transporter B8 (ABCB8) expressions, as well as a unique down-regulation of zinc-regulated transporters and iron-regulated transporter-like proteins (ZIPs) expression, which may promote anthocyanin biosynthesis, transport, and accumulation. In conclusion, YN-9 exhibited enhanced cold tolerance and is thus an excellent candidate for breeding cold-tolerant Z. japonica variety, and its unique low-temperature-induced anthocyanin accumulation and gene responses provide ideas and candidate genes for the study of low-temperature tolerance mechanisms and genetic engineering breeding. Full article

The frequency and severity of extreme climatic conditions such as drought, salinity, cold, and heat are increasing due to climate change. Moreover, in the field, plants are affected by multiple abiotic stresses simultaneously or sequentially. Thus, it is imperative to compare the effects of stress combinations on crop plants relative to individual stresses. This study investigated the differential regulation of physio-biochemical and metabolomics parameters in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) under individual (salt, drought, cold, and heat) and combined stress treatments using multivariate correlation analysis. The results showed that combined heat, salt, and drought stress compounds the stress effect of individual stresses. Combined stresses that included heat had the highest electrolyte leakage and lowest relative water content. Lipid peroxidation and chlorophyll contents did not significantly change under combined stresses. Biochemical parameters, such as free amino acids, polyphenol, starch, and sugars, significantly changed under combined stresses compared to individual stresses. Free amino acids increased under combined stresses that included heat; starch, sugars, and polyphenols increased under combined stresses that included drought; proline concentration increased under combined stresses that included salt. Metabolomics data that were obtained under different individual and combined stresses can be used to identify molecular phenotypes that are involved in the acclimation response of plants under changing abiotic stress conditions. Peanut metabolomics identified 160 metabolites, including amino acids, sugars, sugar alcohols, organic acids, fatty acids, sugar acids, and other organic compounds. Pathway enrichment analysis revealed that abiotic stresses significantly affected amino acid, amino sugar, and sugar metabolism. The stress treatments affected the metabolites that were associated with the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) and urea cycles and associated amino acid biosynthesis pathway intermediates. Principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), and heatmap analysis identified potential marker metabolites (pinitol, malic acid, and xylopyranose) that were associated with abiotic stress combinations, which could be used in breeding efforts to develop peanut cultivars that are resilient to climate change. The study will also facilitate researchers to explore different stress indicators to identify resistant cultivars for future crop improvement programs. Full article