New Crops最新文献

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is one of the most destructive and widespread phytopathogenic ascomycetes, causing significant yield and economic losses. Numerous studies have explored its virulence, plant recognition, and prolonged interactions with host defense systems. However, the key genes involved in these processes and their potential application in future breeding for S. sclerotiorum resistance remain insufficiently explored. Recent advances have significantly deepened our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the interaction between S. sclerotiorum and plants, providing novel insights into the pathogen's mechanism and identifying key candidate genes for enhancing plant resistance. In this review, we summarize current knowledge on S. sclerotiorum pathogenesis, challenges in breeding for resistance, genetic improvement strategies for combating Sclerotinia stem rot, and recent genome sequencing data related to S. sclerotiorum resistance. Our aim is to propose a comprehensive strategy for plant molecular breeding against S. sclerotiorum, leveraging newly developed tools for genetic improvement.

Climate change poses a major challenge to agriculture, affecting crop production through shifting weather patterns and an increase in extreme conditions such as heat waves, droughts, and floods, all of which are further compounded by biotic stress factors. Tomatoes, a vital dietary staple and significant agricultural product worldwide, are particularly susceptible to these changes. The need for developing climate-resilient tomato varieties is more urgent than ever to ensure food security. Epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation and histone modifications, play essential roles in gene expression regulation. These modifications can affect plant traits and responses to environmental stresses, enabling tomatoes to maintain productivity despite variable climates or disease pressures. Tomato, as a model plant, offers valuable insights into the epigenetic mechanisms underlying fruit development and responses to stress. This review provides an overview of key discoveries regarding to tomato response and resilience mechanisms related to epigenetics, highlighting their potential in breeding strategies to enhance tomato resilience against both abiotic and biotic challenges, thereby promoting sustainable agricultural practices in the context of global climate change.

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a major dietary source of cadmium (Cd). Developing rice varieties with reduced Cd levels in the grain is a cost-effective and practical approach to enhance food safety, particularly in regions with high Cd contamination. However, the genetic mechanisms underlying Cd accumulation in rice grains are not fully understood. In this study, we identified eight quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with Cd accumulation in rice grains through substitution mapping using single segment substitution lines (SSSLs). These QTLs, named qCd‐2‐1, qCd‐3‐1, qCd‐3‐2, qCd‐5‐1, qCd‐6‐1, qCd‐7‐1, qCd‐8‐1, and qCd‐11‐1, are distributed across seven chromosomes. Notably, the qCd‐5‐1 and qCd‐6‐1 loci are reported for the first time. We performed a detailed haplotype analysis of candidate genes related to heavy metal metabolism, specifically focusing on Cd accumulation. All SSSLs carrying alleles from donor parents exhibited a significant reduction in Cd accumulation, with additive effects ranging from −0.061 to −0.105. To further develop rice varieties with lower Cd accumulation in the grain, we developed six pyramided lines through crossing and marker-assisted selection. These pyramided lines showed significantly reduced Cd content in the grain compared to the elite indica recurrent parent, Huajingxian74 (HJX74). Importantly, most agronomic characteristics of the pyramided lines were similar to those of HJX74. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that identifying and pyramiding QTLs associated with reduced Cd accumulation is an effective strategy for developing rice varieties with lower Cd content in the grain.

Plants can quickly adapt to changing environments and external stimuli by undergoing a series of transcriptional responses. The process of maturing nascent RNA (direct product of transcription) into mRNA, which is crucial for the plant’s response to external factors, involves co-transcriptional and post-transcriptional processing. Although RNA-seq has greatly facilitated the study of plant transcriptomes by providing snapshots of stable RNA molecules, detecting the transcriptional dynamic changes and unstable transcripts remains challenging. In recent years, various sequencing methods have been developed to identify nascent RNA in eukaryotes, shedding light on the dynamics of transcriptional processing and uncovering unstable transcripts. At the same time, analysis of nascent RNA has provided valuable insights into transcriptional regulation in crops, highlighting differences in their features compared to model plants and potentially influencing breeding strategies. This review aims to explore the applications of different nascent RNA sequencing technologies in plants, focusing on significant findings achieved in crops.

Aluminum (Al) toxicity is a global agricultural problem affecting crop growth and yield in acid soils. Approximately 35% of soybean (Glycine max) cultivation areas worldwide consist of acidic soils, making Al stress a major constraint for soybean production. The physiological and molecular mechanisms by which soybeans cope with Al toxicity have been extensively studied. This review focuses on recent research into the physiological, molecular, and genetic basis of soybean Al-resistance. It also summarizes our understandings of the regulatory mechanisms involved in soybean responses to Al toxicity.

Biomolecule interactions and macromolecular rearrangement participate in numerous cellular functions in plants, and resolving the dynamics of plasma membrane proteins represents a central goal in current plant biology. Compared to yeast and mammalian systems, the quantification of heterogeneous distribution and dynamics of membrane proteins in cellular processes remains sparse in plant cells. In this study, we introduce the application of fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) and fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy (FCCS) in measuring membrane protein diffusion, concentration and interactions in living plant cell. The review showed FCS/FCCS as a tool for imaging the membrane proteins fused with a fluorescent tag, quantifying the density fluctuation and interactions of membrane proteins in the living cells of plants. Owing to the single-molecular level sensitivity and minimally invasive of FCS/FCCS, their application provides an ideal approach to understanding plant cell membrane lateral organization.

Root system architecture, a crucial agronomic trait for sustainable crop production, is influenced by a variety of internal developmental signals and external environmental factors. In this review, we highlight recent advancements in understanding the molecular mechanisms behind root meristem maintenance, cell differentiation, lateral root growth, root hair development, and crown root formation. Additionally, we explore how abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, nitrate deficiency, and aluminum toxicity impact root system architecture. We identify key target genes that regulate root system architecture, offering potential targets for genome editing in future crop improvement. Finally, we discuss the opportunities and challenges in the de novo design of root system architecture.