Horticulture Environment and Biotechnology最新文献

BMI1 is the main component of the Polycomb Group Complex 1 (PRC1), which functions as an important epigenetic inhibitor of various regulatory genes associated with shoot apical meristem, embryonic development, flowering, senescence and so on. However, its role in the regulation of grapevine development is still unclear. In order to explore the function of VvBMI1a gene in the regulation of flowering in Vitis vinifera ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’, the subcellular localization, expression pattern, yeast two-hybrid, two-molecule fluorescence complementation and flowering time of transgenic Arabidopsis were analyzed. The results showed that VvBMI1a, a member of RING domain-containing proteins family from grapevine (Vitis vinifera), is involved in controlling plant flowering time. Expression of VvBMI1a was abundant in the shoot tips and inflorescence meristems of grapevine. VvBMI1a protein is localized in the nucleus. VvBMI1a could interact with VvRING1a protein which belonged to PRC1. Phenotypic analysis showed that VvBMI1a over-expression lines had earlier flowering time than wild-type plants under long-day (LD) conditions. Further analysis by qRT-PCR and transcriptome suggests that both the suppression of FLC and activation of FT, SOC1, SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE 5 (SPL5), AGL8 were observed in VvBMI1a-overexpressing lines, resulting in early flowering. Our results provide the evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of manipulating VvBMI1a to alter the flowering time of plants. In a word, ectopic overexpression of VvBMI1a inhibited the expression of FLC, activated the expression of FT, SPL5, AGL8 to alter the flowering time of Arabidopsis plants.

The effects of preharvest or/and postharvest treatments with salicylic acid (SA) on the physicochemical quality of peach fruit, infection with the fungus Monilinia laxa and the phenolic response to infection in SA treatments in different peach peel tissues were evaluated. Preharvest SA treatments had an effect on the physical quality parameters only at harvest on three times SA-sprayed peaches, with which a lower hue angle and a higher percentage of red blush occurred, indicating better coloration of the fruit. It was found that the intensity of M. laxa infection was not affected by preharvest SA treatments, only by soaking peach fruit in SA solution after harvest. On SA soaked peach fruit, M. laxa spread between 1.8 and 3.9 mm/day slower than on non-soaked fruit, resulting in a 34% lower intensity of infection five days after infection. Peach fruit treated with SA after harvest also had a significantly lower percentage of sporulating fruit (7.8%) compared to non-soaked fruit (68.9%). The phenolic response differed between tissues, since the proportion of hydroxycinnamic acids and anthocyanins was higher in the healthy tissue of infected fruit, while the proportion of flavanols was higher in the boundary tissue of infected fruit. The strongest phenolic response to infection and treatments with SA was in higher levels of neochlorogenic acid, cyanidin-3-glucosides and cyanidin-3-rutinosides.

Improper handling degrades the quality of the produce and causes economic losses. Thus, to study the effect of post-harvest handling on essential oil content and chemical constitutions, different experiments were conducted on two aromatic grasses. The first experiment was conducted on lemongrass crop using three accessions (A1, A2, and A3) and three storage times (0, 24, and 48 h), the second experiment was conducted on palmarosa crop with five harvesting dates (12 October, 27 October, 10 November, 25 November, and 10 December) and three storage time (0, 24 and 48 h). The essential oil percentage of the major compound of lemongrass (citral) was recorded significantly higher in accession A1, while 46.49% higher EO content was recorded when processing the biomass after 48 h of storage as compared to 0 h. Significantly higher (93.84%) increase in essential oil content of palmarosa was recorded on the 25 November harvesting date, while 112.69% higher EO content was recorded for storage of 48 h than 0 h. The major chemical compound geraniol attained the highest percentage (88%) on the 10 December harvesting date and storage time of 48 h recorded 85.78% higher EO content than 0 h. The degradation of constituents, rearrangement, and disappearance results in variations in essential oil composition. Harvesting at proper maturity and quality stages with longer storage time of the plant resulted in quality essential oil when compared to early harvest and shorter storage time in both aromatic plants.

Graphical abstract

Harvesting at proper stages with longer storage time resulted in quality EO of aromatic grasses

Investigating agricultural traits and silymarin content variations in the domestic cultivation environment is necessary since the interest in milk thistle has increased as a high-income cash crop or plant capable of crop rotation. Therefore, this study selected six varieties cultivated for three years in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do, and one year in Haenam, Jeollanam-do, to analyze agricultural phenotypes and silymarin content variations. Among the varieties, M05 and M03 expressed the highest silybin and silymarin contents, maintaining a silybin ratio of over 15%. In addition, M03 and M05 exhibited no or minimal silydianin content in both regions, likely due to genetic factors. However, silydianin content tended to increase in most Haenam varieties, excluding M03 and M05. Compared to other varieties, M06 had a notably higher silydianin content and was further accumulated in Haenam, indicating a potential environmental influence.

UV-C exhibits efficient growth inhibition against a wide range of microorganisms and has an elicitor impact on the induction of resistance against pathogens in host plants, emerging as a promising alternative to fungicides. This study examined the defense elicitor effect of both low (0.05 W/cm²) and high (0.133 W/cm²) powered UV-C (275 nm) against Botrytis cinerea on grapevines. Gene expression, total stilbene content, and the quality of the berries were assessed in ‘Kyoho’ grapevines irradiated with UV-C. Low and high-powered UV-C reduced the in vitro growth of B. cinerea by 40–50% and lowered the in vivo infection and disease severity by 40–85% in the leaves. Lesion formation was reduced by 20–50% in berries treated with UV-C. The spores of B. cinerea did not infect the unwounded berries of ‘Shine Muscat’ and ‘Kyoho’ grape treated with UV-C. The augmented levels of total soluble solids, color values, and reduced titratable acidity improved the quality of the UV-C-irradiated ‘Kyoho’ berries compared to the control. The total stilbene content was four to five times higher with 37.48 µg g⁻¹ fresh weight (FW) using low UV-powered UV-C and 43.11 µg g⁻¹ FW using high UV-powered UV-C in ‘Kyoho’ berry skins treated with UV-C compared to the control (9.24 µg g⁻¹ FW), with predominant levels of trans-resveratrol. The genes involved in stilbene synthesis, defense, and antioxidant activity were strongly upregulated in the leaves and berries of grapevines in response to the low and high UV-C treatments. The low and high UV-C treatments elicit the induction of resistances in grapes against B. cinerea and improve the quality of berries. Future research will be needed on other parameters before UV-C irradiation can be applied to inhibit the incidence of grey mold in vineyards.

The aim of the study was to develop a soil-based cultivation method to grow lettuce indoors for 28 days without the need for irrigation or fertilization, and to investigate their growth and physiological responses in this novel growing substrate. Agar (15 g L^− 1) was added to a soil mixture, which comprised potting soil, perlite, fertilizer, and water, to semi-solidify it into a substrate block. Lettuce seeds were sown in the semi-solidified substrate, which was prepared in a custom-made, enclosed container with planting holes in the lid. Three different soil-to-water (SW) ratio (v:v) treatments were used to prepare the soil substrate: SW1:1; SW1:2; SW2:1, and three fertilizer treatments were tested: no fertilizer (control); urea; NPK (15:3:3) fertilizer. Results showed that the semi-solidified soil substrates can be used to successfully grow lettuce for 28 days, however, the extent of their growth varied depending on the soil-water ratio and fertilizer treatment. Lettuce plants grown in the NPK-enriched SW2:1 substrate had significantly higher number of leaves, leaf area, and dry weight compared to all the other treatments. In contrast, the lettuce plants grown without additional fertilizers exhibited poor growth regardless of the soil-water ratio used. In the growing substrates supplemented with urea, the SW1:2 ratio treatment produced lettuces with the lowest leaf number, leaf area, leaf fresh weight, and dry weight. Overall, the chlorophyll a/b ratio and Fv/Fm value of lettuces grown in substrate fertilized with NPK were found to be higher than all the other treatments. The key feature of this cultivation method was the use of agar to semi-solidify the waterlogged soil mixture and transform it into a growing substrate that provided the necessary water and nutrients for plant growth over a 28-day period. The growing substrate developed in this study, which is the first of its kind, can be considered as a new soil-based method of growing lettuce indoors.

Drought is one of the major abiotic stresses that limits apple production. Rootstocks provide roots for grafted fruit trees. The rootstocks absorb water and mineral nutrients and affect the growth and development of the tree and the quality of fruit and its yield. Furthermore, the appropriate rootstock for drought conditions is key to the sustainable production of apple (Malus spp.). Chistock #1 is a new semi-dwarfing apple rootstock. The drought tolerance of Chistock #1 was compared with that of M9, M26 and M. prunifolia through pot and field experiments. In pot experiments, drought tolerant rootstocks were selected by comparing the root configuration, leaf anatomical structure, electrical conductivity and SPAD value. The results showed that the roots of Chistock #1 and M. prunifolia were long and well developed. Under drought stress, M. prunifolia can close its stomata in time to reduce water loss, followed by Chistock #1 and M26, while M9 was the slowest at closing its stomata. After drought treatment, the leaf and palisade tissue thickness and SPAD value of Chistock #1 were the highest at 121.56 μm, 42.03 μm and 43.00 μm, respectively. The fruit yield and quality of different scion and rootstock combinations were measured in field experiments. A Fuji scion cultivar grafted to Chistock #1 had a higher yield and better quality as determined by its suitable ratio of total soluble solids and titratable acid. Finally, a membership function combined with a principal component analysis was used to comprehensively evaluate the drought tolerance of the four rootstocks. The results were as follows: Chistock #1 was the most drought tolerant of the four rootstock genotypes, M. prunifolia and M26 were the second and third most drought tolerant rootstocks, while M9 was the least drought tolerant.

Abstract

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) can be used as greenhouse-glazing materials because of their translucent properties, varied colors, and ability to produce electricity. To assess their effect on plant growth and physiological responses, Petunia ×hybrida ‘Madness Red’ was investigated under four different light treatments: transparent polycarbonate panels (T) as the control, T + 50% shade (S), red-colored DSSCs (D), and D + cool-white light-emitting diodes (LED) (D + L). Compared to T, S increased the leaf area and the number of days to flowering and decreased the number of flowers and relative chlorophyll content (SPAD). D increased the plant height, leaf area, fresh weight, and the number of days to flowering and reduced the SPAD and number of leaves and flowers due to a lower daily light integral (DLI) and blue light than T. Compared to S, D increased the plant height, leaf area, and fresh weight while reducing the number of leaves and flowers due to the lower blue light. D + L increased the number of leaves and flowers, flowering rate, dry weight, and SPAD but inhibited stem and leaf elongation compared to D, due to an increase in DLI and blue light. The deployment of red DSSCs in greenhouses could potentially induce unfavorable morphological and developmental responses in light-sensitive plants. However, these effects can be mitigated using DSSC-powered LED supplemental lighting.

Physiological responses of ginseng (Panax ginseng) were investigated under abnormal season-long high-temperature environmental conditions for obtaining vulnerability assessment data. Soil-plant-atmosphere research chambers were used to employ the + 2, +4, and + 6 elevated temperature conditions (ETC) from June to August compared to hourly-averaged air temperatures for the past 10 years (from 2010 to 2019) in Eumseong, Korea. Under the ETC, secondary growth and development of taproots were significantly inhibited due to the reduction of photosynthetic efficiency with chlorophyll destruction. The net photosynthetic rate at the light saturation point (A_max) decreased and the dark respiration rate (R_d) increased as the air temperature increased. Consequently, carbohydrate deposition in the storage parenchyma of the taproots decreased over time. The roots at harvest were severely rotten under + 6 ETC. The harvested root weights decreased by 60.1, 21.4, and 12.3% under + 6, +4, and + 2 ETC, respectively, compared to those under control conditions. Under + 2 and + 4 ETC, total ginsenoside content (TGC) in roots was similar, but under + 6 ETC, TGC significantly increased with the increases of the panaxatriol type ginsenoside Re and the panaxadiol types ginsenosides such as Rb₂, Rb₃, and Rd. These results suggest that developing high-temperature stress adaptation technologies should be considered frequent abnormally high-temperature environments caused by global climate change.

Abstract

The positive response of grafting by tolerant rootstocks or scion-stock interactions on yield and fruit traits of tomatoes under saline conditions is attributed to several physiological and biochemical changes. In this study, we investigated some tolerance mechanisms by which grafting on wild rootstocks in tomatoes can prevent or minimize the effects of salt stress in plants under hydroponics conditions. Two tomato cultivars H2274 and Galaxy were grafted onto three S. pimpinellifolium, three S. habrochaites, S. lycopersicum L. × S. pimpinellifolium and S. lycopersicum L. × S. Habrochaites hybrid tomato genotypes. Plants were grown in hydroponic culture at two electrical conductivity (EC) levels (control at 1.5 dSm^-1 and salt at 8.0 dSm^-1). Salt stress led to a significant reduction in biomass growths of both grafted and nongrafted tomatoes. However, the plants that are least affected by salt stress are those grafted on wild tomato rootstocks. Leaf nutrient contents were significantly affected by rootstocks under both control and salt stress conditions. In this study, under saline conditions, plants grafted on wild rootstocks had higher N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Mn, Fe, Zn and B contents in leaf tissues and lower Na and Cl contents than ungrafted plants. Biochemical and physiological results revealed that S. pimpinellifolium and S. habrochaites have inherited salt tolerance from their genetic background. These wild tomato genotypes can be used as rootstocks in tomato breeding programs to develop salt-tolerant tomatoes or in grafting techniques under saline irrigation conditions.