BMC Plant Biology最新文献

Background: Achieving higher productivity and long-term sustainability in millet-based systems requires precision nutrient management that considers soil variability, crop demand, and soil health. Barnyard millet (Echinochloa frumentacea), a climate-resilient, short-duration, and nutrient-rich crop, is commonly cultivated under low-input conditions but has considerable potential when grown under balanced fertilization. The study aimed to develop and validate Soil Test Crop Response (STCR)-based fertilizer prescription equations for barnyard millet, enabling precise NPK management with and without farmyard manure (FYM), and to compare their performance with conventional recommendation methods. A three-year field program (2022-2024) was conducted on Alfisols at the Zonal Agricultural Research Station, UAS Bangalore, involving fertility gradient establishment, test crop trials, and validation experiments.

Results: Key parameters including nutrient requirement, soil contribution, fertilizer efficiency, and FYM contribution coefficients were derived to formulate STCR equations for targeted grain yields. Treatments compared STCR-NPK, STCR NPK + FYM, general recommended dose, soil fertility rating approach, and absolute control. Results indicated that STCR-based prescriptions achieved the targeted yield within ± 10% variation. Integrated application of NPK and FYM under the STCR approach recorded the highest grain yield (28.1 q ha⁻¹), with N, P and K agronomic efficiency reaching about 37-49, 62-64 and 93-107 kg grain kg⁻¹ nutrient applied, respectively, and recovery efficiency improving to about 1.35-1.65, 0.66-0.76 and 3.14-3.14 kg kg⁻¹, thereby surpassing conventional recommendation methods. Although the value-cost ratio decreased slightly due to FYM cost, soil fertility, nutrient balance, and long-term system resilience improved. Nitrogen had the greatest impact on yield increase, but balanced NPK combined with FYM ensured superior productivity and nutrient-use efficiency.

Conclusions: The STCR approach with FYM integration enhances soil fertility, nutrient-use efficiency (higher RE and PFP for NPK vs. GRD/soil rating), and system resilience while achieving targeted yields within ± 10%. This provides a viable pathway for sustainable millet intensification across agroecological conditions.

Background: The regreening stage (RS) is a critical agronomic trait impacting yield potential in rapeseed (Brassica rapa L.), yet its underlying genetic mechanisms remain largely unexplored. Field observations indicate that early-regreening cultivars, like 'Hengyou 8', exhibit a longer grain-filling period and higher thousand-seed weight (TSW) compared to late-regreening cultivars like 'Hengyou 6'. This study aimed to systematically dissect the genetic basis of RS initiation to identify key regulatory genes and provide resources for molecular breeding.

Results: We constructed an F₂ population from a cross between 'Hengyou 8' and 'Hengyou 6' and employed Bulk Segregant Analysis sequencing (BSA-seq), which identified 11 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with RS on chromosomes A01, A02, A04, A05, A06, A08, A09, and A10. Concurrently, transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) of shoot apical meristems and roots across the RS process revealed 17,242 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Integrated analysis of BSA-seq and RNA-seq data pinpointed 15 high-confidence candidate genes within the QTL regions. These include NAC016, NAC017, MYC2, and DDE2, which are primarily involved in jasmonic acid (JA) metabolism, phytohormone signaling, cell development, and stress responses. Expression profiling showed distinct spatiotemporal patterns for these genes between the parental lines, suggesting their roles in modulating the timing of regreening.

Conclusions: Our findings provide the first comprehensive genetic map of the regreening process in rapeseed, revealing a dynamic regulatory network centered on JA signaling and stress response pathways. The identified candidate genes and associated molecular markers establish a valuable resource and a solid theoretical foundation for future functional studies. More importantly, we have identified direct targets for marker-assisted selection (MAS). This provides a foundation for breeding novel rapeseed cultivars with optimized regreening timing and enhanced yield potential.

The extensive reliance on synthetic pesticides has led to considerable ecological disruption and negative impacts on non-target organisms worldwide. As a sustainable alternative, nanotechnology offers promising avenues for the development of innovative and environmentally safe biopesticides. In this study, the insecticidal efficacy of ethanol and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) extracts derived from Lantana camara L. was evaluated against the eggs and larvae of the Potato Tuber Moth (Phthorimaea operculella [Zeller, 1873]), a quarantine pest of major concern in potato production in Türkiye. Toxicological assessments revealed dose-dependent larvae mortality, with LC₅₀-LC₉₀ values ranging from 6.49-51.45 ppm for ethanol extracts and 1.47-5.88 ppm for AgNPs formulations. Maximum inhibition of egg hatching was observed at 12% ethanol extract (86.51%) and 200 ppm AgNPs treatment (94.95%). Bioassay results demonstrated that AgNPs formulations of L. camara were significantly more effective than ethanol extracts in suppressing both larval and egg development. Moreover, potato tubers treated with AgNPs exhibited a pronounced reduction in adult moth emergence compared to untreated controls. Collectively, these findings highlight the potential of L. camara nano-silver extracts as a sustainable biopesticide candidate for integrated management of P. operculella.

Somatic embryogenesis (SE), the process by which differentiated somatic cells are reprogrammed to form embryos, represents a unique manifestation of plant cell totipotency. Despite its fundamental and applied importance, the molecular mechanisms that initiate embryogenic reprogramming remain largely unknown, mainly because explant tissues are cell-type heterogeneous and contain only a small fraction of SE-competent cells. Here, we applied fluorescence-activated nuclei sorting (FANS) in Arabidopsis thaliana to isolate cells expressing the WOX2 gene, a marker for early embryogenesis. Comparative transcriptomic analysis of WOX2⁽⁺⁾-positive and WOX2^(-)-negative nuclei revealed that genes up-regulated in the embryogenic nuclei were strongly enriched in biological processes related to embryo and tissue development, while down-regulated transcripts were linked to primary metabolism, suggesting a transcriptional switch from differentiated to totipotent identity. Several transcription factor genes showed strong induction, including MYB46, ZAT14, MYB98, GRF7, MYR2, and TCP19. Functional analyses using β-estradiol-inducible overexpression and loss-of-function mutants confirmed that these genes modulate embryogenic competence. In particular, MYB46 and ZAT14 emerged as candidate regulators acting downstream of WOX2 to coordinate complementary aspects of cell wall remodeling required for cellular isolation and the acquisition of embryogenic identity. These findings reveal an early, WOX2-centered regulatory network that precedes the activation of canonical SE regulators such as LEC2 and BBM, uncovering a new transcriptional layer of totipotency control.