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Topic Review
Auxin Regulates Primary Seed Dormancy
Phytohormone auxin acts as an outstanding coordinator of plant growth and development. Among other tasks, it has a key role as a signaling molecule that arranges seed life. Recently, auxin has emerged as an essential player that modulates the induction, regulation, and maintenance of primary seed dormancy (PSD). This function was supported by biochemical and genetic evidence. The participation of the transcriptional regulator ABSCISIC ACID (ABA) INSENSITIVE 3 (ABI3) is critical, which demonstrates a cross-talk between auxin and ABA signalings.
  • 1.5K
  • 30 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Effects of Sound Perception in Plants
Plants have long been considered passive, static, and unchanging organisms, but this view is finally changing. More and more knowledge is showing that plants are aware of their surroundings, and they respond to a surprising variety of stimuli by modifying their growth and development. Plants extensively communicate with the world around them, above and below ground. Although communication through mycorrhizal networks and Volatile Organic Compounds has been known for a long time, acoustic perception and communication are somehow a final frontier of research. Perhaps surprisingly, plants not only respond to sound, they actually seem to emit sound as well. Roots emit audible clicks during growth, and sounds are emitted from xylem vessels, although the nature of these acoustic emissions still needs to be clarified. Even more interesting, there is the possibility that these sounds carry information with ecological implications, such as alerting insects of the hydration state of a possible host plant, and technological implications as well. Monitoring sound emissions could possibly allow careful monitoring of the hydration state of crops, which could mean significantly less water used during irrigation. 
  • 1.5K
  • 08 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Epigenetics for Forest Trees
Epigenetics refers to a scientific domain studying all the processes affecting the expression of genes and/or the activity of transposable elements (TEs) without altering the DNA sequence that may be heritable by mitosis (during development) and/or meiosis (across generations). Forest trees are sessile, perennial, and modular organisms with complex life cycles that are often challenged by environmental variations such as actual climate changes during their long-lifespan. Surviving tree populations can respond to these environmental changes through complex and interacting mechanisms and notably using epigenetics. 
  • 1.5K
  • 21 Sep 2020
Topic Review
Salinity Stress in Chloroplasts
Salinity is a growing problem affecting soils and agriculture in many parts of the world. The presence of salt in plant cells disrupts many basic metabolic processes, contributing to severe negative effects on plant development and growth. 
  • 1.5K
  • 20 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Annual Ryegrass (Lolium rigidum)
Annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum Gaud. ), traditionally utilised as a pasture species, has become the most problematic and difficult-to-control weed across grain production regions in Australia. Annual ryegrass has been favored by the adoption of conservation tillage systems due to its genetic diversity, prolific seed production, widespread dispersal, flexible germination requirements and competitive growth habit.
  • 1.5K
  • 04 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Powdery Mildew Resistance Loci in Vines
Grapevine (Vitis vinifera) is one of the main fruit crops worldwide, with near of 7.3 million hectares planted in 2020, but along with its economic relevance, it has been associated with diverse pathogens that affect grapevine yield, fruit, and wine quality, of which powdery mildew is the most important disease prior to harvest. Its causal agent is the biotrophic fungus Erysiphe necator, which generates a decrease in cluster weight, delays fruit ripening, and reduces photosynthetic and transpiration rates. In addition, powdery mildew induces metabolic reprogramming in its host, affecting primary metabolism. Most commercial grapevine cultivars are highly susceptible to powdery mildew; consequently, large quantities of fungicide are applied during the productive season. These pesticide applications have been associated with high exposure to it, and pesticides are associated with health problems, negative environmental impacts, and high costs for farmers. In parallel, consumers are demanding more sustainable practices during food production. Therefore, new grapevine cultivars with genetic resistance to powdery mildew are needed for sustainable viticulture, while maintaining yield, fruit, and wine quality. Two main gene families confer resistance to powdery mildew in the Vitaceae, Run (Resistance to Uncinula necator) and Ren (Resistance to Erysiphe necator), and the resistance they confer is associated with the presence of each locus since there are still no genes that alone can produce a powerful genetic resistance. Because the resistance mediated by the plant immune response is highly complex and considers the evolution and adaptation of the pathogen in parallel to that of the plant.
  • 1.5K
  • 22 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant
This entry highlghts the role of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) on plant nutrition and growth. AMFimproves plant nutrition and helps them to cope with environment stresses. 
  • 1.5K
  • 23 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Plant Performance and Interaction with Microorganisms
Plant performance can be improved under adverse environmental conditions by integrated soil–water–plant solutions or integrated soil fertility and plant nutrient management. Microorganisms living in the soil, the rhizobiome, are distinguished from endophytes living inside plants.
  • 1.5K
  • 04 Jul 2022
Topic Review
TOR–Auxin Connection Upstream Root-Hair Growth
Plant growth and productivity are orchestrated by a network of signaling cascades involved in balancing responses to perceived environmental changes with resource availability. Vascular plants are divided into the shoot, an aboveground organ where sugar is synthesized, and the underground located root. Continuous growth requires the generation of energy in the form of carbohydrates in the leaves upon photosynthesis and uptake of nutrients and water through root hairs. Root hair outgrowth depends on the overall condition of the plant and its energy level must be high enough to maintain root growth. TARGET OF RAPAMYCIN (TOR)-mediated signaling cascades serve as a hub to evaluate which resources are needed to respond to external stimuli and which are available to maintain proper plant growth. Root hair formation further requires appropriate distribution of the phytohormone auxin, which primes root hair cell fate and triggers root hair elongation. While TOR activity partially depends on auxin signaling, auxin distribution to the root tip and the redistribution towards the root hair zone are, on the other hand, dependent on TOR activity. Together, both signaling cascades are interwoven to orchestrate proper root hair outgrowth to ensure efficient plant nutrition. 
  • 1.5K
  • 02 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Quality Attributes in Centella asiatica(L.) Urban
Centella asiatica is well known for its miraculous therapeutic properties in various systems of traditional medicine across the world. However, significant variation in its pharmacological activities has been reported due to the unavailability of quality raw material and non-standardized formulations. A number of research papers have been published on the collection of C. asiatica plants from different regions for the identification of a suitable agroclimate with elite germplasms. Efforts have been made to standardize production and post-harvest practices for the availability of quality raw material with a high centelloside content. 
  • 1.5K
  • 29 Aug 2023
Topic Review
Impact of Climate Change on Grapevines, Berries, Wine
Grapevine and wine production is vulnerable to the effect of climate change. Heat and water stress related to climate change can affect vine phenology, pest and disease pressure, crop yield, and berry and wine composition.
  • 1.5K
  • 27 Apr 2023
Topic Review
β-Cyclocitral Marked as Bioactive Compound in Plants
β-cyclocitral (βCC), a main apocarotenoid of β-carotene, increases plants’ resistance against stresses. It has recently appeared as a novel bioactive composite in a variety of organisms from plants to animals. In plants, βCC marked as stress signals that accrue under adverse ecological conditions. βCC regulates nuclear gene expression through several signaling pathways, leading to stress tolerance. 
  • 1.5K
  • 01 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Molecular Mechanism between Scion and Rootstock
Most tree fruits are commercially grown on different root systems, hence called composite plants. The section provides the root system as the rootstock, and the atop ground portion is called the scion. The combination is selected based on different traits of scion varieties, rootstock, and prevailing edaphic situations. Rootstock selection is one of the most important factors in orchard management because it affects the growth, nutrient accumulation, environmental tolerance, and fruit quality of scion varieties.
  • 1.5K
  • 20 Dec 2022
Topic Review
High-Anthocyanin Purple Rice
Purple rice is recognized as a source of natural anthocyanin compounds among health-conscious consumers who employ rice as their staple food. Anthocyanin is one of the major antioxidant compounds that protect against the reactive oxygen species (ROS) that cause cellular damage in plants and animals, including humans.
  • 1.5K
  • 30 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Soapy Plants
Plants that exhibit foaming properties when agitated in aqueous solutions are commonly referred to as soapy plants, and they are used in different communities for washing, bathing, and hair shampooing. The frothing ability of these plants is attributed to saponins which are also well-documented to possess antimicrobial attributes.
  • 1.5K
  • 10 May 2021
Topic Review
Multi-Omics Approaches and Resources in the Plant Kingdom
In higher plants, the complexity of a system and the components within and among species are rapidly dissected by omics technologies. Multi-omics datasets are integrated to infer and enable a comprehensive understanding of the life processes of organisms of interest. Further, growing open-source datasets coupled with the emergence of high-performance computing and development of computational tools for biological sciences have assisted in silico functional prediction of unknown genes, proteins and metabolites, otherwise known as uncharacterized.
  • 1.5K
  • 25 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Stress Memory and Inheritance of Drought Tolerance
Plants respond to drought stress by producing abscisic acid, a chemical messenger that regulates gene expression and thereby expedites various physiological and cellular processes including the stomatal operation to mitigate stress and promote tolerance. To trigger or suppress gene transcription under drought stress conditions, the surrounding chromatin architecture must be converted between a repressive and active state by epigenetic remodeling, which is achieved by the dynamic interplay among DNA methylation, histone modifications, loop formation, and non-coding RNA generation. Plants can memorize chromatin status under drought conditions to enable them to deal with recurrent stress. Furthermore, drought tolerance acquired during plant growth can be transmitted to the next generation. The epigenetically modified chromatin architectures of memory genes under stressful conditions can be transmitted to newly developed cells by mitotic cell division, and to germline cells of offspring by overcoming the restraints on meiosis.
  • 1.5K
  • 15 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Tea Tree Oil Induced Resistance
The essential tea tree oil (TTO) derived from Melaleuca alternifolia plant is widely used as a biopesticide to protect crops from several plant-pathogens. TTO was approved by the European Union (EU) and included in the positive list of the EU, in Annex I of Directive 91/414/EEC for registration of Plant Protection Products. TTO is classified as a low risk substance in Europe. This oil is in large use in cosmetics and in medicine.
  • 1.5K
  • 23 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Degradation Mechanism of Autophagy-Related Proteins
In all eukaryotes, autophagy is the main pathway for nutrient recycling, which encapsulates parts of the cytoplasm and organelles in double-membrane vesicles, and then fuses with lysosomes/vacuoles to degrade them. Autophagy is a highly dynamic and relatively complex process influenced by multiple factors. Under normal growth conditions, it is maintained at basal levels. However, when plants are subjected to biotic and abiotic stresses, such as pathogens, drought, waterlogging, nutrient deficiencies, etc., autophagy is activated to help cells to survive under stress conditions. The regulation of autophagy is mainly reflected in hormones, second messengers, post-transcriptional regulation, and protein post-translational modification. 
  • 1.5K
  • 08 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Heat Stress Responses in Maize
High temperatures causing heat stress disturb cellular homeostasis and impede growth and development in plants. Extensive agricultural losses are attributed to heat stress, often in combination with other stresses. Plants have evolved a variety of responses to heat stress to minimize damage and to protect themselves from further stress. A narrow temperature window separates growth from heat stress, and the range of temperatures conferring optimal growth often overlap with those producing heat stress. Heat stress induces a cytoplasmic heat stress response (HSR) in which heat shock transcription factors (HSFs) activate a constellation of genes encoding heat shock proteins (HSPs).
  • 1.5K
  • 06 Mar 2021
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