Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Ralf Loritz, Maoya Bassiouni, Anke Hildebrandt, Sibylle K. Hassler, Erwin Zehe
Summary: This study leverages sap flow data to estimate canopy conductance for more accurate hydrological simulations. Integrating canopy conductance inferred from sap flow data leads to more realistic soil moisture estimates than using conventional methods. When sap flow data are not available, a machine learning model can be used to predict sap velocities and estimate canopy conductance. The hybrid model performs equally well as models using observed sap flow data and shows potential for extrapolation.
HYDROLOGY AND EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Md Mahmudul Hasan Khan, Mohd Y. Rafii, Shairul Izan Ramlee, Mashitah Jusoh, Md Al Mamun
Summary: The study analyzed the characteristics of Bambara groundnuts and identified high yielding genotypes, as well as genetic parameters. Significant variations in agronomic traits were found among different landraces, with some traits showing strong association with yield. Genotypes in certain groups showed promising traits for further breeding purposes.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Editorial Material
Biodiversity Conservation
Chris Huntingford, Rebecca J. Oliver
Summary: Ecological research has mainly focused on identifying how different environmental factors restrict photosynthesis, but there is less attention on accurately modeling the transition between limitations as drivers change. Whether these changes are modeled as a single switch or involve an intermediate period of co-limitation can significantly impact estimated levels of photosynthesis.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Gaochao Cai, Andrea Carminati, Sean M. Gleason, Mathieu Javaux, Mutez Ali Ahmed
Summary: The efficiency-safety tradeoff in plant water transport and stomatal regulation has been studied. Recent research revealed that plants with higher maximum stomatal conductance (g(max)) are more sensitive to stomatal closure during soil drying, resulting in less negative leaf water potential at 50% g(max) (psi(gs50)). This tradeoff can be explained by the effects of soil-plant hydraulics on water movement and plant hydraulic properties, such as conductance and embolism resistance.
PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Rui Zhu, Tiesong Hu, Quan Zhang, Xiang Zeng, Shan Zhou, Fengyan Wu, Yong Liu, Yanxuan Wang
Summary: Leaf stomata play a crucial role in the exchange of water vapor and carbon dioxide. Optimization models for stomatal regulation have been successful but differ in their mathematical details, indicating the need for further investigation. This study proposed a new stomatal optimization model based on water-carbon balance, and compared it with existing models. The results showed differences in stomatal sensitivity to soil moisture, and the new model captured the response patterns well.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Jiyu Chen, Jing Gao, Qi Wang, Xianming Tan, Shenglan Li, Ping Chen, Taiwen Yong, Xiaochun Wang, Yushan Wu, Feng Yang, Wenyu Yang
Summary: Blue and red light are important light signals for regulating stomatal development and leaf structure. This study investigated the response of stomatal and leaf traits in soybeans to blue and red light at two light intensities. The results showed that stomatal size remained unchanged under blue light, while stomatal density, specific leaf weight, and maximum stomatal conductance were unaffected by the decrease in light intensity under red light. These findings suggest that stomatal density and specific leaf weight are regulated by blue light, while stomatal size is highly sensitive to red light. Furthermore, specific leaf weight and stomatal density had the highest contribution rates to maximum stomatal conductance. Overall, these results indicate that long-term exposure to blue light enhances maximum stomatal conductance through the synergistic promotion of specific leaf weight and stomatal density.
Article
Agronomy
Rui Zhu, Tiesong Hu, Fengyan Wu, Yong Liu, Shan Zhou, Yanxuan Wang
Summary: This study investigates the effects of water deficit and flooding stress on rice's intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE) and the relationship between iWUE variations and stress-induced physiological changes. The results show that water deficit and flooding stress decrease rice's photosynthetic and water transport capacities, leading to an increase in iWUE. However, improved iWUE cannot prevent yield reduction. Interestingly, the decrease in photosynthetic capacity is significantly correlated with the decline in water transport capacity. This study has important implications for understanding crop physiological responses to environmental stresses.
AGRICULTURAL WATER MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Ntombifuthi Msewu Mabuza, Sydney Mavengahama, Motlogeloa Mokolobate
Summary: Nightshades are an underutilized group of African indigenous leafy vegetables that have the potential to improve food security, nutrition, and income in rural areas. This study evaluated 15 accessions of nightshade for morphological and agronomic traits, and found significant differences among the accessions. The results suggest that there is sufficient genetic variability in nightshades for crop improvement.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Adnan Rasheed, Muhammad Ilyas, Taj Naseeb Khan, Athar Mahmood, Usama Riaz, Muhammad Bilal Chattha, Najla Amin T. Al Kashgry, Najat Binothman, Muhammad Umair Hassan, Ziming Wu, Sameer H. Qari
Summary: Tomato is an important vegetable crop that provides valuable dietary components. Pakistan has low tomato yield due to low genetic diversity and lack of improved cultivars. The study aimed to investigate the genetic variability and heritability of yield-related traits in tomato. Significant variation and high heritability were observed for yield per plant, number of fruits per cluster, and single fruit weight. Certain hybrids were selected as high-yielding and suitable for further analysis and development. The findings suggest that selecting suitable traits can enhance tomato yield and develop high-yielding varieties.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Matthew Haworth, Giovanni Marino, Francesco Loreto, Mauro Centritto
Summary: Stomata play a central role in the hydrological and carbon cycles, with their morphology and physiology affecting the mechanism of stomatal control. Variation in stomatal density among species influences the sensitivity of the stomatal density-[CO2] relationship, impacting the efficacy of inferring palaeo-atmospheric CO2 levels. The interactions between stomatal morphology and physiology are crucial in understanding plant evolutionary history and responses to climate change.
Article
Plant Sciences
Kazuma Sakoda, Wataru Yamori, Michael Groszmann, John R. Evans
Summary: In fluctuating light conditions, both stomatal conductance and Vcmax/J play a significant role in limiting photosynthesis during induction, suggesting that these factors are crucial for understanding the dynamics of leaf photosynthesis.
Article
Forestry
Kenneth J. Davidson, Julien Lamour, Alistair Rogers, Shawn P. Serbin
Summary: Many terrestrial biosphere models rely on the relationship between stomatal conductance and photosynthesis. This study found that the choice of measurement method can impact parameters representing stomatal response, with afternoon measurements resulting in significantly different values. These differences in parameter estimates directly affect canopy function models.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Huiting Mao, Emmi Felker-Quinn, Barkley Sive, Leiming Zhang, Zhuyun Ye, Hongliang Fang
Summary: This study found a decreasing trend in ozone exposure at Yellowstone National Park and no trend at Grand Teton National Park using different metrics. The traditional method and the Big-leaf model showed discrepancies in estimating high stomatal ozone flux values. A new multivariate function developed through machine learning improved the estimation of stomatal ozone flux variability.
ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yuxuan Miao, Yao Cai, Hao Wu, Dan Wang
Summary: The study found that elevated CO2 significantly increased the net photosynthetic rate of rice, especially during the jointing stage. This stimulation was acclimated with the advance of the growing season and was not affected by stomatal limitations or Rubisco activity.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Deolindo Luis Esteban Dominguez, Juan Bruno Cavagnaro, Juana Panasiti Ros, Anh Tuan Le, Yong Suk Chung, Pablo Federico Cavagnaro
Summary: This study identified drought-tolerant genotypes in T. crinita and found that the tolerant accessions were more productive and had a better preserved plant photosynthetic activity under prolonged drought conditions. It also revealed that there is no direct relationship between drought tolerance and the level of aridity in the accessions' natural habitats, but rather suggests genetic heterogeneity and ample variation for drought tolerance in T. crinita natural populations.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Athanasios Sclavounos, Petros Roussos, Sotiria Milla, Panagiotis Kostas, Yiannis Samaras, Carlo Pozzi, Johiruddin Molla, Annapurna Chitikineni, Rajeev K. Varshney, Andreas Voloudakis
Summary: In this study, an ex situ collection of 60 fig accessions from Greece and other Mediterranean countries was established and analyzed using SSR loci. The results showed low allelic variation and high heterozygosity in Greek fig genotypes, indicating extensive outbreeding. Furthermore, there was little correlation between genetic makeup and geographical origin of the fig accessions. An identification key scheme for fig cultivars was developed for cultivar discrimination and intellectual property protection.
GENETIC RESOURCES AND CROP EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Bushra Rasool, Baby Summuna, Ivica Djalovic, Tariq Ahmad Shah, Parveez Ahmed Sheikh, Sachin Gupta, Sandhya Tyagi, Sierra Bilal, Rajeev Kumar Varshney, Ishfaq Abidi, Jitendra Kumar, R. Varma Penmetsa, Imtiyaz Khandey, Upendra Kumar, Parvaze Ahmad Sofi, Mohd Anwar Khan, Mohd Ashraf Bhat, Fahim Jeelani Wani, Mahendar Thudi, Reyazul Rouf Mir
Summary: This study identified 26 significant marker-trait associations (MTAs) for Fusarium wilt (FW) resistance in chickpea. Most genotypes showed resistance at the seedling stage but susceptibility at the reproductive stage. Five major and two stable MTAs were identified, which can be useful in chickpea breeding programs.
Article
Plant Sciences
Chong Zhang, Yuting Chen, Lihui Wang, Lu Liu, Xin Zhong, Panpan Chu, Meijia Gao, Hua Chen, Tiecheng Cai, Faqian Xiong, Xiurong Zhang, Ali Raza, Rong-long Pan, Rajeev K. Varshney, Fengzhen Liu, Weijian Zhuang
Summary: We identified and analyzed AhPLCP genes in cultivated peanut and confirmed the involvement of AhRD21B in chilling tolerance through experiments. We found 52 AhPLCP genes and grouped them into eight subfamilies. The promoters of AhPLCP genes contained stress responsive elements. AhPLCP genes were generally constitutively expressed, and many genes showed cold responsiveness. Heterologous expression of AhRD21B significantly enhanced cold tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis by regulating cold-related genes. These findings provide important insights into the functions of AhPLCP genes in plant stress tolerance.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yasir Sharif, Gandeka Mamadou, Qiang Yang, Tiecheng Cai, Yuhui Zhuang, Kun Chen, Ye Deng, Shahid Ali Khan, Niaz Ali, Chong Zhang, Ali Raza, Hua Chen, Rajeev K. Varshney, Weijian Zhuang
Summary: Peanut is an important food and feed crop that is affected by various stresses, and APYs play a crucial role in regulating cellular ATP levels under stress. In this study, we identified and characterized 17 APY homologs in peanut and studied their expression patterns and functional roles in different tissues and stress conditions. We found that the AhAPY2-1 gene showed abundant expression in the pericarp, and the functional characterization of AhAPY2-1 promoter in transgenic Arabidopsis plants suggested its potential use in enhancing the defensive abilities of the pericarp. These findings highlight the importance of APYs as a future research subject for peanut and other crops.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Pushpa Doddaraju, Prathibha M. Dharmappa, Aarthy Thiagarayaselvam, Preethi Vijayaraghavareddy, Raju Bheemanahalli, Priyanka A. Basavaraddi, Mohan Kumar V. Malagondanahalli, Sumanth Kambalimath, Hirekodathakallu V. Thulasiram, Sheshshayee M. Sreeman
Summary: A study identified the genetic variability in acquired tolerance traits (ATTs) among rice germplasm accessions and revealed their importance in protecting growth and productivity under water-limited conditions. Through various approaches including physiological screens, association mapping, and metabolomics, the study found significant marker-trait associations and discovered tolerance-related metabolites that are crucial for cellular functions and photosynthetic capacity. The research also identified genes controlling metabolic pathways related to osmolites and antioxidants, providing potential for translational crop improvement activities.
PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM
(2023)
Editorial Material
Plant Sciences
Rajeev K. Varshney
PLANT AND CELL PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Jiang Ye, Huabing Liang, Xueyang Zhao, Na Li, Dongji Song, Jiepeng Zhan, Xinfa Wang, Jinxing Tu, Rajeev Kumar Varshney, Jiaqin Shi, Hanzhong Wang
Summary: Heterosis refers to the better performance of cross progeny compared with inbred parents, and its utilization contributes greatly to agricultural production. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain heterosis mainly including dominance, over-dominance (or pseudo-overdominance) and epistasis. However, systematic dissection and verification of these hypotheses are rarely documented.
PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Muhammad Khuram Razzaq, Reena Rani, Guangnan Xing, Yufei Xu, Ghulam Raza, Muqadas Aleem, Shahid Iqbal, Muhammad Arif, Zahid Mukhtar, Henry T. Nguyen, Rajeev K. Varshney, Kadambot H. M. Siddique, Junyi Gai
Summary: This study characterized J-protein genes in soybean and identified those highly expressed and responsive during flower and seed development. The phylogeny, structure, motif analysis, chromosome location, and expression of these genes were also investigated. The findings suggest that J-protein genes could be involved in the growth period of soybean and provide a basis for further functional research.
Article
Agronomy
Shanjida Rahman, Shahidul Islam, Eviatar Nevo, Md Atik Us Saieed, Qier Liu, Rajeev Kumar Varshney, Wujun Ma
Summary: This study characterized the agronomic and shoot morphological traits of 263 wild emmer accessions and found a large variation in these traits. Correlation analysis and principal component analysis revealed the associations between traits and overall variability. Cluster analysis and comparative analysis further demonstrated the variations between different wild emmer accessions, and some wild emmer accessions showed superior performance based on multiple traits.
Biographical-Item
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Rajeev K. K. Varshney, Nils Stein, Jochen Reif
Summary: Professor Graner has made significant contributions to the field of international crop plant genomics research over the past four decades. His work includes the development of the first integrated RFLP map of barley and advancements in functional genomics. He has also played a key role in plant genetic resources conservation and utilization.
PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Min Sun, Haidong Yan, Aling Zhang, Yarong Jin, Chuang Lin, Lin Luo, Bingchao Wu, Yuhang Fan, Shilin Tian, Xiaofang Cao, Zan Wang, Jinchan Luo, Yuchen Yang, Jiyuan Jia, Puding Zhou, Qianzi Tang, Chris Stephen Jones, Rajeev K. K. Varshney, Rakesh K. K. Srivastava, Min He, Zheni Xie, Xiaoshan Wang, Guangyan Feng, Gang Nie, Dejun Huang, Xinquan Zhang, Fangjie Zhu, Linkai Huang
Summary: A free, web-accessible, user-friendly millets multi-omics database platform (Milletdb) has been developed, which contains six millets and their one related species genomes, as well as stress-related multi-omics data. Milletdb can simplify the functional genomics analysis of millets by providing users with 20 different tools and can effectively serve researchers in the mining of key genes, genome editing, and molecular breeding of millets.
PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Sejal Parmar, Pasupuleti Janila, Sunil S. Gangurde, Murali T. Variath, Vinay Sharma, Deekshitha Bomireddy, Surendra S. Manohar, Rajeev K. Varshney, Prashant Singam, Manish K. Pandey
Summary: This study identified genomic regions and candidate genes for high iron and zinc contents in groundnut through genetic mapping and quantitative trait locus analysis. The findings revealed that these candidate genes may play crucial roles in the accumulation of iron and zinc contents in groundnut seeds. The results of this study hold potential for further fine mapping and diagnostic marker development for high iron and zinc contents in groundnut.
Article
Plant Sciences
Cassandria G. Tay G. Fernandez, Philipp E. Bayer, Jakob Petereit, Rajeev Varshney, Jacqueline Batley, David Edwards
Summary: Many genome annotations contain false-positive gene models, which can lead to errors in phylogenetic and comparative studies. In this study, a method based on evolutionary conservation is proposed to predict gene models and identify potentially erroneous annotations. A set of 15,345 representative gene models from 12 legume assemblies is developed using this method, which can support genome annotations for other legumes.
Article
Cell Biology
Puxuan Du, Quanqing Deng, Wenyi Wang, Vanika Garg, Qing Lu, Lu Huang, Runfeng Wang, Haifen Li, Dongxin Huai, Xiaoping Chen, Rajeev K. Varshney, Yanbin Hong, Hao Liu
Summary: The study reveals that the FAD2 gene regulates the growth pathway in peanut leaves by inhibiting the expression of the cytokinin synthesis gene LOG in vascular cells, thereby repressing leaf growth.
Article
Plant Sciences
Thippeswamy Danakumara, Tapan Kumar, Neeraj Kumar, Basavanagouda Siddanagouda Patil, Chellapilla Bharadwaj, Umashankar Patel, Nilesh Joshi, Shayla Bindra, Shailesh Tripathi, Rajeev Kumar Varshney, Sushil Kumar Chaturvedi
Summary: Identifying a suitable production environment and understanding the genotype by environmental interactions are crucial for achieving yield stability in chickpeas. Different models were used to analyze the interactions and stability of genotypes. Stabile genotypes can serve as parental lines for heat-stress tolerance breeding programs.
