Heterosis refers to the increase in biomass, stature, fertility, and other characters that impart superior performance to the F1 progeny over genetically diverged parents. The manifestation of heterosis brought an economic revolution to the agricultural production and seed sector in the last few decades. Initially, the idea was exploited in cross-pollinated plants, but eventually acquired serious attention in self-pollinated crops as well. Regardless of harvesting the benefits of heterosis, a century-long discussion is continued to understand the underlying basis of this phenomenon. The massive increase in knowledge of various fields of science such as genetics, epigenetics, genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics persistently provide new insights to understand the reasons for the expression of hybrid vigor. In this review, we have gathered information ranging from classical genetic studies, field experiments to various high-throughput omics and computational modelling studies in order to understand the underlying basis of heterosis. The modern-day science has worked significantly to pull off our understanding of heterosis yet leaving open questions that requires further research and experimentation. Answering these questions would possibly equip today’s plant breeders with efficient tools and accurate choices to breed crops for a sustainable future.
Bacterial rice leaf blight (BLB), caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), has a massive impact on the quality and productivity of rice. Besides BLB resistant rice cultivars, herbal extracts and nanosilver have increasingly demonstrated their important roles in controlling the disease as alternatives to synthetic chemical pesticides. Therefore, this research aimed to examine the Xoo antibacterial effects of several herbal extracts and nanosilver in vitro and in vivo. In the study, Wedelia chinensis Osbeck Merr., Clerodendrum fragrans Vent., Excoecaria cochinchinensis Lour., Polyathia longifolia var. Pendula, and Caesalpinia sappan L. were extracted by maceration with six types of solvents (distilled water, 70% ethanol, chloroform, n-hexane, and 100% acetonitrile), then used in an agar diffusion test to evaluate their Xoo antibacterial effects. The results showed that 70% ethanol was the best extracting solvent for the targeted plants. C. fragrans, E. Cochinchinensis, and C. sappan showed significant antibacterial effects with inhibition zone diameters of 28.50 cm, 21.00 cm, and 25.70 cm, respectively. Finally, the individual extract from C. fragrans, E. Cochinchinensis, and C. sappan were combined with nanosilver particles and used to access BLB inhibition capacity in vivo, using the rice cultivar IR24 as the target for Xoo infection. Application of the C. fragrans extract resulted in resistance of IR24 rice to BLB. Similar results were also observed in the infected rice when products combining nanosilver and E. cochinchinensis or C. sappan were applied to infected rice leaves.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.