Defensins are small cysteine-rich peptides with antimicrobial activity. We demonstrate that the alfalfa antifungal peptide (alfAFP) defensin isolated from seeds of Medicago sativa displays strong activity against the agronomically important fungal pathogen Verticillium dahliae. Expression of the alfAFP peptide in transgenic potato plants provides robust resistance in the greenhouse. Importantly, this resistance is maintained under field conditions. There have been no previous demonstrations of a single transgene imparting a disease resistance phenotype that is at least equivalent to those achieved through current practices using fumigants.

No abstract

Conjugated polymers exhibit potential for the development of next-generation stretchable electronics. However, an understanding of molecular aggregation during solution processing and its influence on thin-film morphology is still underexplored. Here, the influences of molecular aggregation on the film morphology, phase purity and phase separation, and mechanical and electrical properties of a partially compatible blend of conjugated polymer poly(indacenodithiophene-co-benzothiadiazole) (IDTBT) and elastomer polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene-ran-butylene)-block-polystyrene (SEBS) were systematically examined. When using high-boiling-point (b.p.) solvents, namely, toluene and chlorobenzene, large-scale liquid−liquid phase separation predominates IDTBT aggregation in blend films, leading to isolated IDTBT domains and, thus, poor electrical performance. In contrast, fast solvent evaporation from low-b.p. chloroform suppresses large-scale phase separation and enhances IDTBT aggregation via nanoconfinement effect. The nanoconfinement effect enables us to achieve a stretchable film with a low elastic modulus of 72 MPa, a respectable crack-onset strain of 326% (ca. 3−14 times larger than the neat IDTBT films), and a negligible loss of mobility (ca. 0.7 cm 2 V −1 s −1 ) at 100% strain. These results provide insight into molecular aggregation and thin-film morphology in conjugated polymer/elastomer blends for high-performance stretchable electronics.

In this work, high voltage and high performance 3 V asymmetric supercapacitors were obtained by combining a VN nanowire electrode with an ultra-high concentration “water in salt” electrolyte.

Indica-japonica variation represents the most significant genetic differentiation in Asian cultivated rice (Oryza sativa L. subsp. indica Kato or subsp. japonica Kato). Understanding the differentiation and distribution patterns of cultivated rice along altitude gradients will facilitate strategic utilization and conservation of rice germplasm from mountainous regions. In this study, we analyzed 203 varieties and 14 wild accessions of rice collected from localities across an altitude gradient between 450 and 2,350 m above sea level in Yunnan, China, applying the ''InDel molecular index'' developed recently. Results from PCA of the InDel data demonstrated significant genetic differentiation of rice varieties from Yunnan into indica and japonica types. A few cultivars and nearly all wild rice accessions showed only moderate or no differentiation. Further analyses demonstrated a clear distribution pattern of the rice varieties in the mountainous region: indica varieties were grown across the entire altitude gradient in the sampling areas, but most japonica varieties were found above 1,400 m. These results clearly indicated that indica rice could be cultivated in areas at much higher altitudes than those categorized by the traditional methods. The knowledge opens a new dimension for introducing indica rice varieties to mountainous regions at higher altitudes and for selecting rice germplasm in these regions. In addition, the pattern of significant indicajaponica differentiation in rice varieties from Yunnan suggested the exotic origin of cultivated rice, which did not support the hypothesis that Yunnan is a part of the center of origin of rice, although it is certainly one of the centers of genetic diversity for rice.