FaMYB44.2 is a novel transcriptional repressor that modulates both ripening-related and jasmonic acid-related sucrose accumulation in strawberry receptacles.
Strawberry is increasingly used as a model plant for research on fruit growth and development. The transient gene manipulation (TGM) technique is widely used to determine the function of plant genes, including those in strawberry fruits. However, its reliable application for the precise identification of gene function has been difficult owing to the lack of conditional optimization. In this study, we found that successful transient gene manipulation requires optimization, with the vector type, temperature, and fruit developmental stage being three major factors determining success. Notably, we found that transient gene manipulation was feasible only from the large green fruit stage onwards, making it especially suitable for identifying genes involved in strawberry fruit ripening. Furthermore, we established a method called percentage difference of phenotype (PDP), in which the functional effect of a gene could be precisely and efficiently identified in strawberry fruits. This method can be used to estimate the functional effect of a gene as a value from 0 to 100%, such that different genes can be quantitatively compared for their relative abilities to regulate fruit ripening. This study provides a useful tool for accelerating research on the molecular basis of strawberry fruit ripening.
Banana
plants (Musa spp.) are susceptible to infection
by many plant-parasitic nematodes, including Meloidogyne
incognita. In this study, a mixed fermentation broth
of chicken manure (CM) and cassava ethanol wastewater (CEW) was used
to inhibit M. incognita by reducing
egg hatching and by having a lethal effect on second-stage juvenile
nematodes (J2s). It also alleviated nematode damage and promoted banana
plant growth. Using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS),
we identified methyl palmitate and methyl stearate as bioactive compounds.
These bioactive compounds repelled J2s and inhibited egg hatching;
reduced root galls, egg masses, and nematodes in soil; and downregulated
the essential parasitic nematode genes Mi-flp-18 and 16D10. A Caenorhabditis elegans offspring assay showed that low concentrations of the fermentation
broth, methyl palmitate, and methyl stearate were safe for its life
cycle. This study explored the effective and environmentally safe
strategies for controlling root-knot nematodes.
Healthy soils are essential for sustainable agricultural development and soil health requires careful assessment with increasing societal concern over environmentally friendly agricultural development. Soil health is the capacity of soil to function within ecological boundaries to sustain productivity, maintain environmental quality, and promote plant and animal health. Physical, chemical and biological indicators are used to evaluate soil health; the biological indicators include microbes, protozoa and metazoa. Nematodes are the most abundant metazoa and they vary in their sensitivity to pollutants and environmental disturbance. Soil nematode communities are useful biological indicators of soil health, with community characteristics such as abundance, diversity, community structure and metabolic footprint all closely correlated with the soil environment. The community size, complexity and structure reflect the condition of the soil. Both free-living and plant-parasitic nematodes are effective ecological indicators, contributing to nutrient cycling and having important roles as primary, secondary and tertiary consumers in food webs. Tillage inversion, cropping patterns and nutrient management may have strong effects on soil nematodes, with changes in soil nematode communities reflecting soil disturbance. Some free-living nematodes serve as biological models to test soil condition in the laboratory and because of these advantages soil nematodes are increasingly being used as biological indicators of soil health.
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.