Our results show that a high level of AFP2 is detrimental for cell function and that SnRK1α1 antagonizes AFP2-induced CD most likely through a mechanism that does not involve AFP2 protein degradation or a change in subcellular localization.Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of canola (Brassica napus) via hypocotyl segments has been a commonly used method for the past 30 years. While the hypocotyl-based method is well-established, it is not readily adapted to elite germplasm and the prolonged process is not ideal for a production transformation setting. We developed an Agrobacterium-mediated transformation method based on epicotyl and higher stem (internodal) segments that is efficient, rapid and amenable for high-throughput transformation and genome editing. The method has been successfully implemented in multiple canola genotypes. The method appears to be genotype-independent, with varying transformation efficiencies. Internodal segment transformation was used to generate transgenic events as well as CRISPR-Cas9-mediated frameshift gene knockouts.Maize is a cold-sensitive plant whose physiological reactions to sub-optimal temperatures are well understood, but their molecular foundations are only beginning to be deciphered.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/ipi-549.html  In an attempt to identify key genes involved in these reactions, we surveyed several independent transcriptomic studies addressing the response of juvenile maize to moderate or severe cold. Among the tens of thousands of genes found to change expression upon cold treatment less than 500 were reported in more than one study, indicating an astonishing variability of the expression changes, likely depending on the experimental design and plant material used. Nearly all these "common" genes were specific to either moderate or to severe cold and formed distinct interaction networks, indicating fundamentally different responses. Moreover, down-regulation of gene expression dominated strongly in moderate cold and up-regulation prevailed in severe cold. Very few of these genes have ever been mentioned in the literature as cold-stress-related, indicating that most response pathways remain poorly known at the molecular level. We posit that the genes identified by the present analysis are attractive candidates for further functional studies and their arrangement in complex interaction networks indicates that a re-interpretation of the present state of knowledge on the maize cold-response is justified.Application of plant growth promoting bacteria may induce plant salt stress tolerance, however the underpinning microbial and plant mechanisms remain poorly understood. In the present study, the specific role of phenazine production by rhizosphere-colonizing Pseudomonas in mediating the inhibitory effects of salinity on wheat seed germination and seedling growth in four different varieties was investigated using Pseudomonas chlororaphis 30-84 (wild type) and isogenic derivatives deficient or enhanced in phenazine production. The results showed that varieties differed in how they responded to the salt stress treatment and the benefits derived from colonization by P. chlororaphis 30-84. In all varieties, the salt stress treatment significantly reduced seed germination, and in seedlings, reduced relative water content, increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in leaves, and in three of four varieties, reduced shoot and root production compared to the no salt stress treatment. Inoculation of seeds with Pseu demonstrate the capacity of P. chlororaphis to improve salt tolerance in wheat seedlings by promoting plant growth and reducing osmotic stress and a role for bacterial phenazine production in reducing redox stress.Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) crop health assumes unprecedented significance in being the second most important staple crop of the world. It is host to an array of fungal pathogens attacking the plant at different developmental stages and accrues various degrees of yield losses owing to these. Tilletia indica that causes Karnal bunt (KB) disease in wheat is one such fungal pathogen of high quarantine importance restricting the free global trade of wheat besides the loss of grain yield as well as quality. With global climate change, the disease appears to be shifting from its traditional areas of occurrence with reports of increased vulnerabilities of new areas across the continents. This KB vulnerability of new geographies is of serious concern because once established, the disease is extremely difficult to eradicate and no known instance of its complete eradication using any management strategy has been reported yet. The host resistance to KB is the most successful as well as preferred strategy for its mitigare course. As such, this article could act as a one stop information primer on this economically important and re-emerging old foe threatening to cause devastating impacts on food security and well-being of communities that rely on wheat.Seed's maturity and integrity are essential requirements for germination, and they rely on nutrients availability and a correct phytohormones' balance. These aspects are prerequisites for prompt germination at the end of the dormancy period and strictly depend on chloroplast metabolism and photosynthesis. In the present work, capsules of Nicotiana tabacum were grown in dark during the whole post-anthesis period. Among others, photosynthetic rates, dormancy, and phytohormones levels in seeds were found to be significantly different with respect to controls. In particular, etiolated capsules had expectedly reduced photosynthetic rates and, when compared to controls, their seeds had an increased mass and volume, an alteration in hormones level, and a consequently reduced dormancy. The present findings show how, during fruit development, the presence of light and the related fruit's photosynthetic activity play an indirect but essential role for reaching seeds maturity and dormancy. Results highlight how unripe fruits are versatile organs that, depending on the environmental conditions, may facultatively behave as sink or source/sink with associated variation in seed's reserves and phytohormone levels.