Conversion of lowland tropical rainforests to intensely fertilized agricultural land-use systems such as oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) plantations leads to changes in nitrogen (N) cycling. Although soil microbial-driven N dynamics has been largely studied, the role of the plant as a major component in N uptake has rarely been considered. We address this gap by comparing the root N contents and uptake in lowland rainforests with that in oil palm plantations on Sumatra, Indonesia. To this aim, we applied 15N-labeled ammonium to intact soil, measured the 15N recovery in soil and roots, and calculated the root relative N uptake efficiency for 10 days after label application. We found that root N contents were by one third higher in the rainforest than oil palm plantations. However, 15N uptake efficiency was similar in the two systems. This finding suggests that lower N contents in oil palm roots were likely caused by plant internal utilization of the absorbed N (e.g., N export to fruit bunches) than by lower ability to take up N from the soil.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/sw033291.html  15N recovery in roots was primarily driven by the amount of root biomass, which was higher in oil palm plantation than rainforest. The oil palms unveiled a high capacity to acquire N, offering the possibility of enhancing sustainable plantation management by reducing N fertilizer application. Copyright © 2020 Edy, Yelianti, Irawan, Polle and Pena.Proanthocyanidins (PAs) are a class of flavonoid compounds in plants that play many important roles in pest and disease resistance and are beneficial components of the human diet. The crabapple (Malus) provides an excellent model to study PA biosynthesis and metabolism; therefore, to gain insights into the PA regulatory network in Malus plants, we performed RNA-seq profiling of fruits of the 'Flame' cultivar at five sequential developmental stages. KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) enrichment analysis showed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to the functional category 'plant hormone signal transduction' were significantly enriched during fruit development. Further analysis showed that ethylene signal transduction pathway genes or response genes, such as ERS (ethylene response sensor), EIN3 (ETHYLENE INSENSITIVE 3) and ERFs (ethylene response factors), may play an important role in the regulatory network of PA biosynthesis. Additionally, 12 DEGs, including 10 ERFs, 1 MYB, and 1 bH two potential regulators of PA biosynthesis and provide new insights into the ethylene-PA regulatory network. Copyright © 2020 Li, Han, Yu, Wang, Zhang, Tian and Yao.Walnuts are economically important tree species in Sichuan Province (China) that provide heathy nuts. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and analyses of an early-fruiting gene fragment and simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were used to distinguish Sichuan walnut cultivars and examine their relationships with Juglans regia L. and Juglans sigillata Dode. Thirty-four small chromosomes were counted in four Sichuan walnut cultivars. In the four cultivars, 5S rDNA was located in the proximal regions of two chromosomes (5 and 6), while (AG3T3)3 was located at both ends of each chromosome. The existence of the signal at both chromosome ends ensured accurate chromosome counts. 5S rDNA and (AG3T3)3 were not effective in identifying Sichuan walnut cultivars. Evolutionary analysis involving 32 early-fruiting nucleotide sequences from Sichuan walnut materials were performed with the maximum likelihood method. There were a total of 602 positions. All positions with gaps and missing data were eliminated, resulting in a 24 (150) or CUJRA206a (192)]. The Shuling cultivar was identified by the combination of ZMZ11 (148) and other SSR loci, which distinguished and excluded the Chuanzao 1 and Yanyuanzao cultivars. Our results will guide the identification and breeding of Sichuan walnut cultivars. Copyright © 2020 Luo and Chen.The alpha gliadins are a group of more than 20 proteins with very similar sequences that comprise about 15%-20% of the total flour protein and contribute to the functional properties of wheat flour dough. Some alpha gliadins also contain immunodominant epitopes that trigger celiac disease, a chronic autoimmune disease that affects approximately 1% of the worldwide population. In an attempt to reduce the immunogenic potential of wheat flour from the U.S. spring wheat cultivar Butte 86, RNA interference was used to silence a subset of alpha gliadin genes encoding proteins containing celiac disease epitopes. Two of the resulting transgenic lines were analyzed in detail by quantitative two-dimensional gel electrophoresis combined with tandem mass spectrometry. Although the RNA interference construct was designed to target only some alpha gliadin genes, all alpha gliadins were effectively silenced in the transgenic plants. In addition, some off-target silencing of high molecular weight glutenin subunits was detected in both transgenic lines. Compensatory effects were not observed within other gluten protein classes. Reactivities of IgG and IgA antibodies from a cohort of patients with celiac disease toward proteins from the transgenic lines were reduced significantly relative to the nontransgenic line. Both mixing properties and SDS sedimentation volumes suggested a decrease in dough strength in the transgenic lines when compared to the control. The data suggest that it will be difficult to selectively silence specific genes within families as complex as the wheat alpha gliadins. Nonetheless, it may be possible to reduce the immunogenic potential of the flour and still retain many of the functional properties essential for the utilization of wheat. Copyright © 2020 Altenbach, Chang, Rowe, Yu, Simon-Buss, Seabourn, Green and Alaedini.Forage grasses are mainly used in animal feed to fatten cattle and dairy herds, and guinea grass (Megathyrsus maximus) is considered one of the most productive of the tropical forage crops that reproduce by seeds. Due to the recent process of domestication, this species has several genomic complexities, such as autotetraploidy and aposporous apomixis. Consequently, approaches that relate phenotypic and genotypic data are incipient. In this context, we built a linkage map with allele dosage and generated novel information of the genetic architecture of traits that are important for the breeding of M. maximus. From a full-sib progeny, a linkage map containing 858 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers with allele dosage information expected for an autotetraploid was obtained. The high genetic variability of the progeny allowed us to map 10 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) related to agronomic traits, such as regrowth capacity and total dry matter, and 36 QTLs related to nutritional quality, which were distributed among all homology groups (HGs).