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The acclimation of plants to moderately high temperature plays an important role in inducing plant tolerance to subsequent lethal high temperatures. This study was performed to investigate the effects of heat acclimation and sudden heat stress on protein synthesis and degradation in creeping bentgrass (Agrostis palustris Huds.). Plants of the cultivar Penncross were subjected to two temperature regimes in growth chambers: 1) heat acclimation—plants were exposed to a gradual increase in temperatures from 20 to 25, 30, and 35 °C for 7 days at each temperature level before being exposed to 40 °C for 28 days; and 2) sudden heat stress (nonacclimation)—plants were directly exposed to 40 °C for 28 days from 20 °C without acclimation through the gradual increase in temperatures. Heat acclimation increased plant tolerance to subsequent heat stress, as demonstrated by lower electrolyte leakage (relative EL) in leaves of heat-acclimated plants compared to nonacclimated plants at 40 °C. Heat acclimation induced expression of some heat shock proteins (HSPs), 57 and 54 kDa, detected in a salt-soluble form (cystoplasmic proteins), which were not present in unacclimated plants under heat stress. However, HSPs of 23, 36, and 66 kDa were induced by both sudden and gradual exposure to heat stress. In general, total protein content decreased under both heat acclimation and sudden heat stress. Cystoplasmic proteins was more sensitive to increasing temperatures, with a significant decline initiated at 25 °C, while sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS)-soluble (membrane) protein content did not decrease significantly until temperature was elevated to 30 °C. The results demonstrated that both a gradual increase in temperature and sudden heat stress caused protein degradation and also induced expression of newly synthesized HSPs. Our results suggested that the induction of new HSPs during heat acclimation might be associated with the enhanced thermotolerance of creeping bentgrass, although direct correlation of these two factors is yet to be determined. This study also indicated that protein degradation could be associated with heat injury during either gradual increases in temperature or sudden heat stress.
Various physiological processes may deteriorate in response to increasing temperatures, contributing to the decline in turf quality for cool-season turfgrasses during heat stress. This study was performed to investigate metabolic changes (membrane lipid peroxidation, total protein content, amino acid content, and protease activity) associated with turf quality decline for creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera Huds.) in response to gradually increasing temperatures for a short duration and prolonged exposure to lethally high temperature. Plants were subjected to increasing temperatures of 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 °C for 7 days at each level of temperature [gradual heat stress (GHS)] or exposed to high temperature of 40 °C for 28 days [prolonged heat stress (PHS)] in growth chambers. During the GHS treatment, significant decline in turf quality occurred when plants were exposed to 30 °C for 7 days; simultaneously, malondialdehyde (MDA) content increased and total protein content in shoots decreased significantly compared to those at 20 °C. Protease activity increased at 25 °C and then decreased as temperature was elevated from 30 to 40 °C during the GHS treatment. Amino acid content decreased under GHS, beginning at 25 °C. Under the PHS treatment, turf quality declined and MDA content increased significantly, beginning at 14 days of PHS, while total protein content decreased at 7 days of PHS. Protease activity and amino acid content increased at 7 days of PHS, and then declined with longer stress duration. Our results indicated that protease activity, and amino acid and total protein content were more responsive to GHS or PHS than that of lipid peroxidation and turf quality. Changes in metabolic parameters of protease activity, amino acid and total protein content, and lipid peroxidation may contribute to leaf senescence and poor turf performance under severe or prolonged heat stress conditions for creeping bentgrass.
Abstract results showed that many germplasms of P. Armeniaca. P. persica and a few germplasms of P. Salicina had immersed into those of P. mume. Some cultivars (strains) possessed species characteristics coming from 2 or 3 of the 3 species in a single plant. All of the plants tested were transition types of the related varieties such as var. bungo and so on. Some new characteristics of P. mume were found in a few strains. The resources were classified into highly, mediumly and lightly backcrossed types. The mean yield index and fruit weight of highly back-crossed type (HB) were significantly higher than those of the other 2 types. The setting rate of HB was higher and significantly higher than that of lightly and mediumly type, respectively. There were no significant differences in mean bitter index and flower index among them.
Soluble acid invertase [SAI (Enzyme Commission 3.2.1.26)] plays an important role in catalyzing the hydrolysis of sucrose into hexoses and regulates floral development. Full-length cDNAs encoding RhSAI1 and RhSAI2 isoforms were cloned from Rhododendron hybrid ‘Yuqilin’ and they exhibited high amino acid sequence identity (89%) to each other. The protein sequences contain highly conserved motifs present in all SAIs, including the β-fructosidase motif N-D-P-(D/N), a putative active site W-E-C-(I/V)-D, and R-D-P. The expression of RhSAI1 and RhSAI2 genes was under spatial and temporal control. Expression of both RhSAI1 and RhSAI2 genes was most abundant in stems, and expression was lowest in roots and leaves, respectively. The expression of RhSAI2 was significantly lower than that of RhSAI1 in all organs. During floral development, RhSAI1 was highly expressed at the earliest stage (Stage I), decreased until Stage III, and increased again at the terminal stage. The pattern of RhSAI2 expression was distinctly different, showing a continuous increase during floral development. Consistent with the levels of RhSAI1 expression, SAI activity decreased during floral development and was inversely correlated with the soluble sugar content. Abundant expression of RhSAI1 at the transcriptional level in addition to high SAI activity during the initial stages of floral development may play a vital role in supplying the energy needed for rapid cell division and growth of flowers.
Plant growth and development are significantly affected by salt stress. Chrysanthemum lavandulifolium is a halophyte species and one of the ancestors of chrysanthemum (C. ×morifolium). Understanding how this species tolerates salt stress could provide vital insight for clarifying the salt response systems of higher plants, and chrysanthemum-breeding programs could be improved. In this study, salt tolerance was compared among C. lavandulifolium and three chrysanthemum cultivars by physiological experiments, among which C. lavandulifolium and Jinba displayed better tolerance to salt stress than the other two cultivars, whereas Xueshan was a salt-sensitive cultivar. Using the transcriptome database of C. lavandulifolium as a reference, we used digital gene expression technology to analyze the global gene expression changes in C. lavandulifolium seedlings treated with 200 mm NaCl for 12 hours compared with seedlings cultured in normal conditions. In total, 2254 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including 1418 up-regulated and 836 down-regulated genes, were identified. These DEGs were significantly enriched in 35 gene ontology terms and 29 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways. Genes related to signal transduction, ion transport, proline biosynthesis, reactive oxygen species scavenging systems, and flavonoid biosynthesis pathways were relevant to the salt tolerance of C. lavandulifolium. Furthermore, comparative gene expression analysis was conducted using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction to compare the transcriptional levels of significantly up-regulated DEGs in C. lavandulifolium and the salt-sensitive cultivar Xueshan, and species-specific differences were observed. The analysis of one of the DEGs, ClAKT, an important K+ transport gene, was found to enable transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana to absorb K+ and efflux Na+ under salt stress and to absorb K+ under drought stress. The present study investigated potential genes and pathways involved in salt tolerance in C. lavandulifolium and provided a hereditary resource for the confinement of genes and pathways responsible for salt tolerance in this species. This study provided a valuable source of reference genes for chrysanthemum cultivar transgenesis breeding.
Resistance to grape anthracnose [Elsinoë ampelina (de Bary) Shear] was evaluated in 13 known Vitis species and five taxonomically undescribed grapes native to China. One hundred and eight clones of Chinese Vitis species were tested under field conditions between 1990 and 1992. Berry infection did not occur in these species. Leaves displayed strong resistance to anthracnose, although intraspecific variations were observed. There was no relationship between anthracnose resistance and geographical origin of the species. Results from this study indicate that oriental grape species are useful for disease-resistance breeding.
Wild jujube (Ziziphus acidojujuba) and cultivated jujube (Ziziphus jujuba) belong to the family Rhamnaceae. Jujubes have marked drought- and salt-tolerant properties. After salt stress, wild jujube seedling growth was inhibited and photosynthetic efficiency was reduced. A bioinformatics approach was used to analyze the transcriptomics data from wild jujube seedlings grown under salt stress, and the genes differentially expressed under the salt stress were identified to provide a theoretical basis for the development and use of wild jujube plantations in salinized soil. The transcriptome sequencing from leaves of wild jujube seedlings was carried out using second-generation sequencing technology. The effects of salt stress on the differential expression of photosynthesis-related genes in wild jujube seedlings were analyzed. Transcriptome sequencing revealed a total of 5269 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), of which 2729 were up-regulated and 2540 were down-regulated. DEGs were mainly enriched with respect to photosynthesis, photosynthetic antenna proteins, glyoxylic acid and dicarboxylic acid metabolism, linolenic acid metabolism, cysteine and methionine metabolism, and porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism. Among them, the photosynthesis pathway-related DEGs were most highly enriched. Further analysis of porphyrin and chlorophyll synthesis and photosynthesis-related pathways revealed that they were significantly enriched by 97 photosynthesis-related DEGs. The DEGs in the photosynthesis and photosynthetic antenna protein pathways were down-regulated, whereas the DEGs glutamyl-tRNA reductase (HEMA), ferrochelatase (HEMH), and pheophorbide a oxygenase (PAO) in the porphyrin and chlorophyll synthesis pathways were up-regulated, with the remainder being down-regulated. The nuclear gene encoding Rubisco, the key enzyme in the photosynthetic carbon fixation pathway, was also down-regulated. The results showed that the photosynthetic rate of wild jujube seedlings decreased following exposure to salinity stress, an effect that was related to the increased synthesis of 5-aminolevulinic acid and heme, and the up-regulation of expression of a gene encoding a chlorophyll-degrading enzyme, and was related to the down-regulation of gene expression in photosynthesis-related pathways such as light energy capture and carbon fixation. Selection of nine DEGs related to photosynthesis and chlorophyll biosynthesis by quantitative real-time-PCR confirmed that expression changes of these nine DEGs were consistent with the transcriptome sequencing results.
Mutation breeding is considered to be economic and efficient in plant improvement, and the use of chemical mutagens such as ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) can potentially address plant breeding challenges. The aim of this study was to induce morphological mutants in C. indicum var. aromaticum using EMS treatments with different doses, and to analyze the morphological and physiological traits of obtained mutants in expectation of finding favorable mutants. Results revealed significant effects of EMS doses on seed germination. The sample germination rate significantly decreased with increasing of EMS doses. The obtained morphological mutants were two viable types, containing leaf and stem mutants. Overall leaf size was significantly larger as a result of EMS treatments. And the height of mutant plants was significantly higher. Anatomical characteristics exhibited changes in both leaves and stems of the mutant plants. The puncture strength of the bent stem from the mutant plants was low, with weak penetration resistance. The total lignin and cellulose contents of mutant plants stem decreased significantly as a result of the EMS treatments. These results demonstrate the efficiency of EMS to induce mutations in C. indicum var. aromaticum, and this method can be useful in the future to assist breeding of this plant.
The use of water-soluble chemical fertilizers for years under drip irrigation conditions results in soil compaction, fertility decline, and fruit quality decrease in arid areas. Currently, little research has been reported regarding the effects of increasing organic fertilizer and reducing drip chemical fertilizer on the growth of grape plants under different conditions in arid areas. In this study, five different treatments were conducted. Compared with no fertilizer for 3 consecutive years (CK) and single fertilizer for 3 consecutive years (T0), organic fertilizer plus 1 year of reducing drip chemical fertilizer (T1), organic fertilizer plus 2 years of reducing drip chemical fertilizer (T2), and organic fertilizer plus 3 years of reducing drip chemical fertilizer (T3) improved the soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC) values, and soil organic matter content to different degrees during early growth stages (15 days after anthesis) and mature stages (75 days after anthesis). The available N, P, and K contents in the T1 and T2 treatments increased significantly. With the T2 treatment, the longitudinal and transverse diameters of the ‘Summer Black’ grapes were the largest during the two fruit expansion periods. The anthocyanin content of grape peel with the T2 treatment was 22.0% higher than that with the T0 treatment. The soluble solids, sugar–acid ratio, various sugar contents, vitamin C, and total phenol of the fruit increased significantly with the T2 treatment, indicating that the T2 treatment was best for promoting grape growth and fruit quality and that the T3 treatment was the second best.