Plant Breeders' Perspectives on Improving Yield and Quality Traits in Horticultural Food Crops

Breeders of horticultural food crops are usually concerned with multiple traits related to yield and quality as well as other traits such as biotic and abiotic stresses. Yield in these crops is not solely tonnage of biomass produced in the field. Rather, it is the proportion of the crop that can be harvested and brought to market in a condition and at a price acceptable to the consumer. Quality may include flavor, color, shape, size, degree of damage, nutrient levels, and traits that permit greater perceived food safety or environmental sustainability. Some traits may exhibit phenotypic associations. Traits with unfavorable associations will be of concern to the breeder if the cause is unfavorably correlated genetic effects, especially those resulting from pleiotropy. Several multiple trait selection schemes have been developed, including independent culling levels, tandem selection, and index selection. These schemes can result in improvement even for traits with unfavorable associations. However, the breeder must have a strong rationale for each trait addressed in a breeding program because each additional trait necessitates larger breeding populations and more resources. Thus, the breeder's first challenge for each crop is to determine which traits are most important and which issues are most amenable to a breeding solution.

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Genetically Modified Crops

Advances in Environmental Engineering and Green Technologies - Environmental Issues Surrounding Human Overpopulation ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-1683-5.ch006 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 104-119

Author(s):

Amit Srivastava ◽

Claudia Edith Torres-Vargas

Keyword(s):

Genetic Engineering ◽

Human Health ◽

Abiotic Stresses ◽

Genetically Modified ◽

Genetically Modified Crops ◽

Food Crops ◽

Direct Impact ◽

Biotic And Abiotic Stresses ◽

Relevant Issue ◽

Open Questions

Genetic engineering and modification of food crops has been emerged as one of the most relevant issue for debate due to concern over its direct impact on human health and environment. The striking development and advancement of biotechnological techniques lead to the generation and production of genetically modified plants with improved features such as increased resistance against biotic and abiotic stresses. In spite of all the success made by plant geneticist, the genetic engineering of food crops is still in its infancy and there is a need to carefully notice the issues that can be directly detrimental to the environment and human health. Further, from a basic genetics perspective, genetically modified foods may possess unpredictable components and their unintended amount that can be far different than the desired alteration. Open questions and challenges for production and application of genetically modified crops will be discussed in the current chapter.

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Biological Mechanisms of Plant Interactions With a Combination of Biotic and Abiotic Stresses

10.3389/978-2-88945-952-0 ◽

2019 ◽

Keyword(s):

Abiotic Stresses ◽

Plant Interactions ◽

Biological Mechanisms ◽

Biotic And Abiotic Stresses

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An R2R3-type myeloblastosis transcription factor MYB103 is involved in phosphorus remobilization

Food Production, Processing and Nutrition ◽

10.1186/s43014-020-00038-6 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Fangwei Yu ◽

Shenyun Wang ◽

Wei Zhang ◽

Hong Wang ◽

Li Yu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Wall ◽

Transcription Factor ◽

Abiotic Stresses ◽

Myb Transcription Factor ◽

Ethylene Signaling ◽

Biotic And Abiotic Stresses ◽

P Deficiency ◽

P Concentration ◽

Increased Sensitivity

Abstract The members of myeloblastosis transcription factor (MYB TF) family are involved in the regulation of biotic and abiotic stresses in plants. However, the role of MYB TF in phosphorus remobilization remains largely unexplored. In the present study, we show that an R2R3 type MYB transcription factor, MYB103, is involved in phosphorus (P) remobilization. MYB103 was remarkably induced by P deficiency in cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata L.). As cabbage lacks the proper mutant for elucidating the mechanism of MYB103 in P deficiency, another member of the crucifer family, Arabidopsis thaliana was chosen for further study. The transcript of its homologue AtMYB103 was also elevated in response to P deficiency in A. thaliana, while disruption of AtMYB103 (myb103) exhibited increased sensitivity to P deficiency, accompanied with decreased tissue biomass and soluble P concentration. Furthermore, AtMYB103 was involved in the P reutilization from cell wall, as less P was released from the cell wall in myb103 than in wildtype, coinciding with the reduction of ethylene production. Taken together, our results uncover an important role of MYB103 in the P remobilization, presumably through ethylene signaling.

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Characterization of Nucleotide Binding Site-Encoding Genes in Sweetpotato, Ipomoea batatas(L.) Lam., and Their Response to Biotic and Abiotic Stresses

Cytogenetic and Genome Research ◽

10.1159/000515834 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-15

Author(s):

Zengzhi Si ◽

Yake Qiao ◽

Kai Zhang ◽

Zhixin Ji ◽

Jinling Han

Keyword(s):

Binding Site ◽

Abiotic Stresses ◽

Ipomoea Batatas ◽

Expression Profiles ◽

Nucleotide Binding ◽

Regulatory Elements ◽

Nucleotide Binding Site ◽

Biotic And Abiotic Stresses ◽

Encoding Genes

Sweetpotato, Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam., is an important and widely grown crop, yet its production is affected severely by biotic and abiotic stresses. The nucleotide binding site (NBS)-encoding genes have been shown to improve stress tolerance in several plant species. However, the characterization of NBS-encoding genes in sweetpotato is not well-documented to date. In this study, a comprehensive analysis of NBS-encoding genes has been conducted on this species by using bioinformatics and molecular biology methods. A total of 315 NBS-encoding genes were identified, and 260 of them contained all essential conserved domains while 55 genes were truncated. Based on domain architectures, the 260 NBS-encoding genes were grouped into 6 distinct categories. Phylogenetic analysis grouped these genes into 3 classes: TIR, CC (I), and CC (II). Chromosome location analysis revealed that the distribution of NBS-encoding genes in chromosomes was uneven, with a number ranging from 1 to 34. Multiple stress-related regulatory elements were detected in the promoters, and the NBS-encoding genes’ expression profiles under biotic and abiotic stresses were obtained. According to the bioinformatics analysis, 9 genes were selected for RT-qPCR analysis. The results revealed that IbNBS75, IbNBS219, and IbNBS256 respond to stem nematode infection; IbNBS240, IbNBS90, and IbNBS80 respond to cold stress, while IbNBS208, IbNBS71, and IbNBS159 respond to 30% PEG treatment. We hope these results will provide new insights into the evolution of NBS-encoding genes in the sweetpotato genome and contribute to the molecular breeding of sweetpotato in the future.

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Potential applications of biogenic selenium nanoparticles in alleviating biotic and abiotic stresses in plants: A comprehensive insight on the mechanistic approach and future perspectives

Green Processing and Synthesis ◽

10.1515/gps-2021-0047 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 456-475

Author(s):

Efat Zohra ◽

Muhammad Ikram ◽

Ahmad A. Omar ◽

Mujahid Hussain ◽

Seema Hassan Satti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Abiotic Stresses ◽

Crop Production ◽

Plant Secondary Metabolites ◽

Selenium Nanoparticles ◽

Future Research ◽

Biotic And Abiotic Stresses ◽

Biotic Stresses ◽

Agriculture Sector ◽

Developmental Growth ◽

Potential Applications

Abstract In the present era, due to the increasing incidence of environmental stresses worldwide, the developmental growth and production of agriculture crops may be restrained. Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) have precedence over other nanoparticles because of the significant role of selenium in activating the defense system of plants. In addition to beneficial microorganisms, the use of biogenic SeNPs is known as an environmentally friendly and ecologically biocompatible approach to enhance crop production by alleviating biotic and abiotic stresses. This review provides the latest development in the green synthesis of SeNPs by using the results of plant secondary metabolites in the biogenesis of nanoparticles of different shapes and sizes with unique morphologies. Unfortunately, green synthesized SeNPs failed to achieve significant attention in the agriculture sector. However, research studies were performed to explore the application potential of plant-based SeNPs in alleviating drought, salinity, heavy metal, heat stresses, and bacterial and fungal diseases in plants. This review also explains the mechanistic actions that the biogenic SeNPs acquire to alleviate biotic and abiotic stresses in plants. In this review article, the future research that needs to use plant-mediated SeNPs under the conditions of abiotic and biotic stresses are also highlighted.

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Whole-Genome DNA Methylation Analysis in Hydrogen Peroxide Overproducing Transgenic Tobacco Resistant to Biotic and Abiotic Stresses

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants10010178 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 178

Author(s):

Ana L. Villagómez-Aranda ◽

Luis F. García-Ortega ◽

Irineo Torres-Pacheco ◽

Ramón G. Guevara-González

Keyword(s):

Hydrogen Peroxide ◽

Dna Methylation ◽

Transgenic Tobacco ◽

Stress Responses ◽

Abiotic Stresses ◽

Methylation Status ◽

Physiological Adaptation ◽

Whole Genome ◽

Sequencing Analysis ◽

Biotic And Abiotic Stresses

Epigenetic regulation is a key component of stress responses, acclimatization and adaptation processes in plants. DNA methylation is a stable mark plausible for the inheritance of epigenetic traits, such that it is a potential scheme for plant breeding. However, the effect of modulators of stress responses, as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), in the methylome status has not been elucidated. A transgenic tobacco model to the CchGLP gene displayed high H2O2 endogen levels correlated with biotic and abiotic stresses resistance. The present study aimed to determine the DNA methylation status changes in the transgenic model to obtain more information about the molecular mechanism involved in resistance phenotypes. The Whole-genome bisulfite sequencing analysis revealed a minimal impact of overall levels and distribution of methylation. A total of 9432 differential methylated sites were identified in distinct genome regions, most of them in CHG context, with a trend to hypomethylation. Of these, 1117 sites corresponded to genes, from which 83 were also differentially expressed in the plants. Several genes were associated with respiration, energy, and calcium signaling. The data obtained highlighted the relevance of the H2O2 in the homeostasis of the system in stress conditions, affecting at methylation level and suggesting an association of the H2O2 in the physiological adaptation to stress functional linkages may be regulated in part by DNA methylation.

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