The history of rye cultivation in Europe

During recent years finds from several prehistoric and medieval periods have thrown new light on the history of the spread of rye. It is now proven that wild rye is indigenous to Anatolia and was already domesticated there by the early Neolithic at the beginning of agriculture. Secale migrated to Central Europe as a weed among other cereals, and single grains of weed rye have been recorded there since the early Neolithic. The number of finds increased during the Bronze Age and Iron Age, and the status of rye changed from weed to crop plant, probably in the course of the early Iron Age. This acculturation of Secale cereale in central and eastern Europe was obviously independent of the earlier one in Anatolia. The first stages towards deliberate cultivation happened unintentionally through harvesting close to the ground, so that the rye was permanently represented in the seed corn. From this point rye was able to take advantage of its competitive strength on poor soils and in areas with unfavourable climate. The start of rye as a crop in its own right during the pre-Roman Iron Age and Roman period presumably took place independently in different areas. The expansion of intensive rye cultivation occurred in the Middle Ages. However, new finds from north-west Germany, which are presented here, show that in this area rye has been cultivated as a main crop on poor soils since the Roman period. In two maps all rye finds up to 1000 A.D. are shown, which after critical consideration can be regarded as cultivated rye.     

Expressed sequence tag-based gene expression analysis under aluminum stress in rye

To understand the mechanisms responsible for aluminum (Al) toxicity and tolerance in plants, an expressed sequence tag (EST) approach was used to analyze changes in gene expression in roots of rye (Secale cereale L. cv Blanco) under Al stress. Two cDNA libraries were constructed (Al stressed and unstressed), and a total of 1,194 and 774 ESTs were generated, respectively. The putative proteins encoded by these cDNAs were uncovered by Basic Local Alignment Search Tool searches, and those ESTs showing similarity to proteins of known function were classified according to 13 different functional categories. A total of 671 known function genes were used to analyze the gene expression patterns in rye cv Blanco root tips under Al stress. Many of the previously identified Al-responsive genes showed expression differences between the libraries within 6 h of Al stress. Certain genes were selected, and their expression profiles were studied during a 48-h period using northern analysis. A total of 13 novel genes involved in cell elongation and division (tonoplast aquaporin and ubiquitin-like protein SMT3), oxidative stress (glutathione peroxidase, glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase, and ascorbate peroxidase), iron metabolism (iron deficiency-specific proteins IDS3a, IDS3b, and IDS1; S-adenosyl methionine synthase; and methionine synthase), and other cellular mechanisms (pathogenesis-related protein 1.2, heme oxygenase, and epoxide hydrolase) were demonstrated to be regulated by Al stress. These genes provide new insights about the response of Al-tolerant plants to toxic levels of Al.     

Callus induction and regeneration in sugarcane under drought stress

Tissue culture methods are useful in assessing the tolerance of various stresses due to the ease of controlling stress under in vitro conditions. This study aimed to investigate the response of sugarcane genotyps to drought stress using calli as a model system. For inducing sugarcane callus, the medium of Murashige and Skoog (MS) was used with different mannitol concentrations (100, 200, and 300 mM) to measure their effects on callus frequency, the day of callus initiation, embryogenic potential, relative growth rate (RGR), water and proline contents, K⁺ and Na⁺ contents, as well as the formation of shoot and roots for three sugarcane genotypes (e.g., GT 54-9, G 84-47, and pH 8013). The RAPD-PCR analysis was carried out using five oligonucleotide primers to identify the genetic variation among sugarcane genotypes. The results indicated that the degree of callus proliferation varied from 70 − 86%. The highest value of callus proliferation, PGR, shoot formation was recorded for the genotype GT 54-9 compared to the other two genotypes (G 84-47 and pH 8013). Calli treated with 100 mM mannitol showed the highest RGR, proline and waer contents for the genotype GT 54-9, while, those treated with 300 mM recorded the lowest values of these parameters for the genotype pH 8013. The genotype G 84-47 collected highest Na⁺ content, while the genotype pH 8013 collected highest K⁺ content. The results of this study recommend preference for GT 54-9 genotype, which is considered the most promising genotype, showing more tolerance to drought stress based on all studied traits.     

Forage grasses under drought stress in conditions of Poland

Crop performance and yield are the results of genotypic expression as modulated by continuous interaction with the environment. Among the environmental factors, water is one of the most important, which limits the crop production on a global basis. Water resources in the world are steadily diminishing, and in many areas, including Poland, more frequent periods of drought are observed. There are many problems that are specifically related to water scarcity: an extremely dynamic nature of plant water status, relationship to the severity of the effects of water, time stress during ontogeny of plants, and the interaction of water stress with other environmental variables. The paper presents a review of recent literature on the effect of the grasses to drought stress at the level of physiological processes and the possibility of yielding. A better understanding of how long-term growth and yield are affected by water stress should aid in improving irrigation efficiency and practices, in modifying plants for more efficient water use, and in developing effective dry-land agriculture.     

Spatio-temporal heterogeneity in Arabidopsis thaliana leaves under drought stress

Using chlorophyll (chl) fluorescence imaging, we studied the effect of mild (MiDS), moderate (MoDS) and severe (SDS) drought stress on photosystem II (PSII) photochemistry of 4-week-old Arabidopsis thaliana. Spatio-temporal heterogeneity in all chl fluorescence parameters was maintained throughout water stress. After exposure to drought stress, maximum quantum yield of PSII photochemistry (F(v)/F(m)) and quantum efficiency of PSII photochemistry (Φ(PSΙΙ)) decreased less in the proximal (base) than in the distal (tip) leaf. The chl fluorescence parameter F(v) /F(m) decreased less after MoDS than MiDS. Under MoDS, the antioxidant mechanism of A. thaliana leaves seemed to be sufficient in scavenging reactive oxygen species, as evident by the decreased lipid peroxidation, the more excitation energy dissipated by non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) and decreased excitation pressure (1-q(p)). Arabidopsis leaves appear to function normally under MoDS, but do not seem to have particular metabolic tolerance mechanisms under MiDS and SDS, as revealed by the level of lipid peroxidation and decreased quantum yield for dissipation after down-regulation in PSII (Φ(NPQ)), indicating that energy dissipation by down-regulation did not function and electron transport (ETR) was depressed. The simultaneous increased quantum yield of non-regulated energy dissipation (Φ(NO)) indicated that both the photochemical energy conversion and protective regulatory mechanism were insufficient. The non-uniform photosynthetic pattern under drought stress may reflect different zones of leaf anatomy and mesophyll development. The data demonstrate that the effect of different degrees of drought stress on A. thaliana leaves show spatio-temporal heterogeneity, implying that common single time point or single point leaf analyses are inadequate.     

Photosynthetic performance of two coffee species under drought

Coffea arabica cv. Red Catuaí and C. canephora cv. Kouillou were grown in pots beneath a plastic shelter. When they were 14 months old, irrigation was withheld until the leaf pre-dawn water potential was about -1.5 and -2.7 MPa (designated mild and severe water stress, respectively). Under mild stress, net photosynthetic rate (PN) decreased mainly as a consequence of stomatal limitations in Kouillou, whereas such decreases were dominated by non-stomatal limitations in Catuaí. Under severe drought, further decreases in PN and apparent quantum yield were not associated to any changes in stomatal conductance in either cultivar. Decreases were much more pronounced in Catuaí than in Kouillou, the latter maintained carbon gain at the expense of water conservation. In both cultivars the initial chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence slightly increased with no changes in the quantum efficiency of photosystem 2. In response to rapidly imposed drought, the Chl content did not change while saccharide content increased and starch content decreased. Photoinhibition and recovery of photosynthesis, as evaluated by the ratio of variable to maximum fluorescence and by the photosynthetic O2 evolution, were unaffected by mild drought stress. Photoinhibition was enhanced under severe water deficit, especially in Catuaí. In this cultivar the O2 evolution did not resume upon reversal from photoinhibition, in contrast to the complete recovery in Kouillou.     

Photosynthetic performance of two coffee species under drought

Coffea arabica cv. Red Catuaí and C. canephora cv. Kouillou were grown in pots beneath a plastic shelter. When they were 14 months old, irrigation was withheld until the leaf pre-dawn water potential was about -1.5 and -2.7 MPa (designated mild and severe water stress, respectively). Under mild stress, net photosynthetic rate (PN) decreased mainly as a consequence of stomatal limitations in Kouillou, whereas such decreases were dominated by non-stomatal limitations in Catuaí. Under severe drought, further decreases in PN and apparent quantum yield were not associated to any changes in stomatal conductance in either cultivar. Decreases were much more pronounced in Catuaí than in Kouillou, the latter maintained carbon gain at the expense of water conservation. In both cultivars the initial chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence slightly increased with no changes in the quantum efficiency of photosystem 2. In response to rapidly imposed drought, the Chl content did not change while saccharide content increased and starch content decreased. Photoinhibition and recovery of photosynthesis, as evaluated by the ratio of variable to maximum fluorescence and by the photosynthetic O2 evolution, were unaffected by mild drought stress. Photoinhibition was enhanced under severe water deficit, especially in Catuaí. In this cultivar the O2 evolution did not resume upon reversal from photoinhibition, in contrast to the complete recovery in Kouillou. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Physiological and biochemical adaptations in lentil genotypes under drought stress

Drought is a major restrictive factor for declining grain yield in lentil globally. Present investigation was conducted by taking microsperma (HUL-57) and macrosperma (IPL-406) genotypes of lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) as information regarding physiological and biochemical basis of differences in drought resistance in macrosperma (bold-seeded) and microsperma (small-seeded) are not well understood. Pot grown plants were exposed to drought stress at specific phenophase viz. mid-vegetative, flower initiation and pod formation stage by withholding irrigation till the plants experienced one cycle of permanent wilting (PWP). Genotypes exhibited substantial differences for most of the measured traits under drought irrespective of the phenophase of stress imposed. Under drought HUL-57 had lower CMI, higher CSI, lower values of Δ¹³C, maintained higher SLN, accumulated more N and efficiently remobilized accumulated N to developing seeds. Higher chlorophyll content, increased accumulation of osmotically active solutes viz. soluble sugars and proline under drought stress was evident in HUL-57. Drought induced H₂O₂ accumulation and lipid peroxidation in both genotypes, but increments were of lesser magnitudes in HUL-57. Drought stress of pod formation stage followed by flower initiation stage was most damaging than the stress imposed at mid-vegetative stage in both genotypes. HUL-57 showed a better drought resistance capacity than IPL-406. Drought indices viz. DSI, STI and MP are proposed as criterion to identify and breed lentil genotypes for drought conditions.     

Growth and physiological alterations in Niger cultivars under drought stress

Aim of the present study was to determine differential responses in growth and physiology of tolerant (cv. IGPN 2004) and sensitive (cv. GA 10) cultivars of Niger (Guizotia abyssinica Cass.) using in vitro grown calli under water deficit conditions. The calli were subjected to drought stress using PEG-8000 (–0.16,–0.45,–0.87,–1.42 bar) for 15 d and relative growth rate (RGR), percent tissue water content (% TWC), osmolytes (proline–Pro, glycine betaine—GB, total soluble sugars—TSS) accumulation, malondialehyde (MDA) content as well as antioxidant enzyme activities such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and catalase (CAT) were analysed. Our findings showed that RGR and percent TWC was decreased significantly with the intensity of drought stress in both cultivars, but the RGR reduction was least (five folds) in cv. IGPN 2004 than in cv. GA 10 (6.2 folds). In osmolyte accumulation such as Pro and GB, cv. IGPN 2004 was found superior (5.5 and ten folds higher, respectively) to tolerate drought stress than GA 10; however, no change was observed in TSS accumulation. Further, it was noted that cv. IGPN 2004 caused least oxidative damage to the membranes. It also exhibited better SOD, CAT and APX activities and had higher α-tocopherol content. The least reduction in growth and MDA content and higher osmolytes and antioxidant activities in cv. IGPN 2004 revealed more drought stress tolerance at cellular level. It was suggested that increased drought tolerance of cv. IGPN 2004 was coupled with its better maintenance of RGR, percent TWC, reduced lipid peroxidation, more accumulation of osmolytes and higher antioxidant enzymes.     

Morpho-physiological and molecular characterization of drought tolerance traits in Gossypium hirsutum genotypes under drought stress

Drought stress is one of the major abiotic stresses affecting lint yield and fibre quality in cotton. With increase in population, degrading natural resources and frequent drought occurrences, development of high yielding, drought tolerant cotton cultivars is critical for sustainable cotton production across countries. Six Gossypium hirsutum genotypes identified for drought tolerance, wider adaptability and better fibre quality traits were characterized for various morpho-physiological and biochemical characters and their molecular basis was investigated under drought stress. Under drought conditions, genotypes revealed statistically significant differences for all the morpho-physiological and biochemical traits. The interaction (genotype × treatment) effects were highly significant for root length, excised leaf water loss and cell membrane thermostability indicating differential interaction of genotypes under control and stress conditions. Correlation studies revealed that under drought stress, relative water content had significant positive correlation with root length and root-to-shoot ratio while it had significant negative correlation with excised leaf water loss, epicuticular wax, proline, potassium and total soluble sugar content. Analysis of expression of fourteen drought stress related genes under water stress indicated that both ABA dependent and ABA independent mechanisms of drought tolerance might be operating differentially in the studied genotypes. IC325280 and LRA5166 exhibited ABA mediated expression of stress responsive genes and traits. Molecular basis of drought tolerance in IC357406, Suraj, IC259637 and CNH 28I genotypes could be attributed to ABA independent pathway. Based on physiological phenotyping, the genotypes IC325280 and IC357406 were identified to possess better root traits and LRA5166 was found to have enhanced cellular level tolerance. Variety Suraj exhibited good osmotic adjustment and better root traits to withstand water stress. The identified drought component trait(s) in specific genotypes would pave way for their pyramiding through marker assisted cotton breeding.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s12298-020-00890-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Effects of free proline accumulation in petunias under drought stress

Petunias (Petunia hybrida cv. 'Mitchell') accumulate free proline (Pro) under drought-stress conditions. It is therefore believed that Pro acts as an osmoprotectant in plants subjected to drought conditions. Petunia plants were transformed by Delta(1)-pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase genes (AtP5CS from Arabidopsis thaliana L. or OsP5CS from Oryza sativa L.). The transgenic plants accumulated Pro and their drought tolerance was tested. The Pro content amounted to 0.57-1.01% of the total amino acids in the transgenic plants, or 1.5-2.6 times that in wild-type plants grown under normal conditions. The transgenic plant lines tolerated 14 d of drought stress, which confirms that both P5CS transgenes had full functionality. Exogenous L-Pro treatment caused the plants to accumulate Pro; plants treated with 5 mM L-Pro accumulated up to 18 times more free Pro than untreated plants. Exogenous L-Pro restricted the growth of wild-type petunias more than that of Arabidopsis plants. The capacity for free Pro accumulation might depend on the plant species. The growth of petunia plants was influenced not only by the Pro concentration in the plants, but by the ratio of the Pro content to the total amino acids, because the growth of the transgenic petunia plants appeared normal.     

Proteome analysis of sugar beet leaves under drought stress

Drought is one of the major factors limiting the yield of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.). The identification of candidate genes for marker-assisted selection (MAS) could greatly improve the efficiency of breeding for increased drought tolerance. Drought-induced changes in the proteome could highlight important genes. Two genotypes of sugar beet (7112 and 7219-P.69) differing in genetic background were cultivated in the field. A line-source sprinkler irrigation system was used to apply irrigated and water deficit treatments beginning at the four-leaf stage. At 157 days after sowing, leaf samples were collected from well-watered and drought-stressed plants for protein extraction and to measure shoot biomass and leaf relative water content. Changes induced in leaf proteins were studied by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and quantitatively analyzed using image analysis software. Out of more than 500 protein spots reproducibly detected and analyzed, 79 spots showed significant changes under drought. Some proteins showed genotype-specific patterns of up- or downregulation in response to drought. Twenty protein spots were analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), leading to identification of Rubisco and 11 other proteins involved in redox regulation, oxidative stress, signal transduction, and chaperone activities. Some of these proteins could contribute a physiological advantage under drought, making them potential targets for MAS.     

Response of alfalfa to putrescine treatment under drought stress

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L. cv. Siwa 1) seeds were germinated in polyethylene glycol (PEG 4000) of different concentrations and with or without putrescine. The decrease in water potential of the PEG solution reduced germination rate, germination percentage, and growth criteria (e.g., hypocotyl length, fresh and dry masses of shoot and root), while the root length was increased. The decrease in water potential also reduced the contents of total soluble and reducing sugars, and proteins, and activities of α-and β-amylases and invertase, while increased protease activity. Putrescine treatment improved germination and all growth criteria and increased the activity of the hydrolytic enzymes except protease. In a pot experiment, drought stress was imposed by decreasing the soil moisture. Growth criteria, contents of proteins, chlorophyll a, b and carotenoids, as well as Hill reaction activity decreased while the hydrolytic enzyme activity and total soluble and reducing sugar contents increased under drought stress. Putrescine treatment decreased the activity of the hydrolytic enzymes and increased the polysaccharide, protein and photosynthetic pigment contents, and Hill reaction activity.     

干旱胁迫下亚精胺对玉米幼苗抗旱性影响的生理生化机制

为探究外源亚精胺(Spd)在增强玉米干旱胁迫耐受性中的作用,以‘先玉335’(干旱不敏感型)和‘丰禾1’(干旱敏感型)为试验材料,采用营养液水培法,研究了15%聚乙二醇(PEG-6000)模拟干旱胁迫下,外源Spd (0.1 mmol·L^-1)对玉米幼苗生长、光合特性、叶绿素含量、渗透调节物质、活性氧生成、膜质过氧化及根系活力的影响.结果表明:干旱胁迫下,外源Spd处理可显著促进干旱胁迫下玉米幼苗的生长;提高叶绿素含量、净光合速率(P_n)、气孔导度(g_s)、蒸腾速率(T_r)和水分利用效率(WUE),减缓‘丰禾1’叶片中胞间CO₂浓度(C_i)的升高,有效减轻干旱胁迫对玉米幼苗叶片光合作用的气孔限制和非气孔限制;增加脯氨酸和可溶性糖的含量;降低O₂^-·生成速率、H₂O₂和丙二醛(MDA)含量、细胞膜透性,有效缓解了胁迫对膜的伤害;增强幼苗根系活力;其中干旱敏感品种‘丰禾1’变化幅度大于耐旱品种‘先玉335’.表明在干旱胁迫下,外源Spd能促进玉米幼苗对光能的捕获与转换,增强光合作用,促进幼苗的生长,并能够通过减少玉米幼苗体内活性氧的产生,增加渗透调节物质的积累以稳定细胞膜系统,提高根系活力,从而增强幼苗对干旱逆境的适应性,且对干旱敏感品种‘丰禾1’的效果更显著.     

干旱胁迫下紫花苜蓿根系形态变化及与水分利用的关系

采用盆栽实验方法研究了紫花苜蓿(品种:陇东和阿尔冈金)根系形态、生物量、蒸腾耗水量等对持续干旱的反应及与水分利用效率(WUE)间的关系,以期揭示紫花苜蓿对干旱胁迫的适应机制。结果表明:干旱胁迫使得紫花苜蓿根系形态特征在年季间、茬次间和品种间发生了显著变化,主要表现为主根伸长生长受到抑制、主根直径变细、侧根和根系总长度伸长生长则被促进、根系表面积和直径≥1mm的侧根数目显著增加、根系生物量下降,这是紫花苜蓿对干旱逆境的适应策略,但这种适应性存在限度。另一方面,干旱胁迫条件下紫花苜蓿草产量和蒸腾耗水量也因生长年限、茬次和品种的不同而呈现不同程度的降低。紫花苜蓿根系形态性状(总根长、根系生物量与根冠比)与植株水分利用效率间具有显著的相关性,其中根重对水分效率的影响是第一位的。WUE在根系形态与冠层水分消耗的协同变化下得到有限提高。对干旱的耐性最终表现为第2年第1年、第1茬和第2茬第3茬、陇东阿尔冈金。     

SMXLs regulate seed germination under salinity and drought stress in soybean

Plant Growth Regulation - Soybeans are one of the most important crops worldwide, but yield and quality can be severely affected by abiotic stresses. Genes in the Suppressor of MAX2 1-Like (SMXL)...