Recurrent drought threatens wheat production in semi-arid regions, prioritizing the identification of resilient genetic resources for pre-breeding. This study characterized 60 CIMMYT CIMCOG genotypes for drought resilience, evaluating them under well-watered and water-deficient conditions across two seasons (2023–2024) in a multiyear field design. Leaf water status traits (RWC, IWC, WSD, RSD, LWC, RWL, ELWR) and chlorophyll fluorescence traits (SPAD, PI, Fv/Fm) were assessed alongside grain yield, with genotypes ranked using integrated selection tools (BLUPs, YSI, MFV, and PCA). Water deficit reduced photosynthetic efficiency and yield, though genotypic variation was substantial. RWC, SPAD, PI, and ELWR showed high heritability and were positively associated with GY under stress; PCA confirmed these traits clustered with GY. Based on YSI and MFV rankings, nine genotypes (CIMCOG 59, 8, 50, 30, 22, 33, 25, 34, 55) performed consistently well across stability indices and are proposed as candidate donors for further evaluation. This work extends prior CIMCOG characterization by combining excised-leaf water retention with chlorophyll-fluorescence traits and integrated stability metrics, identifying RWC, SPAD, PI, and ELWR as heritable physiological traits associated with yield stability under drought. As findings rest on two- season correlations, further multi-environment validation is needed though results support these traits as screening tools for semi-arid environments.
Marker-assisted selection (MAS) accelerates conventional breeding and enables precise evaluation of target traits. Gene pyramiding is an effective strategy for combining multiple favorable genes to improve plant performance. In this study, genes associated with high fiber strength, salt stress tolerance, and increased yield were integrated into a single genotype using a gene pyramiding approach. Seven Gossypium hirsutum cultivars/lines were used to develop complex F2 populations, which were evaluated using phenotypic and molecular approaches. Salt tolerance was assessed during germination and early seedling stages under 150 and 200 mM NaCl treatments. Fiber quality traits were determined using the HVI system, while yield potential was estimated by lint percentage. Molecular analysis with 160 SSR markers, of which 55 were polymorphic, detected 152 alleles, revealing considerable genetic diversity (2.76 alleles per locus; PIC = 0.37-0.66; He = 0.41-0.66). Promising F2 individuals combining desirable traits were identified, exhibiting fiber strength of 34.4-37.4 g/tex, lint percentage up to 39.05%, and stable performance under salt stress. These findings demonstrate that MAS combined with gene pyramiding can effectively integrate favorable alleles for fiber quality, yield, and salinity tolerance from three parental genotypes into a single genetic background, providing a promising strategy for cotton improvement.
Heat stress is a major abiotic constraint limiting cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) productivity under climate change. This study evaluated the integrated molecular and physiological responses of fifteen upland cotton cultivars exposed to acute heat stress (45 degrees C for 6 h) followed by recovery under controlled phytotron conditions. The relative expression of antioxidant genes encoding catalase (GhCAT), peroxidase (GhPOD), and superoxide dismutase (GhSOD) was quantified using RT-qPCR with UBQ as a reference. The net photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (E), stomatal conductance (W), leaf-air temperature difference (Delta T), and vapor pressure deficit (VPD) were assessed. Heat stress significantly altered gene expression and gas exchange traits (ANOVA, p < 0.05). The heat-tolerant cultivars showed strong induction of GhCAT (18.4-fold) and GhPOD (17.1-fold), whereas the susceptible genotypes exhibited limited activation and extreme GhSOD overexpression (up to 133-fold). The tolerant cultivars maintained higher Pn (7-8 & micro;mol m(-2) s(-1)), greater transpirational cooling (Delta T to -7.27 degrees C), and lower VPD (2.6-3.2 kPa), while sensitive cultivars showed severe photosynthetic decline (<3 & micro;mol m(-2) s(-1)) and elevated VPD (>4.5 kPa). Principal component analysis separated tolerant and sensitive genotypes. Coordinated GhCAT and GhPOD activation with stable gas exchange underpins heat tolerance and supports integrated molecular-physiological screening for breeding programs.
Platanthera transversa is a common orchid in western North America yet it is poorly studied. This makes it difficult to understand the breadth of pollinators and floral attractant mechanisms present, both of which are vital to understanding the dynamics of its pollinator interactions and fecundity as well as floral evolution. Continuous video capture, hand-pollination, and bagging experiments were used to identify pollinators and determine if self-pollination was possible. Nectar volume and composition were assessed, and culturable nectar bacteria were identified by sequencing the 16S rRNA region from pure isolates. We found two moth pollinators and an absence of self-fertilization when pollinators were excluded. Nectar volume was highest in the morning. Microbial species richness in nectar was low overall, but highest in the older flowers. Our study provides a comprehensive assessment of pollination and nectar in P. transversa, identifying several future research themes that could advance our understanding of plant-pollinator-microbe systems.
This study investigated the efficacy of rice straw-derived biochar in mitigating cypermethrin (CY) and deltamethrin (DL) uptake in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) grown in contaminated sandy loam soil (10 mg kg(-)& sup1;). Biochar was applied at 0%-1% (w/w), with 0.5% showing optimal results: 35% longer shoots (DL), 43%-47% higher soluble proteins, 34% more chlorophyll a, and 54% lower malondialdehyde (MDA), indicating reduced oxidative stress. Nutrient levels also increased, particularly Ca (20%), Mg (33%), and Na (10%). Biochar immobilizes pesticides, reducing the root concentration factor (RCF) and bioconcentration factor (BCF) to 0.05-0.06 mg kg(-)& sup1; at 1%, thereby limiting translocation and residue risk. CY exhibited lower short-term (0.12) and long-term (0.14) risk than DL. Biochar has enhanced crop resilience, improved food safety, and demonstrated sustainable waste valorization, supporting SDGs 2, 3, and 12.
Trichoderma species are well known biological control agents due to their production of bioactive metabolites and ability to induce plant defense responses. This study evaluated the biocontrol potential of Trichoderma yunnanense TM10 against Rhizoctonia solani K & uuml;hn, the causal agent of rice sheath blight, using in vitro assays, metabolomic analyses, and greenhouse experiments. Secondary metabolite extracts of T. yunnanense TM10 showed strong antifungal activity, with ethyl acetate extracts inhibiting mycelial growth by up to 75.43%. HS-SPME-GC-MS analysis identified 13 volatile organic compounds, dominated by ethanol and cyclotetrasiloxane, while LC-MS/MS revealed 19 non-volatile metabolites, including peptaibols, siderophores, antimicrobial peptides, and plant defense-related compounds. Greenhouse trials demonstrated significant disease suppression, reducing disease severity from 62% to 8%, and enhancing rice physiological and defense responses. T. yunnanense TM10 also promoted rice growth and biomass accumulation. Overall, T. yunnanense TM10 shows strong potential as an eco-friendly biocontrol agent for sustainable management of rice sheath blight.
The plant microbiome, often referred to as the ‘second genome,’ is a key yet underutilized determinant of plant health and ecosystem function. As climate change accelerates, harnessing this microbial resource is critical for food security and carbon mitigation. The phytobiome is not passive but an engineerable system that can enhance crop resilience under environmental stress. Climate stress disrupts plant–microbe interactions and destabilizes microbial networks, potentially triggering adverse soil carbon feedbacks. This review presents a framework for phytobiome engineering that integrates synthetic microbial consortia, plant-driven microbiome selection, and ecological design to improve stress tolerance and soil carbon sequestration. By incorporating multi-omics, artificial intelligence, and predictive modeling, we propose a data-driven approach to microbiome stewardship. However, field-scale implementation remains challenging due to ecological complexity and context dependency. Future research should prioritize long-term field validation and integrative modeling to support sustainable, climate-resilient agricultural systems worldwide.
Phaseolus vulgaris L., common bean. An essential global food security in developing nations because of its nutritional benefits and its capacity to increase soil fertility by fixing nitrogen. Nevertheless, its productivity is being threatened by climate change, which causes frequent drought, heat stress, and pest. Although there is pressure to develop climate-resilient varieties. However, traditional breeding techniques are not meeting the complex challenges posed by climate change. This review offers a critical assessment of why CB landraces with abundant genetic diversity are being underutilized and contemporary breeding methods, including genomic selection, genome-wide association studies, and gene editing, could increase resilience to environmental stress. Limited inclusion of landraces in breeding programs and a lack of multi-stress resistance in existing breeding strategies were identified as research gaps. The hypothesis is that combining traditional landrace diversity with advanced breeding technologies may result in more resilient types facing various climatic stresses. The review describes interdisciplinary solutions, such as participatory breeding and climate-sensitive farming techniques. The outcomes include genetic resources knowledge, breeding approaches, and molecular resources to achieve resilience in CB. Multi-trait resilience, cooperative breeding, and incorporation of sophisticated molecular equipment, in developing areas, were proposed to guarantee food and economic stability amid climate change.
Mediterranean agriculture is increasingly threatened by climate change, with rising temperatures, prolonged droughts and pest outbreaks reducing crop productivity and sustainability. Endophytic fungi, particularly dark septate endophytes (DSEs), are emerging as promising allies to enhance plant resilience against abiotic and biotic stress. This study isolated 415 endophytic fungi from halophytic and xerophytic plant roots in arid, saline environments. From these, 52 isolates-mainly DSEs-were selected based on morphology and evaluated for antagonism against 15 phytopathogens, plant growth-promoting traits (IAA and siderophore production, phosphate and potassium solubilization), enzymatic activity, biofilm formation and fungicide compatibility. Molecular identification (BLAST) placed the isolates in 11 Ascomycota families plus one oomycete (Pythiaceae). Most isolates showed strong antagonism (>75%) and did not cause disease symptoms in tomato, pepper or bean seedlings; instead, they significantly increased shoot and/or root biomass under controlled conditions. Many produced amylase, cellulase, chitinase and ligninolytic enzymes, and several formed biofilms. Copper oxychloride, metrafenone and prothioconazole were fully compatible with the isolates, whereas azoxystrobin, flutriafol and difenoconazole + cyflufenamid were mostly toxic. These results highlight the potential of specific endophytic fungi as multifunctional bioinoculants for sustainable agriculture in environments affected by salinity and drought.
This study investigates the effects of 24-epibrassinolide (BR) on the biochemical and physiological responses of basil (Ocimum basilicum L. cv purpurascens Benth) under cadmium (Cd) and drought stress. Under extreme conditions (25% field capacity (FC) + 30 mg kg-1 Cd), BR priming resulted in reinforced antioxidative response, with catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activities increasing by 42% and 29%, respectively, compared to unprimed plants. Despite a drastic reduction in flavonoid content (41%) and unchanged phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) enzymatic activity and total phenolic content, individual phenolic compounds, including apigenin (116%), rutin (110%), cinnamic acid (80%), and caffeic acid (40%), were significantly increased. Concurrently, BR enhanced the accumulation of methyleugenol (81%), trans-beta-farnesene (31%), and caryophyllene (20%), while markedly reducing the uptake of metals, such as Cd by 89%, and iron (Fe) by 87%. These findings demonstrate that BR seed priming serves as an adaptive strategy to strengthen basil's physiological defenses under stress.
Fungal diseases threaten global food security, causing up to 40% yield losses. Nitrogen availability shapes plant immunity, yet the detailed morphological, physiological, and molecular understanding of its role in plant-pathogen interactions remains limited. We examined chili pepper infected with Colletotrichum fructicola under varying nitrogen supplies. Disease severity increased with higher nitrogen, with the largest lesions observed at 30 mM, while pigment levels were nitrogen-dependent. Lower leaves accumulated more nitrate, correlating with greater lesion expansion. Analysis of publicly available Arabidopsis datasets identified response to nitrogen compound, stress, and hormone signaling as conserved fungal responses. In chili pepper, expression analysis of selected genes involved in nitrogen metabolism, hormone signaling, and stress responses revealed induction of most genes, including WRKY25 and TT8, under low nitrogen upon infection. These findings suggest that nitrogen status is associated with changes in defense-related responses, highlighting nitrogen management as a potential factor influencing crop resilience to fungal pathogens.
A few crop species, such as lablab, pigeon peas, cowpeas, and Bambara nuts, possess some abilities to tolerate drought conditions. Despite its multipurpose and promising drought resilience, lablab has been the subject of few studies examining its initial biochemical responses to drought stress in dry regions. This study aimed to assess the biochemical responses of lablab accessions to water stress in leaves at the seedling stage to determine potential drought-resilient accessions. Lablab was selected because of its multiple benefits, such as drought resilience, rich sources of different nutrients, especially protein, and its role in conservation agriculture compared to other legumes. In this study, water stress was selected as the parameter of interest because drought is among the major abiotic challenges that contribute significantly to the decline of food productivity worldwide. Fifteen lablab accessions were subjected to both water-stressed (ST) and non-stressed (NS) environments in three replicates in a screenhouse after emergence. The experiments included two checks. Data collection was conducted on the ST and NS experiments involving four biochemical responses, i.e. total chlorophyll content, phenolic content, flavonoid content, and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content, which were measured every two days. ANOVA and post hoc Tukey tests (p <= 0.05) were conducted using GenStat and R software to assess differences among the accessions across seedling traits, days, and water regimes (WRs). The results showed a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the biochemical responses based on accessions, WRs, and their interactions. While the total chlorophyll content was significantly suppressed by ST conditions, the levels of total phenolic content and flavonoid content increased in response to the elevated H2O2 content. These findings highlight the important role of biochemical traits in drought adaptation. The accessions HA4, D352, D349, D250, D311, D359, D147, and D55 emerged as the best drought-tolerant (DT) candidates. The recognition of these accessions as the DT accessions necessitates further validation through molecular trait correlation and field evaluation under arid or semiarid conditions.
Climate change-induced salinity stress significantly threatens global soybean production. This study evaluated the physiological and photosynthetic responses of three soybean varieties (Afigat, Gishama, Pawi-2) under controlled salt stress to identify promising tolerant germplasm. We found that increasing salinity generally reduced the water content, relative water content (RWC), chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv/Fm), and photosynthetic pigments. Conversely, adaptive mechanisms were evident in the increased water uptake and retention capacities. Multivariate analysis, specifically Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and GGE Biplot models, was employed to rigorously interpret the complex physiological data. These analyses identified WUC, RWC, chlorophyll a, and Fv/Fm as the most critical indicators for salt tolerance screening. Based on these key traits, the variety Pawi-2 demonstrated superior physiological adaptation, while Gishama was the most susceptible. The research validates multivariate techniques for effective genotype selection and identifies physiologically resilient Pawi-2 as a valuable genetic resource for molecular breeding programs, which requires subsequent confirmation of agronomic performance under field conditions.
Gibberella ear rot (GER) and Fusarium ear rot (FER) are fungal diseases that cause substantial yield and quality losses. The endosperm-specific expression of barley nepenthesin 1 (HvNEP-1) conferred Fusarium head blight resistance in barley. Here, we overexpressed HvNEP-1 in the maize endosperm. Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation generated 11 independent transgenic events (14 T0 plants) and 19 T1 transgenic lines (OE’s) after backcrossing to the WT. HvNEP-1 was significantly expressed in the seeds and silk tissues of the OE’s. The OE and non-transformed (NT) wild-type (WT) plants showed insignificant differences in plant height, number of ears and thousand kernel weight (TKW) in both the GER and FER studies. However, the ears of OE’s had significantly lower GER and FER infection rates than the NT/WT ears. Moreover, seeds of NT/WT contained substantially higher contents of DON and NIV toxins than the OE seeds. This study highlights the potential of HvNEP-1 for controlling fungal diseases in crops.
The coffee berry borer (CBB) is the most significant pest affecting coffee in Colombia and, globally, attracted primarily to volatiles from ripe fruits. To identify volatiles involved in host recognition, we conducted olfactometry assays using coffee fruits at different ripening stages and synthetic mixtures. A blend of limonene (25 ppm) and pinene (200 ppm) was significantly more attractive to CBB than ripe fruits or a methanol-ethanol (3:1) lure. GC-MS confirmed both compounds in the coffee fruits, with limonene being the most abundant, especially in the ripe fruits. We identified and analyzed the terpene synthase genes responsible for limonene and pinene biosynthesis in Coffea arabica. qPCR showed these genes are exclusively expressed in fruits, with limonene synthase expression 100% higher in ripe fruits, which is correlated with peak CBB attraction. Pinene synthase also varied across ripening stages. These findings demonstrate the developmental regulation of volatile production linked to CBB behavior, revealing potential targets for pest control strategies.
Agricultural productivity is encountering escalating challenges globally due to abiotic stresses driven by climate change, such as drought, salinity, extreme temperatures, and heavy metal toxicity, all of which significantly hinder plant growth and crop yields. Nanotechnology presents exciting possibilities by utilizing nanoparticles (NPs) that bolster plant resilience through various intricate mechanisms. This review brings together the latest developments in the use of various nanomaterials, including titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, carbon nanotubes, and more, to mitigate abiotic stress. This approach uniquely combines physiological, biochemical, molecular, and epigenetic perspectives to provide a thorough understanding of how nanoparticles influence antioxidant defenses, phytohormone signaling, gene expression, and nutrient uptake in response to stress conditions. Additionally, this review explores advanced nanocarrier systems that facilitate targeted delivery and regulated release of agrochemicals, emphasizing new developments in precision agriculture and environmental safety. This work offers vital insights and future directions by addressing existing knowledge gaps and exploring challenges associated with nanoparticle toxicity, environmental effects, and regulatory frameworks, all of which are crucial for promoting sustainable, nanotechnology-driven agricultural practices amid increasing climate challenges.
Rose flowers are small in summer, which restricts their industrial development. Light regulates flower organ development in summer, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown. Changes in flower bud differentiation and flower morphology were observed between rose varieties and seasons; the flower size of ‘Corolla’ was compared under different light intensity treatments, and transcriptome data analysis and qPCR verification were conducted to identify responsible genes. Summer flowers and cell numbers and sizes were smaller than autumn flowers. In summer, the change in the flower size of ‘Corolla’ under different light intensities was not significant, but differences occurred between the 8- and 12-h groups, and flower bud differentiation started 7 days after treatment initiation in these groups. Transcriptome analysis indicated that auxin regulatory genes (RhARF8, RhSAUR72, and RhATL3) are key genes in summer flower development. A model of molecular mechanisms involved in regulating summer flower development through light length was constructed.
