Soil salinity poses severe constraints to wheat productivity. Nevertheless, genotypic variation in salt tolerance and the miRNA-mediated regulatory networks underlying this trait remain poorly understood. In the present study, we evaluated salt tolerance across 25 Zhenmai wheat genotypes and systematically characterized salt-responsive miRNAs from 4 genotypes exhibiting contrasting salt tolerance. Among those genotypes, Z10 and Z23005 exhibited markedly greater salt tolerance than the sensitive genotypes Z23 and Z26, as evidenced by greater shoot biomass and less shoot Na⁺ accumulation under salt stress. Small RNA sequencing revealed distinct miRNA expression profiles between salt-tolerant and salt-sensitive genotypes. Tolerant genotypes possessed a unique set of salt-responsive differentially expressed miRNAs, whose predicted target genes were significantly enriched in biological pathways associated with ion homeostasis, transcriptional regulation, and stress defence metabolism. Co-expression network analysis identified 12 novel hub miRNAs potentially involved in the regulation of wheat responses to salt stress. Further screening identified 7 candidate genotype-specific miRNAs that target critical salt-tolerance genes, including NHX transporters, MYB/bZIP/WRKY transcription factors, and stress-responsive protein kinases. This study delineates genotype-specific miRNA regulatory cascades governing wheat salt tolerance and identifies promising molecular candidates for genetic improvement of salt tolerance in cultivated wheat.
The ICE1-CBF-COR cascade has framed plant cold-stress biology for two decades, but revised ICE1 models, CBF-SKIP liquid-liquid phase separation, and antisense-RNA activation of CBF via R-loops reveal network-level complexity beyond the linear paradigm. We organize current knowledge as eight functionally coupled layers—cold perception and calcium signaling; transcriptional control; epigenetic and non-coding RNA regulation; post-translational modification and protein stability; hormone signaling; ROS and metabolic regulation; CBF-independent parallel pathways; and feedback/feed-forward control. We present this multilayered organization explicitly as an evidence-organized conceptual framework, not as a fully resolved molecular network, because some inter-layer connections rest on correlational or indirect evidence. We distinguish direct molecular and genetic evidence from transcriptomic or physiological inference and do not treat genetic and direct molecular evidence as equivalent. Cross-species comparisons reveal marked climate-associated divergence and caution against transferring Arabidopsis models uncritically to crops. We survey gene-family evolution, multilayered regulation, climate-zone divergence and breeding applications, and scrutinize unresolved issues—condensate physiology, ICE1 redundancy, CBF-independent pathways-alongside blind spots such as model-organism bias and the lab-to-field gap. Mapping where the field stands and diagnosing these gaps should help future work generate substantive, rather than incremental, insight into how plants sense and respond to low temperature.
Determining the physiological quality of peanut seeds immediately after harvest remains a challenge due to seed dormancy, which delays the execution of germination and vigor tests. Although ethylene is known to be involved in the regulation of seed dormancy, its application under field conditions as a strategy to anticipate the expression of seed physiological quality remains poorly explored. In this study, we evaluated the use of ethylene, applied via ethephon to plants, to promote dormancy release and to anticipate the assessment of peanut seed vigor. Field experiments were conducted using different ethephon doses (0, 0.75, 1.5, 3.0 and 6.0 L ha⁻¹) and application timings (0, 85, 95, and 105 days after emergence). The results showed that higher doses significantly reduced dormancy and enhanced the expression of vigor-related traits, regardless of application timing. Transcriptomic analysis during seed maturation revealed stage-specific expression patterns of genes associated with gibberellins, abscisic acid, and ethylene pathways throughout development. These findings suggest that ethylene is involved in the regulation of seed dormancy, possibly through interactions with key hormonal pathways associated with the processes of dormancy acquisition and release. Overall, our results demonstrate that the application of ethylene in seed production fields represents an effective strategy to anticipate the evaluation of physiological quality, contributing to improved decision-making in seed production, selection, and certification programs.
The increasing demand for rice necessitates strategies to enhance grain number and seed productivity. The multi-kernel rice genotype Jugal, characterized by multiple carpels within a single spikelet, exhibits a unique trait that increases kernel number. However, the external similarity between single- and multi-kernel seeds limits efficient identification. In this study, a non-destructive X-ray imaging approach was employed to identify multi-kernel seeds and evaluate the effect of phytohormones on their formation and associated productivity traits. Digital radiography reliably distinguished internal kernel structure without affecting seed germination and showed comparable accuracy to soft X-ray computed tomography-based imaging. Field experiments conducted across dry and wet seasons revealed a strong cytokinin effect on multi-kernel formation. Zeatin application at 45 µM produced the highest response, with up to a 9.48-fold increase over the control, while kinetin showed moderate effects and gibberellic acid and 2, 4-D were less effective. Cytokinin treatments also improved seed filling, 1000-seed weight, and seedling vigour. Multi-kernel seeds exhibited high germination (> 97
Coffee production is increasingly threatened by extreme weather events. Agroforestry systems integrating coffee with shade trees are regarded as a climate-adaptive strategy for buffering environmental stress. Understanding the physiological responses of Coffea arabica L. under heterogeneous shade conditions is key to optimizing shade management. During a historical drought in Taiwan, we examined leaf physiology, source–sink balance, and seed composition of coffee trees across four distinct natural shade environments: no shade (NS, 100
