Plant Biology最新文献

{"title":"LysM domain-containing chitinases in pteridophytes: A promising resource for sustainable biopesticides.","authors":"M Annapoorneshwari, A Sharma, S Hegde","doi":"10.1111/plb.70093","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/plb.70093","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Chitinases are hydrolytic enzymes that catalyse the degradation of chitin, a major component of fungal cell walls and arthropod exoskeletons. Although extensively studied in higher plants, chitinases in pteridophytes remain largely unknown. This review examined the potential of pteridophyte chitinases as a promising resource for advanced biopesticides. Pteridophytes, including ferns and lycophytes, dating back over 450 million years, have evolved unique adaptations to terrestrial environments, suggesting they may possess novel chitinase variants. Research on fern chitinases, particularly in Pteris ryukyuensis and Equisetum arvense, has revealed distinct features, such as LysM domains, which enhance chitin-binding and antifungal activity. PrChi-A chitinase from P. ryukyuensis exhibits remarkable thermal stability and specific binding to chitin oligosaccharides, which could be advantageous for agricultural applications. Additionally, engineered multimeric LysM domains fused with catalytic domains have demonstrated enhanced antifungal effects compared to those of naturally occurring chitinases. These findings highlight the potential of pteridophyte chitinases in developing improved biopesticides against fungal pathogens. The unique evolutionary position of pteridophytes among non-vascular and seed plants suggests they may harbour additional novel chitinase variants with diverse biochemical properties. Further exploration of chitinases across various pteridophyte species could uncover enzymes with enhanced stability, specificity, and efficacy for sustainable agriculture and biotechnology. This review highlights the need for increased research on pteridophyte chitinases to harness their potential as valuable resources for cutting-edge biopesticides and other biotechnological applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":220,"journal":{"name":"Plant Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144843943","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Herbaceous plant communities respond more to seasonal precipitation than cumulative drought in the hot deserts of the United States.","authors":"T Ohlert, M Patton, A Hallmark, G Hamilton, S L Collins","doi":"10.1111/plb.70083","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/plb.70083","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The hot deserts of the southwestern United States are experiencing increased frequency, severity, and duration of drought due to anthropogenic climate change. Plant communities in these deserts differ in composition, specifically the abundance of annual and perennial species, which could differentiate responses among these ecosystems to drought. Thus, identifying how these desert plant communities respond to prolonged, severe drought is critical to assess vulnerability to climate change. We measured the response of herbaceous plant communities to 4 years of experimentally imposed severe drought in Chihuahuan, Sonoran, and Mojave Desert sites in the southwestern US. We imposed year-round passive rain exclusion treatments with a 66% reduction in ambient rainfall for 4 years at two sites in each of the three US hot deserts. We measured plant species composition and abundance in treatment and control plots during the peak growing season. Vegetative cover increased with seasonal precipitation at all six sites. Species richness and evenness varied in response to drought across all sites over the duration of the experiment. At three of the six sites, species richness increased with seasonal precipitation and at three sites species evenness decreased with seasonal precipitation. In general, we found that community structure was linked to seasonal precipitation more so than cumulative drought in these herbaceous communities of southwestern US deserts, and that these desert communities are highly resilient following prolonged, extreme drought.</p>","PeriodicalId":220,"journal":{"name":"Plant Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144833570","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of emerging compound droughts on forests: A water supply and demand perspective.","authors":"C Werner, M Bahn, T E E Grams, C Grossiord, S Haberstroh, G Lenczner, D Tuia, H Vallicrosa","doi":"10.1111/plb.70080","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/plb.70080","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The intensification of climate change-induced drought results in unprecedented tree and forest die-offs worldwide, increasingly driven by compound droughts. In this review, we examine the impacts of emerging compound droughts, which involve co-occurring stressors like soil drought and high temperature, along with elevated vapour pressure deficit over prolonged periods and at higher frequency. We explore the physiological and ecological mechanisms underlying tree water and carbon regulation during these extreme conditions, focusing on the balance between water demand and supply, the role of acclimation, and its consequences for ecosystem-level functions. By examining the mechanisms at play from the organ to the ecosystem-scale, we provide a comprehensive understanding of how trees and forests are likely to respond to an increasingly unpredictable climate with a higher likelihood of compound droughts.</p>","PeriodicalId":220,"journal":{"name":"Plant Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144820257","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"No legacy effects of severe drought on carbon and water fluxes in a Mediterranean oak forest.","authors":"S Heinrich, X Yu, J-M Limousin, C Werner, A Bastos, A Hoek van Dijke, S Walther, J Kroll, R Orth","doi":"10.1111/plb.70082","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/plb.70082","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Severe droughts affect vegetation through several processes, such as hydraulic failure, early leaf senescence, depletion of carbon reserves, and reduced growth. These, in turn, can delay drought recovery and influence ecosystem functioning beyond the drought duration. The goal of this study is to investigate the direct response and physiological recovery of a Mediterranean oak (Quercus ilex L.) forest in southern France following the 2017 drought. We analysed eddy covariance-based observations of gross primary productivity (GPP), evapotranspiration (ET) and tree sap flow measurements. To study drought recovery, we used a random forest regression model to predict vegetation functioning in the post-drought years based on hydro-meteorological conditions. Potential legacy effects can be indicated by the difference between predicted and actual values. The 2017 drought peaked in autumn, with the lowest soil moisture of the study period 2000-2021. Concurrently, we detected the lowest GPP, ET, and sap flow for this time of the year on record. Despite severe reductions in vegetation functioning during drought, we found no legacy effects on GPP, ET, and sap flow. This suggests that the physiological functioning of Q. ilex woodlands recovers rapidly and completely. We hypothesize that this fast recovery is supported by favourable pre- and post-drought hydro-meteorological conditions, as spring 2017 was unusually sunny but not water-limited, and 2018 was the wettest year in the studied record. High drought resilience of Q. ilex forests is important in the context of anticipated increase in drought frequency and intensity under climate change. However, it remains yet to be determined to what extent the drought resilience can be sustained during potentially recurrent droughts in the future.</p>","PeriodicalId":220,"journal":{"name":"Plant Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144815380","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The crop wild relative Fragaria vesca as source of resistance against strawberry anthracnose.","authors":"C Rose, I Vogt, A Reineke, J Ludwig-Müller, P Nick, C-M Geilfus","doi":"10.1111/plb.70087","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/plb.70087","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The genetic diversity of Fragaria species in situ has great potential for breeding resistance in cultivated strawberries against anthracnose disease. In this study, we investigated the host-pathogen interactions of 72 F. vesca genotypes of various German origins to identify new resistance to Colletotrichum, one of the most economically important genera of pathogens in F. × ananassa cultivation. The host-pathogen interactions were monitored by symptomatic scoring after spray-inoculation of F. vesca genotypes with monoconidial Colletotrichum isolates of different species recently determined in German strawberry fields. We observed significant variation in host-pathogen interaction, ranging from host genotypes exhibiting resistance to a single pathogen strain, to those demonstrating broad-spectrum resistance. The most promising F. vesca genotype, NO 04 002, showed resistance to at least six C. nymphaeae strains and tolerance to other pathogen species. However, the monogenetic resistance gene RCA2, known from F. × ananassa, was not detectable in any of the ancestral F. vesca genotypes, suggesting a more basal resistance. Our study demonstrates the potential of a crop wild relative (CWR), namely F. vesca, as genetic resource for resistance to economically relevant strawberry anthracnose. Since this resistance is based on nonspecific defence mechanisms in the host, it contributes to the development of breeding strategies that are less susceptible to resistance erosion, supporting more sustainable strawberry production.</p>","PeriodicalId":220,"journal":{"name":"Plant Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144797696","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Differential regulation and interactions of wheat WRKY transcription factor homoeologs in modulating iron deficiency response.","authors":"S Saini, G Verma, B R Rav, P Sharma, S B Satbhai, A K Pandey","doi":"10.1111/plb.70085","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/plb.70085","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Iron (Fe) is an essential micronutrient required for plant growth and development. Plants have evolved complex regulatory networks to maintain Fe homeostasis, including regulation of gene expression involved in Fe uptake and assimilation. Among these regulatory mechanisms, the function of WRKY transcription factors (TFs) in mediating nutrient deficiencies remain unexplored. Hence, we aimed to characterize potential roles of the wheat WRKY TFs network under Fe deficiency (-Fe). Quantitative RT-PCR evaluated expression pattern of WRKY genes under -Fe, and cycloheximide treatment for different times. Yeast-two-hybrid and split-luciferase complementation assays were used to detect WRKY-WRKY protein interactions. Yeast-one-hybrid and effector-reporter assays were used to identify affinity of WRKY TFs for W-box in the promoter region of -Fe response genes. Our results suggest that, among 40 candidate TaWRKYs, 18 were significantly upregulated in -Fe conditions. Expression of TaWRKY18-A1 and TaWRKY40 homoeologs was not affected by cycloheximide, while TaWRKY70 homoeologs remained insensitive. TaWRKY70 can interact with its homoeologs and other WRKY TFs. TaWRKY40-B4, TaWRKY18-A1 and TaWRKY70-D1 show differential binding affinities towards the W-box in the zinc-induced facilitator-like proteins TaZIFL1B and TaZIFL1D promoters. There was variation in TaWRKY gene expression under -Fe, interaction strength among TaWRKY homoeologs, and binding specificity with TaZIFL1. These findings provide a scientific basis for understanding Fe homoeostasis gene networks and the role of homoeologous WRKY TFs in -Fe responses in hexaploid wheat.</p>","PeriodicalId":220,"journal":{"name":"Plant Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144768156","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Anatomical variations along the leaf axis modulate photosynthetic responses of sorghum and maize under different water availabilities.","authors":"J P V de Oliveira, V P Duarte, C H G Dos Reis, P N da Silva, E M de Castro, P C Magalhães, F J Pereira","doi":"10.1111/plb.70084","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/plb.70084","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Water limitation leads to alterations in plants, including tolerance responses. Maize and sorghum are both C4 crops with contrasting drought tolerance, where several aspects of leaf anatomy and physiology are unclear. This work aimed to investigate the effect of drought on anatomical and photosynthetic traits along the leaf axis of maize and sorghum. Experiments were conducted in a greenhouse with maize and sorghum exposed to three irrigation conditions (field capacity (FC), 75% FC, and 50% FC). Three leaf regions (base, middle, and tip) were assessed for photosynthetic and anatomical parameters. Water limitation promoted reductions in maize leaves in terms of water-use efficiency, leaf thickness, xylem vessel diameter, and area of the bundle sheath; however, sorghum leaves increased these under the same conditions. The middle region of the leaf had higher values than other leaf parts for most parameters, while sorghum had increased ΦPSII, Fv/Fm, and ETR at the leaf base. Photochemical values increased in both species under water limitation. Maize had increased stomatal density compared to sorghum, which led to higher transpiration rates. Anatomical and photosynthetic traits varied along the leaf axis and were more reduced in maize than sorghum under drought. The middle region of the leaf was most responsive to these changes in both species.</p>","PeriodicalId":220,"journal":{"name":"Plant Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144751867","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Bract size affects resource availability and fruit set in a hummingbird-pollinated plant with distyly polymorphism.","authors":"R Trevizan, P E Oliveira, V L G Brito, L Oliveira, F Telles","doi":"10.1111/plb.70079","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/plb.70079","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Plants can use non-floral signals to advertise the presence of resources to pollinators. The distylous Psychotria poeppigiana (Rubiaceae) has reddish bracts with small yellow flowers. Similar to other bracted plants with inconspicuous flowers, such bracts may signal the presence of nectar to pollinators. We investigated whether bracts act as honest signals in P. poeppigiana and how variation in bract traits affects floral reward and fructification. We asked: (1) Is there a relation between attractive traits (i.e. bracts and flowers) and the availability (quantity) and quality of the resource offered? (2) Do bract traits influence fructification rate? We hypothesized that bracts act as an honest signal to pollinators, being positively associated with nectar quantity and quality. If the signal is honest, we also expected that bracts with more resources could potentially attract more visits and result in a higher fruit set. We tested: (1) bract and flower trait differences between long-styled (L-styled) and short-styled (S-styled) morphs; (2) the relationship between bract (size, shape, asymmetry, and colour) and flower (length and diameter) traits and floral resource availability and quality; (3) bract trait effect on fruit set; and (4) whether bract size influences the total number of flowers and bract mortality. Larger bracts were positively associated with nectar volume, number of flowers, and increased bract mortality. In contrast, smaller bracts were linked to higher fruit set. Bract colour and asymmetry had no significant effect on resource production or fruit set. We additionally found differences between morphs: the S-morph had larger bracts (10.37%), longer flowers (13.67%), and more flowers per bract (22%) than the L-morph. We conclude that bracts in P. poeppigiana act as an honest signal to pollinators, as larger bracts produced more nectar. The higher fruit set in smaller bracts and increased mortality in larger ones suggest a potential division of reproductive roles, with S-styled (larger bracts) flowers contributing to male reproductive function and L-styled (smaller bracts) to female function.</p>","PeriodicalId":220,"journal":{"name":"Plant Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144726281","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhanced expression and interaction of GmRDR1 and GmSGS3 proteins in resistant soybean cultivars synergistically regulate antiviral defense against mungbean yellow mosaic India virus.","authors":"D D Chavan, M Sarkar, A Majumdar, F Mondal, Y M Babu, S K Lal, B Mandal, R Kumar, A Roy","doi":"10.1111/plb.70078","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/plb.70078","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mungbean yellow mosaic India virus (MYMIV) causes significant losses to soybean productivity in India. Resistance to MYMIV is reported to be linked with two QTLs. It was hypothesized that within these QTLs, two RNA silencing-related genes, RNA-DEPENDENT RNA POLYMERASE-1 (GmRDR1) and SUPPRESSOR OF GENE SILENCING (GmSGS3), may have a role in governing resistance. In this study, coding regions of the above genes were sequenced from resistant (SL 1074) and susceptible (JS 335) soybean cultivars. While GmRDR1 had identical sequences in both cultivars, two synonymous SNPs in GmSGS3 were identified. Based on one of these SNPs, a CAPS marker was developed, which differentiates resistant and susceptible genotypes. In silico docking and yeast two-hybrid assays confirmed the interaction between GmRDR1 and GmSGS3. Gene expression analysis showed that resistant genotypes expressed higher levels of these transcripts after MYMIV inoculation. Additionally, reducing expression of either gene via RNA interference increased viral accumulation, indicating reduced resistance. This study highlights the critical role of GmRDR1 and GmSGS3 in soybean resistance to MYMIV, suggesting that their enhanced expression and interaction facilitate antiviral defense. Future research should explore molecular pathways involved, which could improve breeding strategies for MYMIV resistance in soybean.</p>","PeriodicalId":220,"journal":{"name":"Plant Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144726282","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Epiphyte Vanilla relies on birds as long-distance seed dispersers.","authors":"E R Pansarin","doi":"10.1111/plb.70086","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/plb.70086","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Angiosperms comprise the most diverse group of land plants. While essentially sessile organisms, flowering plants can disperse their genes through pollen flow and expand their occurrence range by means of seed dispersal. While most orchids are anemophilous, seed dispersal in Vanilla is mediated by vertebrates. Here, I investigate processes involved in the attraction and rewarding of seed dispersers of an obligatory epiphytic Vanilla through field observations, analysis of fruit morphology, resource production, fragrance release, and seed viability. Dehiscent fruits of Vanilla lindmaniana are attractive exclusively to birds. The fruit cavity contains a mucilaginous substance rich in sugar, fat, protein, and starch, which is consumed by several bird species. The basal cells of the funiculi contain calcium oxalate crystals, which are harmful to mammals. Seed viability testing revealed that seeds germinate after passing through the bird digestive tract. This is the first study describing an obligatorily ornithochorous Vanilla. A mucilaginous substance produced by Vanilla fruits is consumed by diurnal birds, corroborating fruit features compatible with ornithochory. The presence of raphides in the funiculi cells also confirms that seed dispersal of V. lindmaniana is mediated exclusively by birds. Ornithochory is pivotal in the effective dispersal of seeds in obligate epiphytic Vanilla, as it ensures that consumed seeds are taken to other phorophytes through avian faeces, allowing gene flow and the colonization of new areas and environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":220,"journal":{"name":"Plant Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144726283","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}