Functional Plant Biology

Functional Plant Biology publishes new and significant information on the functional biology of plants at all scales from the molecular through whole plant to community. Read more about the journalMore

Editor-in-Chief: Sergey Shabala

Publishing Model: Hybrid. Open Access options available.

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Latest

These articles are the latest published in the journal. Functional Plant Biology has moved to a continuous publication model. More information is available on our Continuous Publication page.

Published online 26 April 2024

FP23091Blue light regulated lignin and cellulose content of soybean petioles and stems under low light intensity

Wei He

, Qiang Chai, Cai Zhao, Aizhong Yu, Zhilong Fan, Wen Yin, Falong Hu, Hong Fan, Yali Sun and Feng Wang

Increasing plant density is an important way to improve soybean yields, but risks increased lodging. Light plays a crucial role in regulating structural polymers that provide mechanical support to plants. Under a low light intensity, blue light regulated lignin and cellulose content of soybean petioles and stems. Under low light intensity, 20% blue light enhanced petiole length and lignin content; whereas 50% blue light increased cellulose content in stems and lowered plants’ centre of gravity, preventing lodging and saving carbohydrate allocation.

Published online 26 April 2024

FP23272Enhanced photochemical efficiency of PSII in Prosopis juliflora suggests contribution to invasion advantage over native C₃ xero-halophytes under salt stress

Ahmad Zia

, Salman Gulzar and Alexander V. Ruban

Modulating photochemistry renders significant competitive physiological advantage. PSII photochemistry enhances the performance index of energy conservation (PI_ABS). Enhanced pigment contents and stoichiometry upregulate energy fluxes and yields.

Published online 26 April 2024

FP23144Overexpression of TaMPK3 enhances freezing tolerance by increasing the expression of ICE-CBF-COR related genes in the Arabidopsis thaliana

Rui Wang, Mengmeng Yu, Xin Zhao, Jingqiu Xia, Jing Cang and Da Zhang

Cold tolerance in crop plants is an important topic, and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) play important roles in plant stress response. However, the regulatory function of TaMPK3 in freezing tolerance in wheat (Triticum aestivum) remains unknown. This study initially revealed the role of TaMPK3 in freezing tolerance, and broadened our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying MAPs regulation of plant cold tolerance.

Published online 26 April 2024

FP24032Small ubiquitin-like modifiers E3 ligases in plant stress

Shantwana Ghimire

, Md Mahadi Hasan and Xiang-Wen Fang

Plants respond to stresses like salt, drought, cold, heat, heavy metals and pathogens by modifying certain proteins using small ubiquitin-like modifiers. This process is facilitated by a class of compounds known as E3 ligases. We provide a comprehensive overview of E3 ligases and their substrates associated with biotic and abiotic stresses, elucidating the diverse and complex mechanisms by which this pathway facilitates plant survival under stress conditions. These essential insights are crucial for comprehending plant molecular reactions to such stresses.

This article belongs to the Collection Functional Genomics for Developing Climate Resilient Crops.

Published online 26 April 2024

FP23295Genomic blueprints of soybean (Glycine max) pathogen resistance: revealing the key genes for sustainable agriculture

Aiman Hina

, Muhammad Khuram Razzaq

, Asim Abbasi

, Muhamad Basit Shehzad, Muhammad Arshad, Tayyaba Sanaullah, Kamran Arshad, Ghulam Raza

, Hayssam M. Ali, Faisal Hayat, Naeem Akhtar and Nader R. Abdelsalam

Soybean (Glycine max) is an important oil, protein and biodiesel crop, but various diseases cause economic losses and putting global nutritional stability at risk. It’s crucial for scientists to work together to study soybean genes and how they respond to diseases and stress. This will help us meet the growing food demand and adapt to environmental changes, ensuring a strong future for agriculture.

This article belongs to the Collection Functional Genomics for Developing Climate Resilient Crops.

Published online 26 April 2024

FP23205Physiological responses of the microalgae Thalassiosira weissflogii to the presence of the herbicide glyphosate in the medium

Ekaterina Solomonova

, Natalia Shoman

and Arkady Akimov

Glyphosate inhibits the growth of the microalgae Thalassiosira weissflogii by reducing the efficiency of the photosynthetic apparatus, and provoking depolarisation of mitochondrial membranes and oxidative stress in algae cells. Glyphosate remains toxic in water for at least 9 days, and can lead to a change in the species structure of natural biocoenoses.

Published online 22 April 2024

FP23236Responses to lead stress in Scrophularia striata: insights into antioxidative defence mechanisms and changes in flavonoids profile

Reyhaneh Danaeipour, Mohsen Sharifi

and Azam Noori

We investigated the effects of lead (Pb) on the oxidative reactions and antioxidative responses of Scrophularia striata (a member of the Scrophulariaceae family) under hydroponic culture. Our results indicated that S. striata activates the enzymatic and the non-enzymatic defence system under Pb stress.

Published online 19 April 2024

FP24034Understanding the role of the fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase gene for enhancing the photosynthetic rate in Arabidopsis thaliana

Fatima Gulzar, Raza Ahmad, Suk-Yoon Kwan, Zulqurnain Khan, Sulaiman Ali Alharbi, Mohmmad Maroof Shah, Shoaib ur Rehman, Maria Siddique, Mohammad Javed Ansari, Irum Shahzadi, Muhammad Abu Bakar Saddique

, Muhmmad Zahid Ishaq and Ummara Waheed

Transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana (ecotype Columbia) were successfully transformed with the gene that encodes for the enzyme fructose-1,6 -bisphosphatase. Transgenic plants were taller, had more leaves and more chlorophyll, used water more efficiently and allowed gases to pass more easily through the leaf pores. These changes all resulted in enhanced photosynthetic rate compared to wild type plants.

This article belongs to the Collection Functional Genomics for Developing Climate Resilient Crops.

Published online 15 April 2024

FP23249Identification and analysis of MATE protein family in Gleditsia sinensis

Zisiye Mu, Zhun Liang, Jing Yang, Shixiang Wei, Yang Zhao and Heying Zhou

Multidrug and toxic compound extrusion (MATE) is a new secondary transporter family that plays a key role in secondary metabolite transport. This article aims to identify the MATE protein family in Gleditsia sinensis and to reveal the possible functions of this gene family, as well as the different expression of the MATE protein family in different tissues of Gleditsia sinensis. It lays the groundwork for further functional characterisation of this significant family of transporters in Gleditsia sinensis.

Published online 15 April 2024

FP24011Shrub leaf area and leaf vein trait trade-offs in response to the light environment in a vegetation transitional zone

Dingyue Liu, Chengzhang Zhao

, Geyang Li, Zhini Chen, Suhong Wang, Chenglu Huang and Peixian Zhang

The leaf is an important site for energy acquisition and material transformation in plants. Leaf functional traits and their trade-off mechanisms reflect the resource utilisation efficiency and habitat adaptation strategies. We studied the trade-off relationships of leaf area with leaf midvein diameter and leaf vein density in Cotoneaster multiflorus. The results show the adaptability of C. multiflorus to environments with high light and low soil water content, which explains the expansion in the shrub’s geographic distribution.

Published online 15 April 2024

FP24012Both external and internal factors induce heterogeneity in senescing leaves of deciduous trees

Heta Mattila

, Sergey Khorobrykh

and Esa Tyystjärvi

Autumn senescence does not often proceed uniformly. Notably, green pigments (chlorophylls) disappear and red pigments (anthocyanins) appear unevenly along leaf blades of senescing leaves of deciduous trees. We show that only green parts of senescing leaves show efficient recovery from photodamage and that red parts contain high amounts of antioxidants and thus, produce little harmful reactive oxygen species (singlet oxygen). To fully understand tree physiology, the heterogenous nature of (autumn) senescence should be considered.

Published online 09 April 2024

FP23312Exogenous Streptomyces spp. enhance the drought resistance of naked oat (Avena nuda) seedlings by augmenting both the osmoregulation mechanisms and antioxidant capacities

Meixia Qiao

, Siyuan Lv, Yuejing Qiao, Wen Lin, Zhiqiang Gao, Xiwang Tang, Zhenping Yang and Jie Chen

Drought severely limits plant growth, and the application of beneficial microorganisms may help plants against drought. We studied whether and how two exogenous Streptomyces spp. benefit naked oats (Avena nuda) under drought condition, and found that these two Streptomyces spp. improved the growth and changed the physiological features of oat plants. The use of exogenous Streptomyces may be an effective way to improve the drought resistance of plants.

Published online 09 April 2024

FP23195The roles of non-structural carbohydrates in fruiting: a review focusing on mango (Mangifera indica)

Gerhard C. Rossouw

, Ryan Orr, Dale Bennett and Ian S. E. Bally

Ever wondered why mangoes sometimes vary in size and quantity or why fruit trees produce a lot of fruit in one season followed by little fruit the next season? This paper delves into the hidden role of starch and sugars in the fruiting process. By revealing how these carbohydrates influence flowering, fruit growth, and more, we provide insights into achieving more reliable and higher-quality fruit production in the long run.

FP23195 Abstract | FP23195 Full Text | FP23195PDF (2.1 MB) Open Access Article

Published online 09 April 2024

FP23252_COCorrigendum to: Physiological and biochemical assortment in different wheat genotypes (Triticum aestivum L.) under rain fed conditions

Syeda Okasha Javed, Shahid Iqbal Awan, Sania Shouket, Kotb A. Attia, Zhu Xi, Arif Ahmed Mohammed, Sher Aslam Khan, Sayeda Tanavish Javed and Yasir Majeed

FP23252_CO Full Text | FP23252_COPDF (130 KB)

Published online 04 April 2024

FP23269Functional characterisation of Dof gene family and expression analysis under abiotic stresses and melatonin-mediated tolerance in pitaya (Selenicereus undatus)

Osama Alam, Latif Ullah Khan, Adeel Khan, Saleh H. Salmen, Mohammad Javed Ansari, Fizza Mehwish, Mushtaq Ahmad, Qamar U. Zaman and Hua-Feng Wang

In the current study, we conducted a systematic genome-wide investigation of the Dof gene family in the pitaya genome and discovered a total of 26 Dof genes dispersed over 11 chromosomes. Using bioinformatics and transcriptome analysis, we identified specific genes in pitaya that can aid breeders in selecting plants capable of withstanding abiotic stresses. In addition, exogenous application of melatonin as a priming agent enhanced stress resilience in pitaya plants, making them more likely to thrive in challenging environments.

This article belongs to the Collection Functional Genomics for Developing Climate Resilient Crops.