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Functional Plant Biology Functional Plant Biology Society
Plant function and evolutionary biology
Functional Plant Biology

Functional Plant Biology

Volume 51 Number 6 2024

FP24057High night temperature stress on rice (Oryza sativa) – insights from phenomics to physiology. A review

Awais Riaz, Julie Thomas, Hafiz Haider Ali, Muhammad Saqlain Zaheer 0000-0002-2128-9873, Naushad Ahmad and Andy Pereira

We explore the impact of high night temperature (HNT) on rice phenomics, physiology and grain yield. From accelerated vegetative growth to changes in reproductive phases and enzymatic activities, we review how HNT affects rice in elevated CO2 and nitrogen environments to provide insights into photosynthesis, respiration and hormonal regulation, and their effect on grain yield and quality.

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

Mechanical damage during harvest, handling and transportation can cause wounding in sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas). Wounds provide an access point for pathogens to infect the sweet potato, leading to rotting and quality deterioration during storage. Wound healing plays an important role in maintaining postharvest quality and shelf life of sweet potato. Our data showed that postharvest ASM treatment effectively promoted wound healing of sweet potatoes. These results provide theoretical basis for improving the storage quality of wounded sweet potatoes.

FP23202Morpho-physiological adaptations to weed competition impair green bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) ability to overcome moderate salt stress

Valerio Cirillo 0000-0002-2929-5485, Marco Esposito, Matteo Lentini, Claudio Russo, Nausicaa Pollaro and Albino Maggio

Environmental stresses cause severe yield losses. In the field, these stresses occur contextually, leading to unpredictable outcomes in terms of crop productivity. Soil/water salinity will expand in the future due to climate change, and weed control will become harder due to herbicide resistance. We studied the combined effect of weed competition and salt stress on the yield of green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), finding that the morpho-physiological adaptations induced by weed competition impair plant ability to tolerate salt stress.

FP23282Regulatory role of AGC genes in heat stress adaptation in maize (Zea mays)

Abdul Rehman, Khairiah Mubarak Alwutayd, Dikhnah Alshehri, Ibtisam Mohammed Alsudays, Farrukh Azeem 0000-0002-2702-0330, Shahroz Rahman, Muhammad Abid and Asad Ali Shah 0000-0002-1345-3151

Rising global temperature is negatively affecting maize yield. Current genome-wide analysis identified and characterised AGC genes, one of the major contributors of plant stress response. Heat stress mediated differential expression of AGCs (using RNA-seq and real time qPCR) underscore the potential for developing heat-tolerant maize varieties by understanding the intricate workings of these genes.

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

Exogenous Zn supply improve salinity tolerance in barley (Hordeum vulgare) by significant reduction in shoot Na+ load and improved K+ retention in leaf root and mesophyll cells. The above effects are attributed to regulation of non-selective channels involved in transport of Na+, K+ and Ca2+ across cellular membranes.

FP24019Impact of exogenous melatonin foliar application on physiology and fruit quality of wine grapes (Vitis vinifera) under salt stress

Yuanyuan Li, Congcong Zhang, Xu Lu, Haokai Yan, Guojie Nai, Meishuang Gong, Ying Lai, Zhihui Pu, Li Wei, Shaoying Ma 0000-0001-7912-7968 and Sheng Li 0000-0003-0432-9578

In this study, by foliar spraying of 100 and 300 μmol L−1 melatonin, the results showed that melatonin was able to reduce the damage of salt stress on the photosynthetic system and antioxidant system of wine grape (Vitis vinifera) leaves, and also improve the shape of the fruit and the intrinsic quality of the grape berries, such as sugar, acid, and nitrogenous compounds. Melatonin at 100 μmol L−1 was found to be the most effective.

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) exhibited a positive response to elevated CO2 levels (ranging from 600 to 1000 ppm) compared to the ambient concentration of 400 ppm CO2. Most of the photosynthetic parameters showed steady improvement up to 800 ppm, followed by down-regulation at the highest concentration. The physiological water use efficiency of fourteen cassava varieties was enhanced at 1000 ppm due to restricted stomatal activity and reduced transpiration rate.

FP24073Starch and sucrose metabolism plays an important role in the stem development in Medicago sativa

Jierui Wu 0009-0004-0482-0951, Xiaoyu Wang 0000-0001-7579-1749, Lin Bian 0009-0006-3271-435X, Zhenyi Li 0000-0002-6443-484X, Xiaohong Jiang 0009-0000-6913-0880, Fengling Shi 0000-0001-7235-1692, Fang Tang 0000-0002-9645-7448 and Zhiqiang Zhang 0000-0003-3709-9553

The forage quality of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) stems is greater than the leaves. Starch and sucrose metabolism provide energy during alfalfa stem development. Different varieties of alfalfa have different sucrose, starch and related enzyme activities. Hollow stems will be formed during the rapid growth of alfalfa, which may be related to the redistribution of carbohydrates in the pith tissue. Our results may provide a new theoretical basis for understanding the molecular mechanism of sucrose and starch accumulation in alfalfa stems.

FP23320Identification of cysteine-rich receptor-like kinase gene family in potato: revealed StCRLK9 in response to heat, salt and drought stresses

Roshan Zameer 0000-0002-4006-1196, Khairiah Mubarak Alwutayd, Dikhnah Alshehri, Muhammad Salman Mubarik, Cheng Li, Chengde Yu and Zhifang Li

Potato (Solanum tuberosum), the third-largest staple food crop, faces a major food security threat from environmental factors including salinity, temperature fluctuations and drought. We characterise the cysteine-rich receptor-like kinase (CRLK) gene family in potato, shedding light on its molecular mechanism in the complex interplay between plants and environmental stressors. The gene StCRLK9 may be involved in various abiotic stress responses. This establishes the groundwork for further investigations into the role of the potato CRLKs gene family in engineering climate resilient future crop plants.

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

Committee on Publication Ethics

Call for Papers

We are seeking contributions for the following Special Issues. More

Australian Society of Plant Scientists

Official Journal of the Australian Society of Plant Scientists (asps.org.au).

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Best Paper Award

Phan Thi Thanh Hoai has been awarded the ASPS-FPB Best Paper Award for 2023.

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