The ability to sustain the global population in the current climate crisis requires new agricultural approaches and improved breeding strategies. Hybrid breeding, already commonly used for maize and rice, could potentially be implemented in wheat if the challenge of increasing outcrossing is addressed. In this review, we provide an overview of how the wheat plant might be modified to increase outcrossing, thereby rendering hybrid breeding in wheat more feasible.

Very-long-chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) are hydrophobic complex molecules that are known to work as components of plant cell membranes and waxes. However, other functions are possible, since their amount and specific structure is found to change in response to stress conditions, such as drought or cold. The research on these molecules contributes to our knowledge on the overall mechanisms of plant stress response.

Heat stress seriously affects cucumber production and quality in open field cultivation. Differentially expressed genes related to plant hormones signally pathway, transcription factors, and secondary metabolites were significantly changed under heat stress.

Understanding the hormonal control of cereal grain fill is essential for optimising crop yield. In this work we used accurate methodologies to clarify contradictory reports on the amounts and production of two plant hormones – auxin and abscisic acid – in good filling, superior grains versus poorly filling, inferior grains. We used analysis of gene expression and sequence data to link genes with important roles in grain fill, to the auxin-signalling pathway.

Water is essential for plant growth and research related to plant responses to water scarcity is important. We tried to understand how sunflower seedlings with different water stress tolerance were able to maintain a particular metabolic or functional state, although they were subject to negative environmental factors such as water stress. Here, the ability of B59 and B71 seedlings to respond to water stress was based on different antioxidant mechanisms comprising the coordinated action of enzymatic and nonenzymatic constituents.

Seedling recruitment and growth of forage grasses in flood-prone grasslands is often impaired by submergence. We found that Thinopyrum ponticum tolerance to submergence increased with plant developmental stage and that complete submergence impaired biomass accumulation and negatively affected survival of youngest plants (plants with three expanded leaves). Our results indicate that this species could be introduced in areas subject to soil waterlogging or partial plant submergence, but not to those prone to suffer high-intensity flooding that lead to full plant submergence.