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Abstract In addition to the challenge of meeting global demand for food production, there are increasing concerns about food safety and the need to protect consumer health from the negative effects of foodborne allergies. Certain bio‐molecules (usually proteins) present in food can act as allergens that trigger unusual immunological reactions, with potentially life‐threatening consequences. The relentless working lifestyles of the modern era often incorporate poor eating habits that include readymade prepackaged and processed foods, which contain additives such as peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, and soy‐based products, rather than traditional home cooking. Of the predominant allergenic foods (soybean, wheat, fish, peanut, shellfish, tree nuts, eggs, and milk), peanuts (Arachis hypogaea) are the best characterized source of allergens, followed by tree nuts (Juglans regia, Prunus amygdalus, Corylus avellana, Carya illinoinensis, Anacardium occidentale, Pistacia vera, Bertholletia excels), wheat (Triticum aestivum), soybeans (Glycine max), and kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris). The prevalence of food allergies has risen significantly in recent years including chance of accidental exposure to such foods. In contrast, the standards of detection, diagnosis, and cure have not kept pace and unfortunately are often suboptimal. In this review, we mainly focus on the prevalence of allergies associated with peanut, tree nuts, wheat, soybean, and kidney bean, highlighting their physiological properties and functions as well as considering research directions for tailoring allergen gene expression. In particular, we discuss how recent advances in molecular breeding, genetic engineering, and genome editing can be used to develop potential low allergen food crops that protect consumer health.

Anthracnose, caused by the fungus Colletotrichum lindemuthianum, is one of the devastating disease affecting common bean production and productivity worldwide. Several quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for anthracnose resistance have been identified. In order to make use of these QTLs in common bean breeding programs, a detailed meta-QTL (MQTL) analysis has been conducted. For the MQTL analysis, 92 QTLs related to anthracnose disease reported in 18 different earlier studies involving 16 mapping populations were compiled and projected on to the consensus map. This meta-analysis led to the identification of 11 MQTLs (each involving QTLs from at least two different studies) on 06 bean chromosomes and 10 QTL hotspots each involving multiple QTLs from an individual study on 07 chromosomes. The confidence interval (CI) of the identified MQTLs was found 3.51 times lower than the CI of initial QTLs. Marker-trait associations (MTAs) reported in published genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were used to validate nine of the 11 identified MQTLs, with MQTL4.1 overlapping with as many as 40 MTAs. Functional annotation of the 11 MQTL regions revealed 1,251 genes including several R genes (such as those encoding for NBS-LRR domain-containing proteins, protein kinases, etc.) and other defense related genes. The MQTLs, QTL hotspots and the potential candidate genes identified during the present study will prove useful in common bean marker-assisted breeding programs and in basic studies involving fine mapping and cloning of genomic regions associated with anthracnose resistance in common beans.

Summary: The recent years have witnessed the emergence of high-throughput phenotyping techniques. In particular, these techniques can characterize a comprehensive landscape of physiological traits of plants responding to dynamic changes in the environment. These innovations, along with the next-generation genomic technologies, have brought plant science into the big-data era. However, a general framework that links multifaceted physiological traits to DNA variants is still lacking. Here, we developed a general framework that integrates functional physiological phenotyping (FPP) with functional mapping (FM). This integration, implemented with high-dimensional statistical reasoning, can aid in our understanding of how genotype is translated toward phenotype. As a demonstration of method, we implemented the transpiration and soil-plant-atmosphere measurements of a tomato introgression line population into the FPP-FM framework, facilitating the identification of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that mediate the spatiotemporal change of transpiration rate and the test of how these QTLs control, through their interaction networks, phenotypic plasticity under drought stress.

Rapid industrialization, urbanization, and mine tailings runoff are the main sources of heavy metal contamination of agricultural land, which has become one of the major constraints to crop growth and productivity. Finding appropriate solutions to protect plants and agricultural land from heavy metal pollution/harmful effects is important for sustainable development. Phytoremediation and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are promising methods for this purpose, which both heavily rely on an appropriate understanding of the anatomical structure of plants. Specialized anatomical features, such as those of epidermis and endodermis and changes in the root vascular tissue, are often associated with heavy metal tolerance in legumes. This review emphasizes the uptake and transport of heavy metals by legume plants that can be used to enhance soil detoxification by phytoremediation processes. Moreover, the review also focuses on the role of rhizospheric organisms in the facilitation of heavy metal uptake, the various mechanisms of enhancing the availability of heavy metals in the rhizosphere, the genetic diversity, and the microbial genera involved in these processes. The information presented here can be exploited for improving the growth and productivity of legume plants in metal-prone soils.

Peanut allergy is one of the serious health concern and affects more than 1% of the world’s population mainly in Americas, Australia, and Europe. Peanut allergy is sometimes life-threatening and adversely affect the life quality of allergic individuals and their families. Consumption of hypoallergen peanuts is the best solution, however, not much effort has been made in this direction for identifying or developing hypoallergen peanut varieties. A highly diverse peanut germplasm panel was phenotyped using a recently developed monoclonal antibody-based ELISA protocol to quantify five major allergens. Results revealed a wide phenotypic variation for all the five allergens studied i.e., Ara h 1 (4–36,833 µg/g), Ara h 2 (41–77,041 µg/g), Ara h 3 (22–106,765 µg/g), Ara h 6 (829–103,892 µg/g), and Ara h 8 (0.01–70.12 µg/g). The hypoallergen peanut genotypes with low levels of allergen proteins for Ara h 1 (4 µg/g), Ara h 2 (41 µg/g), Ara h 3 (22 µg/g), Ara h 6 (829 µg/g), and Ara h 8 (0.01 µg/g) have paved the way for their use in breeding and genomics studies. In addition, these hypoallergen peanut genotypes are available for use in cultivation and industry, thus opened up new vistas for fighting against peanut allergy problem across the world.

A major limitation for the utilization of sorghum forage is the production of the cyanogenic glycoside dhurrin in its leaves and stem that may cause the death of cattle feeding on it at the pre-flowering stage. Therefore, we attempted to develop transgenic sorghum plants with reduced levels of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) by antisense mediated down-regulation of the expression of cytochrome P450 CYP79A1, the key enzyme of the dhurrin biosynthesis pathway. CYP79A1 cDNA was isolated and cloned in antisense orientation, driven by rice Act1 promoter. Shoot meristem explants of sorghum cultivar CSV 15 were transformed by the particle bombardment method and 27 transgenics showing the integration of transgene were developed. The biochemical assay for HCN in the transgenic sorghum plants confirmed significantly reduced HCN levels in transgenic plants and their progenies. The HCN content in the transgenics varied from 5.1 to 149.8 μg/g compared to 192.08 μg/g in the non-transformed control on dry weight basis. Progenies with reduced HCN content were advanced after each generation till T3. In T3 generation, progenies of two promising events were tested which produced highly reduced levels of HCN (mean of 62.9 and 76.2 μg/g, against the control mean of 221.4 μg/g). The reduction in the HCN levels of transgenics confirmed the usefulness of this approach for reducing HCN levels in forage sorghum plants. The study effectively demonstrated that the antisense CYP79A1 gene deployment was effective in producing sorghum plants with lower HCN content which are safer for cattle to feed on.

Peanut allergy is an important health concern among many individuals. As there is no effective treatment to peanut allergy, continuous monitoring of peanut-based products, and their sources is essential. Precise detection of peanut allergens is key for identification and development of improved peanut varieties with minimum or no allergens in addition to estimating the levels in peanut-based products available in food chain. The antibody based ELISA protocol along with sample preparation was standardized for Ara h 1, Ara h 2, Ara h 3, Ara h 6, and Ara h 8 to estimate their quantities in peanut seeds. Three different dilutions were optimized to precisely quantify target allergen proteins in peanut seeds such as Ara h 1 (1/1,000, 1/2,000, and 1/4,000), Ara h 2 and Ara h 3 (1/5,000, 1/10,000, and 1/20,000), Ara h 6 (1/40,000, 1/80,000, and 1/1,60,000), and Ara h 8 (1/10, 1/20, and 1/40). These dilutions were finalized for each allergen based on the accuracy of detection by achieving

Pre-harvest aflatoxin contamination (PAC) in groundnut is a serious quality concern globally, and drought stress before harvest further exacerbate its intensity, leading to the deterioration of produce quality. Understanding the host–pathogen interaction and identifying the candidate genes responsible for resistance to PAC will provide insights into the defense mechanism of the groundnut. In this context, about 971.63 million reads have been generated from 16 RNA samples under controlled and Aspergillus flavus infected conditions, from one susceptible and seven resistant genotypes. The RNA-seq analysis identified 45,336 genome-wide transcripts under control and infected conditions. This study identified 57 transcription factor (TF) families with major contributions from 6570 genes coding for bHLH (719), MYB-related (479), NAC (437), FAR1 family protein (320), and a few other families. In the host (groundnut), defense-related genes such as senescence-associated proteins, resveratrol synthase, seed linoleate, pathogenesis-related proteins, peroxidases, glutathione-S-transferases, chalcone synthase, ABA-responsive gene, and chitinases were found to be differentially expressed among resistant genotypes as compared to susceptible genotypes. This study also indicated the vital role of ABA-responsive ABR17, which co-regulates the genes of ABA responsive elements during drought stress, while providing resistance against A. flavus infection. It belongs to the PR-10 class and is also present in several plant–pathogen interactions.

Post-genomics era has witnessed the development of cutting-edge technologies that have offered cost-efficient and high-throughput ways for molecular characterization of the function of a cell or organism. Large-scale metabolite profiling assays have allowed researchers to access the global data sets of metabolites and the corresponding metabolic pathways in an unprecedented way. Recent efforts in metabolomics have been directed to improve the quality along with a major focus on yield related traits. Importantly, an integration of metabolomics with other approaches such as quantitative genetics, transcriptomics and genetic modification has established its immense relevance to plant improvement. An effective combination of these modern approaches guides researchers to pinpoint the functional gene(s) and the characterization of massive metabolites, in order to prioritize the candidate genes for downstream analyses and ultimately, offering trait specific markers to improve commercially important traits. This in turn will improve the ability of a plant breeder by allowing him to make more informed decisions. Given this, the present review captures the significant leads gained in the past decade in the field of plant metabolomics accompanied by a brief discussion on the current contribution and the future scope of metabolomics to accelerate plant improvement.

Aflatoxin is considered a “hidden poison” due to its slow and adverse effect on various biological pathways in humans, particularly among children, in whom it leads to delayed development, stunted growth, liver damage, and liver cancer. Unfortunately, the unpredictable behavior of the fungus as well as climatic conditions pose serious challenges in precise phenotyping, genetic prediction and genetic improvement, leaving the complete onus of preventing aflatoxin contamination in crops on post-harvest management. Equipping popular crop varieties with genetic resistance to aflatoxin is key to effective lowering of infection in farmer’s fields. A combination of genetic resistance for in vitro seed colonization (IVSC), pre-harvest aflatoxin contamination (PAC) and aflatoxin production together with pre- and post-harvest management may provide a sustainable solution to aflatoxin contamination. In this context, modern “omics” approaches, including next-generation genomics technologies, can provide improved and decisive information and genetic solutions. Preventing contamination will not only drastically boost the consumption and trade of the crops and products across nations/regions, but more importantly, stave off deleterious health problems among consumers across the globe.

ABSTRACT Overhead power lines can pose collision risks to birds. Risks may be mitigated through marking lines with high‐visibility devices, but the effectiveness of line marking remains unclear. Effectiveness is particularly poorly described for lines bisecting open water, where detection of carcasses can be difficult. We marked 3 of 9 spans (lines between adjacent structures) along a causeway crossing open water and 2 adjacent spans over lake shores between Lake Sakakawea and Lake Audubon near Audubon National Wildlife Refuge, North Dakota, USA. Over 3 years, we found 1,186 avian carcasses, including 276 attributed to power‐line collision. American coots (Fulica americana; n = 83) and double‐crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus; n = 27) were the species most commonly associated with power‐line collision, but we also found carcasses of 51 other species, including a piping plover (Charadrius melodus; n = 1). Multi‐variable modeling indicated line marking over open water reduced predicted collisions per span per season (mid‐April through mid‐October, 2006–2008) from 10.3 to 5.8. Birds with high‐aspect‐ratio wings benefitted most from line marking (e.g., shorebirds and gulls). If the 9 open‐water spans we studied were unmarked for 30 years, we predicted 2,775 collisions. We predicted only 1,560 collisions if all of these spans were marked. Our data demonstrate that a wide variety of avian species are at risk of collision with lines bisecting open water, marking lines can reduce collision risk, and because collisions persisted and some line markers fell off power lines, improvements to effectively mark lines are needed. © 2013 The Wildlife Society.

Random pattern de-epithelialized flap has been used in 23 cases as resurfacing procedure and its scope has been evaluated in elective as well as in emergency situations.

Legumes are low-cost but high-yielding crops, which are rich in dietary proteins, vitamins and minerals. Known as mycorrhizal plants, legumes are widely used as model organisms to explore the plant-microbe interactions, especially the symbiotic relationship between plants and rhizosphere microorganisms. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), an important class of plant-associated microbes, can regulate many physiological and molecular responses of plants. To date, AMF has been commonly used as a bio-fertilizer, whose inoculation to host plants can confer tolerance to different abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, heat and heavy metals. This review provides an overview of the responses of legumes to drought stress (DS), a summary of the mechanism of AMF-legume symbiosis and its effect on host plant drought tolerance, which taken together reveals the significance of this symbiosis in agriculture. The presented rich information will help understand how host plants benefit from AMF to increase drought tolerance while finetuning their metabolic pathways. The potential and importance of AMF as one of the most effective and environmental-friendly management approaches for enhancing legume crop productivity against DS is highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new species of Fabaceae-Papilionoideae are described and illustrated. Crotalaria suffruticosa from Karul Ghat region of Maharashtra is morphologically close to C. albida and C. epunctata. C. multibracteata from Panhala region of Maharashtra resembles C. vestita. C. suffruticosa differs from C. albida and C. epunctata in its habit, leaf, inflorescence, callosity, keel type, stigma, style morphology and number of seeds/pod. To test if the new species differ from their morphologically most similar species, we measured various traits and performed a Principal Component Analysis (PCA). This analysis shows that the new species differs from similar species in gross morphology for several diagnostic traits and showed correlations between the variables or distance among groups and estimated the contribution of each character. Phylogenetic analyses were also conducted based on nuclear (ITS) and plastid (matK) markers. The analyses revealed nucleotide differences between the new species and their close allies attributing to their distinctiveness. A map and key including all species of Crotalaria from Maharashtra state are provided. Conservation status of the two new species have also been assessed.

Pittosporum eriocarpum Royle, a medicinally important taxon, is endemic to Uttarakhand region of Himalaya. It has become endangered due to over-collection and the loss of habitats. As raising plants through seeds in this plant is problematic, a reliable protocol for micropropagation using nodal explants has been developed. High shoot regeneration (95%) occurred in MS medium augmented with BA 0.4mg/l in combination IBA 0.6mg/l. In vitro regenerated shoots were rooted in MS medium supplemented with three auxins, of which 0.6 mg/l indole butyric acid proved to be the best for rooting (90%) with maximum number of roots per shoot. Thereafter, rooted plants were hardened and nearly 73% of rooted shoots were successfully acclimatized and established in the field. Start codon targeted (SCoT), inter simple sequence repeats (ISSR) and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to validate the genetic homogeneity amongst nine in vitro raised plantlets with mother plant. DNA fingerprints of in vitro regenerated plantlets displayed monomorphic bands similar to mother plant, indicating homogeneity among the micropropagated plants with donor mother plant. The similarity values were calculated based on SCoT, ISSR and RAPD profiles which ranged from 0.89 to 1.00, 0.91 to 1.00 and 0.95 to 1.00 respectively. The dendrograms generated through Unweighted Pair Group Method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) analysis revealed 97% similarity amongst micropropagated plants with donor mother plant, thus confirming genetic homogeneity of micropropagated clones. This is the first report on micropropagation and genetic homogeneity assessment of P. eriocarpum. The protocol would be useful for the conservation and large scale production of P. eriocarpum to meet the demand for medicinal formulations and also for the re-introduction of in vitro grown plants in the suitable natural habitats to restore the populations.