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Sheath rot of rice is one of the most devastating diseases of rice due to its ability to reduce the yield significantly in all rice cultivating areas of India. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of Bacillus cereus strain RBS-57 against sheath rot disease of rice. In addition, it enables us to understand the molecular mechanism of the host–pathogen-bioagent interactions using a proteomic approach. A combination of seed treatment, seedling dip, and foliar spray with RBS-57 liquid formulation has recorded the lowest sheath rot disease index, both under pot experiment (21.33%) and field conditions (15.33% in trial I and 12.42% in trial II, respectively). In addition to that, RBS-57 application enhanced the plant growth and yield attributes. Moreover, a 2D-PAGE study uses protein profiling to illustrate the molecular response of the tripartite interaction between host–pathogen-bioagent. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (MS/MS) analysis identified a total of 20 differentially expressed proteins, primarily implicated in plant metabolism and development, defense response, transcription and signalling. Selected genes were validated by quantitative Real-Time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis. The alterations in protein abundance and transcripts were positively correlated for all the genes. The present study provides initial insights into the molecular mechanism that underlies the tripartite interaction between the host–pathogen-bioagent in rice plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil salinity is considered one of the most limiting factors in large agricultural areas, and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is highly sensitive to this abiotic stress, which exacerbates under drought. The use of halotolerant PGPR is a promising strategy to enhance tomato tolerance and productivity in saline soils. The present study tested the capability of the recently discovered bacterial strain PVr_9 to increase tolerance to salinity in tomato plants in vitro, greenhouse and open field conditions. When inoculated with PVr_9, in vitro seedlings showed a significant increase in primary root length, number of secondary roots and fresh weight both in absence of stress and when exposed to 150 mM NaCl. In plants exposed to salt treatment, PVr_9 upregulated the salt tolerance genes SOS1 and NHX1, and the enzyme prolyl aminopeptidase involved in proline metabolism. Proteins associated with resistance against pathogens were also upregulated by PVr_9 in absence of salt stress. In greenhouse, PVr_9-inoculated tomato plants treated for 1-week with 150 mM NaCl showed a significant increase in shoot fresh biomass, chlorophyll, proline content, and APX activity. Tomato fruits from PVr_9 inoculated plants, exposed in the field to salt stress during the flowering stage, showed higher levels of carotenoids, lycopene, and l-ascorbic acid, as well as an increased antioxidant capacity compared to fruits of uninoculated plants. These results indicate PVr_9 as a potential biostimulant in tomato for better tackling soil salinization in a context of climate change and expansion of coastal salinity, while there is large scope for the improvement of the nutritional characteristics of tomato fruits.

Background and Objectives: Zein proteins of maize endosperm are nutritionally poor, but important for vitreous kernel texture. The Opaque‐2 mutation enhances the protein quality but downregulates zein expression, distorting the kernel texture. Quality protein maize (QPM) is nutritionally improved, hard endosperm maize developed by introgression of endosperm modifiers under an opaque‐2 background. The present study aims to analyze the variability in zein expression patterns in normal, opaque‐2, and QPM lines through sodium dodecyl sulfate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis analyses. Findings: Results revealed that the total number of zein isoforms is almost similar in opaque‐2, normal, and QPM lines. Overall, in this study, it is concluded that the opaque‐2 mutation specifically affects the expression of high‐molecular‐weight zeins, which are being counterbalanced by the expression of low‐molecular‐weight zein isoforms and nonzein proteins. Conclusion: Genomic data retrieval studies revealed the possible presence of multiple 27 kDa isoforms with varied isoelectric points (pI), which is a subject for further investigation. The differential expression of 15 kDa zein in QPM emerged as a novel player in endosperm modification. Significance and Novelty: The present study provides insight into the diversified expression of zeins in different maize types. The variable isoform expression has the potential to generate stable QPM lines by targeting effective isoforms, ensuring endosperm modification without hampering the nutritional quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]