Search

The Golden2-like (GLK) transcription factors belong to the GARP family of transcription factors and play significant roles in plant growth, development, and responses to both abiotic and biotic stresses. This study employed bioinformatics and expression analyses to investigate the regulatory roles of wheat GLK proteins under various stress conditions, including abscisic acid (ABA) treatment, osmotic stress, and infection by Fusarium graminearum. The study identified 125 TaGLK proteins and revealed that TaGLKs play a significant role in wheat's development and response to adverse environmental conditions. The results indicate that TaGLKs may serve as potential transcriptional regulators capable of integrating multiple cellular signals to coordinate various developmental and physiological processes. Evolutionary analysis classified the TaGLK proteins into six subgroups, which shared similar conserved domains and motifs. Protein–protein interaction network analysis revealed that TaGLKs are involved in photoreceptor activity, cell cycle progression, and protein regulation. Gene expression analysis of TaGLKs discovered that they play key functions in wheat development, as well as regulation of biotic and abiotic stress conditions. RT-qPCR analysis showed that TaGLKs regulate earlier and late effects of osmotic stress, F. graminearum infections, and ABA treatment in wheat. These findings provide knowledge for future studies of the functions of TaGLK TFs in wheat stress tolerance and development, which could have significant implications for enhancing wheat tolerance to various environmental stressors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glutaredoxins (GRXs) are widely distributed oxidoreductase enzymes that play important roles in plant growth, development, and responses to various stresses. In this study, bioinformatics methods were used to identify and analyze the wheat GRX gene family and predict their properties and potential functions. RNA-seq and RT-qPCR expression analyses were used to investigate their regulatory functions under hormone treatment and fungal diseases. In this study, 86 GRX genes were identified in wheat and classified into CC-type, CGFS-type, and CPYC-type categories with no TaGRX located on chromosome 4B. The results show that TaGRXs regulate wheat transcriptional responses and have an integrative role in biotic and abiotic stress responses. TaGRXs are involved in wheat responses to Fusarium graminearum, Puccinia striiformis, and Erysiphe graminis diseases. TaGRX73-7D, TaGRX20-3A, and TaGRX29-3B play a negative regulatory role in E. graminis infection but a positive regulatory role in F. graminearum and P. striiformis infection. These TaGRXs play potential regulatory functions in wheat responses to the plant hormones and signaling molecules, including IAA, ABA, H2O2, and SA. The findings of this study lay the groundwork for further investigation of the functions of wheat GRX genes and their potential use as candidate genes for molecular breeding of stress-resistant wheat varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rice-ratoon system has long been considered an important economic, time-saving, and labor-saving planting method. Optimal tillage and straw management are beneficial to increasing the growth and yield of recycled rice. However, there is little research on the physical and chemical properties of soil under tillage and straw management, and its effects on the yield and fertilizer utilization of recycled rice. A field experiment was conducted to study the effects of four types of tillage and straw management on rice yield and soil properties in central China during 2020–2021. The types of management were no-till with residues retained (NT+S); plow tillage with residue retention (PT+S); no-till with residues removed (NT-S); and plow tillage with residue removed (PT-S). Compared with PT, yield decreased by 38.8% in NT, while straw returning effectively increased the yield of regenerated rice. NT+S increased the yield of main season rice by 37.0% and ratoon rice by 45.3%. Compared with non-returning straw, straw returning increased soil total porosity, soil organic carbon, and activity of β-glucosidase and urease, among which TP and SOC were increased by 8.8% and 27.8%, respectively. The results showed that returning straw to the field could significantly reduce the yield loss caused by no-tillage and improve the soil structure. No-tillage combined with returning straw to the field of regenerative rice is a green, light, and simplified cultivation mode worthy of further exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Symbiotic nodulation is initiated in the roots of legumes in response to low nitrogen and rhizobial signal molecules and is dynamically regulated by a complex regulatory network that coordinates rhizobial infection and nodule organogenesis.It has been shown that the miR156‐SPL module mediates nodulation in legumes; however, conclusive evidence of how this module exerts its function during nodulation remains elusive.Here, we report that the miR156b‐GmSPL9d module regulates symbiotic nodulation by targeting multiple key regulatory genes in the nodulation signalling pathway of soybean. miR156 family members are differentially expressed during nodulation, and miR156b negatively regulates nodulation by mainly targeting soybean SQUAMOSA promoter‐binding protein‐like 9d (GmSPL9d), a positive regulator of soybean nodulation. GmSPL9d directly binds to the miR172c promoter and activates its expression, suggesting a conserved role of GmSPL9d. Furthermore, GmSPL9d was coexpressed with the soybean nodulation marker genes nodule inception a (GmNINa) and GmENOD40‐1 during nodule formation and development. Intriguingly, GmSPL9d can bind to the promoters of GmNINa and GmENOD40‐1 and regulate their expression.Our data demonstrate that the miR156b‐GmSPL9d module acts as an upstream master regulator of soybean nodulation, which coordinates multiple marker genes involved in soybean nodulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The optimization of plant architecture in order to breed high‐yielding soya bean cultivars is a goal of researchers. Tall plants bearing many long branches are desired, but only modest success in reaching these goals has been achieved. MicroRNA156 (miR156)‐SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN‐LIKE (SPL) gene modules play pivotal roles in controlling shoot architecture and other traits in crops like rice and wheat. However, the effects of miR156‐SPL modules on soya bean architecture and yield, and the molecular mechanisms underlying these effects, remain largely unknown. In this study, we achieved substantial improvements in soya bean architecture and yield by overexpressing GmmiR156b. Transgenic plants produced significantly increased numbers of long branches, nodes and pods, and they exhibited an increased 100‐seed weight, resulting in a 46%–63% increase in yield per plant. Intriguingly, GmmiR156b overexpression had no significant impact on plant height in a growth room or under field conditions; however, it increased stem thickness significantly. Our data indicate that GmmiR156b modulates these traits mainly via the direct cleavage of SPL transcripts. Moreover, we found that GmSPL9d is expressed in the shoot apical meristem and axillary meristems (AMs) of soya bean, and that GmSPL9d may regulate axillary bud formation and branching by physically interacting with the homeobox gene WUSCHEL (WUS), a central regulator of AM formation. Together, our results identify GmmiR156b as a promising target for the improvement of soya bean plant architecture and yields, and they reveal a new and conserved regulatory cascade involving miR156‐SPL‐WUS that will help researchers decipher the genetic basis of plant architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]