Combining ability and heterosis under pest epidemics in a broad-based global wheat-breeding population

kavin submitted, created time 5 months 3 weeks (web.ebscohost.com)

This experiment was undertaken to assess the advantages of using diallel crosses to define combining ability and understand heterosis in a broad-based wheat-breeding population across different environments affected by yellow rust. This research shows the power of available quantitative breeding tools to help breeders choose parental sources in a population improvement programme.

2 comments | Blog It | Email It | Keywords: crop plants food yellow rust crops wheat insects agriculture pests heterosis wheat-breeding pest epidemics

A Transporter Regulating Silicon Distribution in Rice Shoots

kavin submitted, created time 5 months 4 weeks (www.plantcell.org)

Rice (Oryza sativa) accumulates very high concentrations of silicon (Si) in the shoots, and the deposition of Si as amorphous silica helps plants to overcome biotic and abiotic stresses. In the paper, the authors describe a transporter, Lsi6, which is involved in the distribution of Si in the shoots. The results indicate that Lsi6 is a transporter responsible for the transport of Si out of the xylem and subsequently affects the distribution of Si in the leaf.

Submit comment | Blog It | Email It | Keywords: Lsi6 rice Oryza sativa agriculture crop plants food Silicon

Functional analysis of cotton orthologs of GA signal transduction factors GID1 and SLR1

kavin submitted, created time 6 months 23 hours (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

As we know, gibberellic acid (GA) is both necessary and sufficient to promote fiber elongation in cultured fertilized ovules of the upland cotton variety Coker 312. The researchers's results indicate that the initiation of fiber elongation by the application of GA to cultured ovules corresponds with increased expression of genes that encode xyloglucan endotransglycosylase/hydrolase (XTH) and expansin (EXP) that are involved in promoting cell elongation.

1 comment | Blog It | Email It | Keywords: botany agriculture crop plants GID1 signal transduction orthologs cotton Functional analysis SLR1 GID cotton orthologs

Transgenic crops can persist for ten years

Sue Wu submitted, created time 7 months 4 weeks (www.nature.com)

Transgenic oilseed rape can survive and produce plants as much as a decade after it was sown, according to a study done in Sweden.

1 comment | Blog It | Email It | Keywords: GMOs agriculture crop plants genetically modified organisms transgenic crops crops oilseed rape transgenic model transgenic organisms

Genome-wide analysis for discovery of rice microRNAs reveals natural antisense microRNAs (nat-miRNAs)

davidd submitted, created time 8 months 19 hours (www.pnas.org)

Small RNAs (21–24 nt) are involved in gene regulation through translation inhibition, mRNA cleavage, or directing chromatin modifications. At least five classes of these small regulatory RNAs (21–24 nt) have been characterized. miRNA and siRNA is reported frquently. However, the natural antisense miRNAs (nat-miRNAs) have not been reported in any system.

10 comments | Blog It | Email It | Keywords: crop plants gene regulation agriculture rice miRNA RNA small RNA siRNA nat-miRNAs

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