Transgenic plants with reduced poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) levels have broad-spectrum stress-resistant phenotypes. Both Arabidopsis thaliana and oilseed rape (Brassica napus) lines overexpressing RNA interference-PARP constructs were more resistant to various abiotic stress treatments in laboratory and greenhouse experiments without negative effects on growth, development, and seed produ...

Aflatoxins are carcinogenic secondary metabolites produced mainly by Aspergillus flavus during infection of susceptible crops, such as corn. A. flavus infection and subsequent aflatoxin contamination is a serious issue in the southern US, especially during a drought. Field studies demonstrate that reduction of drought stress by irrigation reduces aflatoxin contamination in corn and peanut. Drou...

Abiotic stresses such as salinity, drought and extreme temperatures affect nitrogen (N) uptake and assimilation in plants. However, little is known about the regulation of N pathway genes at transcriptional level under abiotic stress conditions in Brassica juncea. In the present work, genes encoding nitrate transporters (NRT), ammonium transporters (AMT), nitrate reductase (NR), nitrite reducta...

Banana (Musa acuminata) is one of the most popular fresh fruits. However, the rapid spread of fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc) in tropical areas severely affected banana growth and production. Thus, it is very important to identify candidate genes involved in banana response to abiotic stress and pathogen infection, as well as the molecular mechanism and possible utilizat...

Controlled protein degradation and activation of proenzymes is required for the growth and development of plants and for them to survive abiotic and biotic stresses. Uncontrolled proteolysis, that is often induced by stress, is however deleterious for plants. Proteases are essential for carrying out and regulating protein breakdown, functions that are regulated by specific endogenous protein in...

Agricultural production and quality are adversely affected by various abiotic stresses worldwide and this will be exacerbated by the deterioration of global climate. To feed a growing world population, it is very urgent to breed stress-tolerant crops with higher yields and improved qualities against multiple environmental stresses. Since conventional breeding approaches had marginal success due...

Plants frequently encounter a combination of abiotic stresses in their natural habitats. Abiotic stresses, including drought, salt, cold, heat, and heavy metal etc., modulate phytohormone metabolism and enhance expression level of transcription factors which activate stress responsive genes. During plant stress response, reactive oxygen species (ROS) act as important molecules and play pivotal ...

Heat shock transcription factors (Hsfs) are known to play dominant roles in plant responses to heat, as well as other abiotic or biotic stress stimuli. While the strawberry is an economically important fruit plant, little is known about the Hsf family in the strawberry. To explore the functions of strawberry Hsfs in abiotic and biotic stress responses, this study identified 17 Hsf genes (FvHsfs...

Metabolic configuration and adaptation under a range of abiotic stresses, including drought, heat, salinity, cold, and nutrient deprivation, are subjected to an intricate span of molecular pathways that work in parallel in order to enhance plant fitness and increase stress tolerance. In recent years, unprecedented advances have been made in identifying and linking different abiotic stresses, an...

Salicylic acid (SA) is a naturally occurring phenolic compound. SA plays an important role in the regulation of plant growth, development, ripening, and defense responses. The role of SA in the plant-pathogen relationship has been extensively investigated. In addition to defense responses, SA plays an important role in the response to abiotic stresses, including drought, low temperature, and sa...