Maternal environmental effects and climate-smart seeds: unlocking epigenetic inheritance for crop innovation in the seed industry.

Seed production is facing a three-fold challenge: ensuring food security, maintaining sustainability, and adapting to climate change. Although most efforts have focused on genetic breeding and crop management, additional levers need to be explored to optimize plant tolerance to the accelerating climate change. A groundbreaking approach will be to capitalize on the ability of plants to naturally adjust their responses to fluctuating environments during the crop cycle and transmit stress-induced information to the next generation(s).

A stage-dependent seed defense response to explain efficient seed transmission of Xanthomonas citri pv. fuscans to common bean.

Although seed represents an important means of plant pathogen dispersion, the seed-pathogen dialogue remains largely unexplored. A multiomic approach was performed at different seed developmental stages of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) during asymptomatic colonization by Xanthomonas citri pv.

BASIC PENTACYSTEINE1 regulates by modification of two histone marks H3K27me3 and H3ac during early seed development of .

Introduction: The production of highly vigorous seeds with high longevity is an important lever to increase crop production efficiency, but its acquisition during seed maturation is strongly influenced by the growth environment.

Methods: An association rule learning approach discovered MtABI4, a known longevity regulator, as a gene with transcript levels associated with the environmentally-induced change in longevity. To understand the environmental sensitivity of transcription, Yeast One-Hybrid identified a class I BASIC PENTACYSTEINE (MtBPC1) transcription factor as a putative upstream regulator.

Genetic Variability in Seed Longevity and Germination Traits in a Tomato MAGIC Population in Contrasting Environments.

The stable production of high vigorous seeds is pivotal to crop yield. Also, a high longevity is essential to avoid progressive loss of seed vigour during storage. Both seed traits are strongly influenced by the environment during seed development.

First whole genome assembly and annotation of a European common bean cultivar using PacBio HiFi and Iso-Seq data.

Common bean ( L.) is the most important grain legume for direct human consumption worldwide. Flageolet bean originates from France and presents typical organoleptic properties, including the remarkable feature of having small pale green colored seeds.

transcriptome dataset of the response of imbibed wild-type and glucosinolate-deficient seeds to nitrogen-containing compounds.

The presented RNAseq data were obtained from seeds dry and 6h imbibed to describe, in wild-type and glucosinolate (GSL)-deficient genotypes, the response at the RNA level to nitrogen compounds, ., potassium nitrate (KNO, 10mM), potassium thiocyanate (KSCN, 8µM). The double mutant deficient in Indole GSL, the double mutant deficient in aliphatic GSL, the quadruple mutant deficient in total GSL in the seed and the WT reference genotype in Col-0 background were used for the transcriptomic analysis.

Chromatin dynamics associated with seed desiccation tolerance/sensitivity at early germination in .

Desiccation tolerance (DT) has contributed greatly to the adaptation of land plants to severe water-deficient conditions. DT is mostly observed in reproductive parts in flowering plants such as seeds. The seed DT is lost at early post germination stage but is temporally re-inducible in 1 mm radicles during the so-called DT window following a PEG treatment before being permanently silenced in 5 mm radicles of germinating seeds.

Dual-transcriptomic datasets evaluating the effect of the necrotrophic fungus on germinating seeds.

Many fungal pathogens are carried and transmitted by seeds. These pathogens affect germination and seed quality. Their transmission from the germinating seed to seedling causes many diseases in crops.

Seed Transmission of Pathogens: Non-Canonical Immune Response in Germinating Seeds Compared to Early Seedlings against the Necrotrophic Fungus .

The transmission of seed-borne pathogens by the germinating seed is responsible for major crop diseases. The immune responses of the seed facing biotic invaders are poorly documented so far. The / patho-system was used to describe at the transcription level the responses of germinating seeds and young seedling stages to infection by the necrotrophic fungus.

Chromatin Immunoprecipitation dataset of H3ac and H3K27me3 histone marks followed by DNA sequencing of embryos during control and heat stress conditions to decipher epigenetic regulation of desiccation tolerance acquisition.

Desiccation tolerance (DT) is one of the most important processes that seeds need to acquire during seed maturation because it will ensure survival until seeds have favourable conditions for germinating. Moreover, in the current climate warming context, heat stress and its impact on seed maturation and quality has been increasingly studied by the scientific community. Even if the transcriptomic changes enrolled in DT acquisition and seed heat stress response are fairly known, its epigenetic control has not yet been investigated.

Splicing Isoforms Regulate the Expression of Different Gene Clusters to Orchestrate Seed Maturation.

Seed maturation comprises important developmental processes, such as seed filling and the acquisition of seed germination capacity, desiccation tolerance, longevity, and dormancy. The molecular regulation of these processes is tightly controlled by the LAFL transcription factors, among which was shown to be involved in most of these seed maturation processes. Here, we studied the gene from a model legume plant for seed studies.

MtExpress, a Comprehensive and Curated RNAseq-based Gene Expression Atlas for the Model Legume Medicago truncatula.

Although RNA sequencing (RNAseq) has been becoming the main transcriptomic approach in the model legume Medicago truncatula, there is currently no genome-wide gene expression atlas covering the whole set of RNAseq data published for this species. Nowadays, such a tool is highly valuable to provide a global view of gene expression in a wide range of conditions and tissues/organs. Here, we present MtExpress, a gene expression atlas that compiles an exhaustive set of published M.

Genome-Wide Association Studies of Seed Performance Traits in Response to Heat Stress in Uncover as a Regulator of Seed Germination Plasticity.

Legume seeds are an important source of proteins, minerals, and vitamins for human and animal diets and represent a keystone for food security. With climate change and global warming, the production of grain legumes faces new challenges concerning seed vigor traits that allow the fast and homogenous establishment of the crop in a wide range of environments. These seed performance traits are regulated during seed maturation and are under the strong influence of the maternal environment.

Regulation of DNA (de)Methylation Positively Impacts Seed Germination during Seed Development under Heat Stress.

Seed development needs the coordination of multiple molecular mechanisms to promote correct tissue development, seed filling, and the acquisition of germination capacity, desiccation tolerance, longevity, and dormancy. Heat stress can negatively impact these processes and upon the increase of global mean temperatures, global food security is threatened. Here, we explored the impact of heat stress on seed physiology, morphology, gene expression, and methylation on three stages of seed development.

Gene co-expression analysis of tomato seed maturation reveals tissue-specific regulatory networks and hubs associated with the acquisition of desiccation tolerance and seed vigour.

Background: During maturation seeds acquire several physiological traits to enable them to survive drying and disseminate the species. Few studies have addressed the regulatory networks controlling acquisition of these traits at the tissue level particularly in endospermic seeds such as tomato, which matures in a fully hydrated environment and does not undergo maturation drying. Using temporal RNA-seq analyses of the different seed tissues during maturation, gene network and trait-based correlations were used to explore the transcriptome signatures associated with desiccation tolerance, longevity, germination under water stress and dormancy.

Genome-wide association study identified candidate genes for seed size and seed composition improvement in M. truncatula.

Grain legumes are highly valuable plant species, as they produce seeds with high protein content. Increasing seed protein production and improving seed nutritional quality represent an agronomical challenge in order to promote plant protein consumption of a growing population. In this study, we used the genetic diversity, naturally present in Medicago truncatula, a model plant for legumes, to identify genes/loci regulating seed traits.

RNA sequencing data for heat stress response in isolated seed tissues.

Legumes are important crop species as they produce highly nutritious seeds for human food and animal feed. In grain legumes, sub-optimal conditions affect seed developmental timing leading to impairment of seed quality traits acquired during seed maturation. To understand the molecular mechanisms of heat stress response in legume seeds, we analysed transcriptome changes of three seed tissues (i.

Dataset for transcriptome and physiological response of mature tomato seed tissues to light and heat during fruit ripening.

Seed vigor is an estimate of how successfully a seed lot will establish seedlings under a wide range of environmental conditions, with both the embryo and the surrounding endosperm playing distinct roles in the germination behaviour. Germination and seedling establishment are essential for crop production to be both sustainable and profitable. Seed vigor traits are sequentially acquired during development via genetic programs that are poorly understood, but known to be under the strong influence of environmental conditions.

Physical Dormancy Release in Seeds Is Related to Environmental Variations.

Seed dormancy and timing of its release is an important developmental transition determining the survival of individuals, populations, and species in variable environments. was used as a model to study physical seed dormancy at the ecological and genetics level. The effect of alternating temperatures, as one of the causes releasing physical seed dormancy, was tested in 178 accessions over three years.

The genome of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata [L.] Walp.).

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata [L.] Walp.) is a major crop for worldwide food and nutritional security, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, that is resilient to hot and drought-prone environments.

Utilization of computer vision and multispectral imaging techniques for classification of cowpea () seeds.

Background: The traditional methods for evaluating seeds are usually performed through destructive sampling followed by physical, physiological, biochemical and molecular determinations. Whilst proven to be effective, these approaches can be criticized as being destructive, time consuming, labor intensive and requiring experienced seed analysts. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the potential of computer vision and multispectral imaging systems supported with multivariate analysis for high-throughput classification of cowpea () seeds.

Gene expression atlas of pigeonpea and its application to gain insights into genes associated with pollen fertility implicated in seed formation.

Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) is an important grain legume of the semi-arid tropics, mainly used for its protein rich seeds. To link the genome sequence information with agronomic traits resulting from specific developmental processes, a Cajanus cajan gene expression atlas (CcGEA) was developed using the Asha genotype. Thirty tissues/organs representing developmental stages from germination to senescence were used to generate 590.

Analysis of Large Seeds from Three Different Medicago truncatula Ecotypes Reveals a Potential Role of Hormonal Balance in Final Size Determination of Legume Grains.

Legume seeds are important as protein and oil source for human diet. Understanding how their final seed size is determined is crucial to improve crop yield. In this study, we analyzed seed development of three accessions of the model legume, Medicago truncatula, displaying contrasted seed size.

A Snapshot of Functional Genetic Studies in Medicago truncatula.

In the current context of food security, increase of plant protein production in a sustainable manner represents one of the major challenges of agronomic research, which could be partially resolved by increased cultivation of legume crops. Medicago truncatula is now a well-established model for legume genomic and genetic studies. With the establishment of genomics tools and mutant populations in M.