Molecular insights into postharvest seed coat darkening in common beans: a look beyond the gene.

Many market classes of common beans () have a significant reduction in crop value due to the postharvest darkening of the seed coat. Seed coat darkening is caused by an elevated accumulation and oxidation of proanthocyanidins (PAs). In common bean, the major color gene encodes for a bHLH protein with its allele controlling the postharvest slow darkening seed coat trait.

The avermectin, emamectin benzoate, kills gram-positive bacteria and targets the cell envelope of .

The avermectin family of anthelmintics is largely considered to lack antibacterial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Here, we screened six avermectins (ivermectin, eprinomectin, doramectin, abamectin, selamectin, and emamectin benzoate) and a structurally related milbemycin (moxidectin) for antibacterial activity against a panel of representative gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. We report that emamectin benzoate exhibited activity against several species of gram-positive bacteria, whereas selamectin was active against and .

Antiviral RNA interference in plants: increasing complexity and intertwining with other biological processes.

RNA interference (RNAi, also known as RNA silencing) is one of the most important plant defense responses to combat viral invasions. Although the major components of the RNAi pathway, the steps leading to viral small interference RNA (siRNA) biogenesis, and the strategies of viral counter-defense via RNAi suppressors have been well studied, the broader roles of RNAi in virus infection and seed transmission remain less thoroughly reviewed. In particular, the increasing complexity of RNAi-associated mechanisms and their integration with other biological processes have not been comprehensively summarized.

The down-regulation of MsWOX13-2 promotes enhanced waterlogging resilience in alfalfa.

Soil waterlogging events are predicted to escalate globally as a result of climate change, threatening the sustainability of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and livestock production in the future. WUSCHEL-related homeobox (WOX) transcription factors are known to play a role in numerous developmental processes and abiotic stress responses; however, their function in waterlogging resilience has not been investigated as of yet.

Proanthocyanidin biosynthesis and postharvest seed coat darkening in pinto bean.

Proanthocyanidins (PAs) are polyphenolic compounds present widely in the plant kingdom. These specialized metabolites are derived from the phenylpropanoid pathway and are known for producing brown pigments in different plant organs. PAs accumulate in the seed coat tissues of flowering plants and play a determinant role in seed germination and viability, protect seeds from biotic and abiotic stresses, and thus ensure the long-term storage potential of seeds.

An Urban Stormwater Contaminant Signature: Defining Priority Contaminants for Urban Stormwater Research.

Stormwater ponds (SWPs) are a common feature of urban landscapes, designed to manage runoff and reduce flooding. Increasingly, they are also recognized as seminatural habitats supporting aquatic biodiversity. However, SWPs receive complex mixtures of contaminants from surrounding urban areas, and the extent of contamination within the ponds themselves remains underexplored.

Metabarcoding-approach-based profiling reveals dynamic nature of sustainable tillage practices on nematode communities in corn-soybean cropping systems.

Despite extensive research on tillage and its impact on nematode communities, little is known about the impact of occasional tillage within no-tillage practices. Occasionally tilling the soil can minimize the negative effects of conventional tillage and no-tillage practices especially in clayey soils. A tillage system that maximizes all the economic and environmental benefits but increases herbivore nematodes while reducing beneficial free-living nematodes may pose long-term agronomic challenges.

Natural self-attenuation of pathogenic viruses by deleting the silencing suppressor coding sequence for long-term plant-virus coexistence.

Potyviridae is the largest family of plant-infecting RNA viruses. All members of the family (potyvirids) have single-stranded positive-sense RNA genomes, with polyprotein processing as the expression strategy. The 5'-proximal regions of all potyvirids, except bymoviruses, encode two types of leader proteases: the serine protease P1 and the cysteine protease HCPro.

Characterisation of the genome and secretome of and .

Pethybr. & Laff. and Pethybr.

Genomic Diversity of Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus in Canadian Greenhouse Production Systems.

Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) is a recently emerged viral pathogen in the genus first observed in 2014 in the Middle East that has since spread worldwide, causing significant losses in greenhouse tomato production. ToBRFV is easily mechanically transmitted and can escape the durable resistance gene, facilitating its global spread. Seed companies have identified novel sources of resistance and introduced these resistance traits into commercial cultivars.

Tracking the genome-wide occupancy of Arabidopsis LEAFY COTYLEDON1 in endosperm development.

Endosperm development is crucial for embryo growth and seed maturation. LEAFY COTYLEDON1 (LEC1), expressed in both endosperm and embryo, serves as a key regulator of seed development, orchestrating processes such as embryogenesis and seed maturation. LEC1 expression in the endosperm is detectable within a day after fertilization, yet its specific regulatory networks and developmental functions in this tissue remain unclear.

Differential expression analysis of soybean pod tissue between Canadian environments identifies differences in sulfur-containing amino acid-related gene expression.

Soybean seeds are rich in oil and protein; however, the seed composition is influenced by genotype and environment. For years, it has been observed that soybeans grown in western Canada have lower seed protein concentration (by ∼1%-5% total seed weight) than those grown in eastern Canada. In this study, soybean seeds harvested from five varieties were grown in four different locations in Canada (east and west growing regions) and analyzed using RNA-sequencing.

Ecotoxicological implications of increased antidepressant concentrations in the Laurentian Great Lakes Basin, 2018-2023.

Antidepressants are only partially metabolized and then eliminated in urine and feces. Since waste water treatment plants are not designed to remove pharmaceuticals, antidepressants and their metabolites eventually reach the environment. Antidepressants are among the most prescribed drugs in the world, and their prescription rates increased dramatically following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Impact of Pre-Extraction Methods on Apple Blossom Microbiome Analysis.

This study examines the effect of pre-extraction methods, namely, sonication, grinding, and lyophilization, and the use of peptide nucleic acid (PNA) blockers on the DNA recovery, diversity, and taxonomic resolution of bacterial and fungal communities in apple blossoms. Sonication was the most successful in recovering bacterial 16S and fungal ITS reads across all the collection points and plots. Lyophilization and grinding led to a significant reduction in fungal read counts, while PNA enhanced the recovery of bacterial 16S reads.

Biotransformation of Deoxynivalenol to the Novel Metabolite Deoxynivalenol-8,15-hemiketal-7-glucoside by the Glycosyltransferase YjiC.

The mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) is a chronic problem in cereals in temperate areas worldwide. Above regulatory levels, DON contamination can result in significant economic loss both to the primary producer and the feed industry in terms of increased costs. Here we report the enzymatic biotransformation of DON to a novel stable metabolite by a soil-borne strain of .

Unique double-helical packing of protein molecules in the crystal of potassium-independent L-asparaginase from common bean.

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) encodes three class 2 L-asparaginase enzymes: two potassium-dependent enzymes [PvAIII(K)-1 and PvAIII(K)-2] and a potassium-independent enzyme (PvAIII). Here, we present the crystal structure of PvAIII, which displays a rare P2 space-group symmetry and a unique pseudosymmetric 4-like double-helical packing. The asymmetric unit contains 32 protein chains (16 αβ units labeled A-P) organized into two right-handed coiled arrangements, each consisting of four PvAIII (αβ) dimers.

Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus encodes additional small proteins with specific subcellular localizations and virulence function.

The vast majority of known viruses belong to the positive-sense single-stranded RNA (+ssRNA) class. Tobamoviruses are among the most destructive plant viruses and threaten global food security. It is generally accepted that +ssRNA viruses including tobamoviruses encode proteins solely on their positive strand (+RNA).

A conserved lysine/arginine-rich motif is essential for the autophagic degradation of potyviral 6K1 protein and virus infection.

Potyviruses possess one positive-sense single-stranded RNA genome, mainly dependent on polyprotein processing as the expression strategy. The resulting polyproteins are proteolytically processed by three virus-encoded proteases into 11 or 12 mature proteins. One such factor, 6 kDa peptide 1 (6K1), is an understudied viral factor.

International interlaboratory study to normalize liquid chromatography-based mycotoxin retention times through implementation of a retention index system.

Monitoring for mycotoxins in food or feed matrices is necessary to ensure the safety and security of global food systems. Due to a lack of standardized methods and individual laboratory priorities, most institutions have developed their own methods for mycotoxin determinations. Given the diversity of mycotoxin chemical structures and physicochemical properties, searching databases, and comparing data between institutions is complicated.

Biopesticide transplant dips and foliar acaricide applications for control of cyclamen mite (Phytonemus pallidus) in strawberry.

Cyclamen mite (Phytonemus pallidus) causes injury to new growth of strawberry plants and is difficult to control because it is protected by folded leaves and plant crowns. Since cyclamen mite is easily transferred from strawberry nurseries to fruiting fields, dipping transplants in biopesticides may reduce initial populations. However, cyclamen mite numbers at 1 and 3 months-after-planting, and yield and cyclamen mite injury to fruit in the following season did not differ among transplants immersed for 30 s in Captiva® Prime, EcoTrol® EC, Landscape Oil, SuffOil-X® or Kopa Insecticidal Soap or the untreated control.

Effects of Cover Crops on Nematode Communities in Spinach Production.

Agricultural soil environments contain different types of nematodes in all trophic levels that aid in balancing the soil food web. Beneficial free-living nematodes (FLNs) consist of bacterivores, fungivores, predators, and omnivores that help in the mineralization of the soil and the top-down control of harmful plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs). Annually, USD 125 billion in worldwide crop losses are caused by PPNs, making them a plant pathogen of great concern for growers.

Viral RNA polymerase as a SUMOylation decoy inhibits RNA quality control to promote potyvirus infection.

Potyvirids are the largest group of plant RNA viruses. Pelota, a core component of RNA quality controls (RQC), promotes the degradation of potyvirids' genomic RNA by recognizing a specific GA motif. Here we demonstrate that the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, NIb, acts as a SUMOylation decoy to effectively reduce Pelota SUMOylation by competing with SCE1 to inhibit Pelota-mediated RQC.

RNA modifications in plant biotic interactions.

The chemical modifications of DNA and proteins are powerful mechanisms for regulating molecular and biological functions, influencing a wide array of signaling pathways in eukaryotes. Recent advancements in epitranscriptomics have shown that RNA modifications play crucial roles in diverse biological processes. Since their discovery in the 1970s, scientists have sought to decipher, identify, and elucidate the functions of these modifications across biological systems.

The species of Pteromalus Swederus in America north of Mexico with a 4:4 mandibular formula, and description of a potential biocontrol agent of the introduced pest Anthonomus rubi (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).

The strawberry blossom weevil, Anthonomus rubi (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is native to Europe, Asia, and parts of North Africa, and has recently established in British Columbia, Canada and Washington State, USA. To determine whether any parasitoids in British Columbia parasitize this recently-established pest, A. rubi-infested buds of Rosaceous host plants were collected and reared for parasitoid emergence.