Striga hermonthica (Del.) Benth. and Striga asiatica (L.) Kuntze severely affect maize (Zea mays L.) production in sub-Saharan Africa. A single Striga plant produces a large number of seeds that form a bank of viable but dormant seed in the soil until they get a chemical signal from suitable maize host roots. Imidazolinone-resistant (IR) open-pollinated maize varieties (OPVs) developed for Striga control were tested in diverse environments in four countries of eastern Africa in 2004.

The distribution of fitness effects of new mutations (the DFE) is a key parameter in determining the course of evolution. This fact has motivated extensive efforts to measure the DFE or to predict it from first principles. However, just as the DFE determines the course of evolution, the evolutionary process itself constrains the DFE. Here, we analyze a simple model of genome evolution in a constant environment in which natural selection drives the population toward a dynamic steady state where beneficial and deleterious substitutions balance.

Block designs are normally used in evaluation of crop varieties. The responses or yield data arising from designed trials in a crop variety improvement program are generally analyzed using linear mixed models under the frequentist paradigm. Such analysis ignores information on the genotypic parameters available from previous similar trials. Another approach with a relatively wider inferential framework is Bayesian, which integrates the prior information with the likelihood of current data.

By RNA profiling of 10 stages of maize anthers plus mature pollen, we found two distinct classes of phased small-interfering RNAs (phasiRNAs): 21-nt premeiotic phasiRNAs, after germinal and somatic cell specification, and 24-nt meiotic phasiRNAs coordinately accumulated during meiosis and persist into pollen. Sequencing of RNA from five male-sterile, anther developmental mutants—ocl4, mac1, ms23, msca1, and ameiotic1—demonstrated the involvement of specific somatic layers.

Perennial plants display seasonal cycles of growth. For example, in the trees of boreal temperate forests, growth must cease prior to the advent of winter and cold hardiness must be acquired to survive extreme low temperature. Growth cessation and activation of transcriptional programs underlying adaptive responses associated with cold hardiness are photoperiodically controlled. We show that the evolutionarily conserved protein FD implicated in the control of flowering mediates photoperiodic control of seasonal growth in trees by forming a complex with FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) protein.

Plant growth requires a balanced supply of mineral nutrients. However, the availability of minerals varies constantly in the environment. How do plants adapt to low or high levels of minerals in the soil? The answer to this question holds the key to sustainable crop production. Mg is an essential macronutrient for plants, but high levels of Mg²⁺ can become toxic. This study uncovered a regulatory mechanism, consisting of two calcineurin B-like (CBL)

Earlier soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] planting, increased seed costs, and higher commodity prices have led to a surge in the use of soybean fungicide and insecticide seed treatments, while recent studies have suggested that growers should consider lowering seeding rates to increase their return on investment. Ultimately, growers would like to know the value proposition of combining seed treatments with lowered seeding rates. Therefore, three seed treatments (untreated, ApronMaxx, and CruiserMaxx) and six seeding rates (98,800, 148,200, 197,600, 247,000, 296,400, and 345,800 seeds ha⁻¹)

In response to DNA damage, two general but fundamental processes occur in the cell: (1) a DNA lesion is recognized and repaired, and (2) concomitantly, the cell halts the cell cycle to provide a window of opportunity for repair to occur. An essential factor for a proper DNA-damage response is the heterotrimeric protein complex Replication Protein A (RPA). Of particular interest is hyperphosphorylation of the 32-kDa subunit, called RPA2, on its serine/threonine-rich amino (N) terminus following DNA damage in human cells.

Hessian fly is one of the most destructive insect pests in wheat. It causes stunted growth due to galls in wheat seedlings. In a study conducted by a group of researchers from 26 different institutions, they were able to sequence the genome of Hessian fly. This provides a little hint on gall formations in wheat. By examining how the Hessian fly attacks and regain its resistance to the wheat's defense system, they were able to reveal that the Hessian fly genome houses a large number of genes - more than 1000 genes coding for effector proteins, making it the largest gene family discovered in an insect genome

The gene-for-gene concept has historically been applied to describe a specific resistance interaction wherein single genes from the host and the pathogen dictate the outcome. These interactions have been observed across the plant kingdom and all known plant microbial pathogens. In recent years, this concept has been extended to susceptibility phenotypes in the context of transcription activator-like (TAL) effectors that target SWEET sugar transporters.