Seed coating with environmentally acceptable polymers as an alternative to fungicide treatment of corn and soybeans

In the United States alone, more than fifty-five million acres of crop land are planted annually with corn seed that has been treated with Captan® (Mercaptan, a powder fungicide). This means that more that 1,230,000 pounds of Captan® are applied to the soil each year

Seed physiological performance of soybeans with altered saturated fatty acid contents

Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) seeds with elevated or reduced percentages of palmitate and elevated percentages of stearate were compared with seeds of typical composition in tests for germination, seedling growth rate and leachate conductivity. In general, seeds with altered compositions did well in these physiological tests, but their vigour tended to be negatively correlated with the percentages of stearate and palmitate in various lipid classes

Temperature-dependent Inhibition of Hypocotyl Elongation in Some Soybean Cultivars: I. Localization of Ethylene Evolution and Role of Cotyledons 1 Downloaded from

Apical 2-cm hypocotyl segments from seedlings of a "short-hypocotyl" cultivar Amsoy 71, like whole seedlings, evolve about twice as much ethylene at 25°C as at 30°C. Segments consisting of two cotyledons and an attached epicotyl evolve ethylene at low rates at both 25°C and 30°C. Hypocotyl segments from seedlings of Cutler 71 also show enhanced ethylene evolution at 25°C. Hypocotyl segments from Corsoy, a "longhypocotyl" cultivar, however, evolve ethylene at low rates at both 25°C and 30°C. Wounding of Amsoy 71 hypocotyl segments does not increase their ethylene evolution. Ethylene evolution at 25°C is reduced and the short-hypocotyl phenomenon is reversed by partial (50%) removal of Amsoy 71 cotyledons at planting time. Key words: Cotyledons -Ethylene -Hypocotyl elongation -Temperature sensitivity. Certain soybean cultivars exhibit poor emergence when planted at a depth of 10 cm and grown at 25°C. The poor emergence is a consequence of reduced hypocotyl elongation (Burris and Fehr 1971 Abbreviations: H, apical 2-cm hypocotyl segment; HW, wounded hypocotyl segment; C + E, cotyledons+ epicotyl; C + E+H, cotyledons+epicotyl + hypocotyl segment left attached to each other; pt, plant part; PVC, polyvinyl chloride; SD, standard deviation

Comparative genome analysis of lignin biosynthesis gene families across the plant kingdom

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>As a major component of plant cell wall, lignin plays important roles in mechanical support, water transport, and stress responses. As the main cause for the recalcitrance of plant cell wall, lignin modification has been a major task for bioenergy feedstock improvement. The study of the evolution and function of lignin biosynthesis genes thus has two-fold implications. First, the lignin biosynthesis pathway provides an excellent model to study the coordinative evolution of a biochemical pathway in plants. Second, understanding the function and evolution of lignin biosynthesis genes will guide us to develop better strategies for bioenergy feedstock improvement.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We analyzed lignin biosynthesis genes from fourteen plant species and one symbiotic fungal species. Comprehensive comparative genome analysis was carried out to study the distribution, relatedness, and family expansion of the lignin biosynthesis genes across the plant kingdom. In addition, we also analyzed the comparative synteny map between rice and sorghum to study the evolution of lignin biosynthesis genes within the <it>Poaceae </it>family and the chromosome evolution between the two species. Comprehensive lignin biosynthesis gene expression analysis was performed in rice, poplar and <it>Arabidopsis</it>. The representative data from rice indicates that different fates of gene duplications exist for lignin biosynthesis genes. In addition, we also carried out the biomass composition analysis of nine <it>Arabidopsis </it>mutants with both MBMS analysis and traditional wet chemistry methods. The results were analyzed together with the genomics analysis.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The research revealed that, among the species analyzed, the complete lignin biosynthesis pathway first appeared in moss; the pathway is absent in green algae. The expansion of lignin biosynthesis gene families correlates with substrate diversity. In addition, we found that the expansion of the gene families mostly occurred after the divergence of monocots and dicots, with the exception of the C4H gene family. Gene expression analysis revealed different fates of gene duplications, largely confirming plants are tolerant to gene dosage effects. The rapid expansion of lignin biosynthesis genes indicated that the translation of transgenic lignin modification strategies from model species to bioenergy feedstock might only be successful between the closely relevant species within the same family.</p

Establishing the value of genomics in medicine: the IGNITE Pragmatic Trials Network.

PURPOSE: A critical gap in the adoption of genomic medicine into medical practice is the need for the rigorous evaluation of the utility of genomic medicine interventions. METHODS: The Implementing Genomics in Practice Pragmatic Trials Network (IGNITE PTN) was formed in 2018 to measure the clinical utility and cost-effectiveness of genomic medicine interventions, to assess approaches for real-world application of genomic medicine in diverse clinical settings, and to produce generalizable knowledge on clinical trials using genomic interventions. Five clinical sites and a coordinating center evaluated trial proposals and developed working groups to enable their implementation. RESULTS: Two pragmatic clinical trials (PCTs) have been initiated, one evaluating genetic risk APOL1 variants in African Americans in the management of their hypertension, and the other to evaluate the use of pharmacogenetic testing for medications to manage acute and chronic pain as well as depression. CONCLUSION: IGNITE PTN is a network that carries out PCTs in genomic medicine; it is focused on diversity and inclusion of underrepresented minority trial participants; it uses electronic health records and clinical decision support to deliver the interventions. IGNITE PTN will develop the evidence to support (or oppose) the adoption of genomic medicine interventions by patients, providers, and payers

Schizophrenia-associated somatic copy-number variants from 12,834 cases reveal recurrent NRXN1 and ABCB11 disruptions

While germline copy-number variants (CNVs) contribute to schizophrenia (SCZ) risk, the contribution of somatic CNVs (sCNVs)—present in some but not all cells—remains unknown. We identified sCNVs using blood-derived genotype arrays from 12,834 SCZ cases and 11,648 controls, filtering sCNVs at loci recurrently mutated in clonal blood disorders. Likely early-developmental sCNVs were more common in cases (0.91%) than controls (0.51%, p = 2.68e−4), with recurrent somatic deletions of exons 1–5 of the NRXN1 gene in five SCZ cases. Hi-C maps revealed ectopic, allele-specific loops forming between a potential cryptic promoter and non-coding cis-regulatory elements upon 5′ deletions in NRXN1. We also observed recurrent intragenic deletions of ABCB11, encoding a transporter implicated in anti-psychotic response, in five treatment-resistant SCZ cases and showed that ABCB11 is specifically enriched in neurons forming mesocortical and mesolimbic dopaminergic projections. Our results indicate potential roles of sCNVs in SCZ risk