Development of an efficient transformation system to field bean (Vicia faba) : manipulation of the sulphur-rich protein content via genetic engineering

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Editorial: Leveraging genomics, phenomics, and plant biotechnology approaches for improving abiotic and biotic stress tolerance in cereals and legumes

[no abstract available

Enhanced Abiotic Stress Tolerance of Vicia faba L. Plants Heterologously Expressing the PR10a Gene from Potato

Pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins are known to play relevant roles in plant defense against biotic and abiotic stresses. In the present study, we characterize the response of transgenic faba bean (Vicia faba L.) plants encoding a PR10a gene from potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) to salinity and drought. The transgene was under the mannopine synthetase (pMAS) promoter. PR10a-overexpressing faba bean plants showed better growth than the wild-type plants after 14 days of drought stress and 30 days of salt stress under hydroponic growth conditions. After re-moving the stress, the PR10a-plants returned to a normal state, while the wild-type plants could not be restored. Most importantly, there was no phenotypic difference between transgenic and non-transgenic faba bean plants under well-watered conditions. Evaluation of physiological parameters during salt stress showed lower Na+-content in the leaves of the transgenic plants, which would reduce the toxic effect. In addition, PR10a-plants were able to maintain vegetative growth and experienced fewer photosystem changes under both stresses and a lower level of osmotic stress injury under salt stress compared to wild-type plants. Taken together, our findings suggest that the PR10a gene from potato plays an important role in abiotic stress tolerance, probably by activation of stress-related physiological processes

Viruses and Phytoparasitic Nematodes of Cicer arietinum L.: Biotechnological Approaches in Interaction Studies and for Sustainable Control

Cicer arietinum L. (chickpea) is the world's fourth most widely grown pulse. Chickpea seeds are a primary source of dietary protein for humans, and chickpea cultivation contributes to biological nitrogen fixation in the soil, given its symbiotic relationship with rhizobia. Therefore, chickpea cultivation plays a pivotal role in innovative sustainable models of agro-ecosystems inserted in crop rotation in arid and semi-arid environments for soil improvement and the reduction of chemical inputs. Indeed, the arid and semi-arid tropical zones of Africa and Asia have been primary areas of cultivation and diversification. Yet, nowadays, chickpea is gaining prominence in Canada, Australia, and South America where it constitutes a main ingredient in vegetarian and vegan diets. Viruses and plant parasitic nematodes (PPNs) have been considered to be of minor and local impact in primary areas of cultivation. However, the introduction of chickpea in new environments exposes the crop to these biotic stresses, compromising its yields. The adoption of high-throughput genomic technologies, including genome and transcriptome sequencing projects by the chickpea research community, has provided major insights into genome evolution as well as genomic architecture and domestication. This review summarizes the major viruses and PPNs that affect chickpea cultivation worldwide. We also present an overview of the current state of chickpea genomics. Accordingly, we explore the opportunities that genomics, post-genomics and novel editing biotechnologies are offering in order to understand chickpea diseases and stress tolerance and to design innovative control strategies

Impact of chitosan on shoot regeneration from faba bean embryo axes through its effect on phenolic compounds and endogenous hormones

Legume crops have been the primary targets for improvement by genetic transformation due to their importance for human and animal consumption worldwide. Many of these important legume crops were difficult to genetically engineer especially faba bean crop, mainly due to high phenolics content and their recalcitrance to in vitro regeneration. Therefore, a series of experiments were performed in order to evaluate the growth , morphological changes and production of phenolics in the in vitro plantlets of five Egyptian faba bean cultivars (Giza 843, Sakha 1, Sakha 3, Nubaria 2 and Nubaria 3). The obtained results revealed that cultivars Nubaria 2 and Skha 3 had the highest regeneration frequency (85.3% and 78.6%), respectively. Also, both cultivars showed high growth parameters and low in total phenols concentration. Therefore, these cultivars considered as promising candidates to Agrobacterium mediated genetic transformation experiments. The effect of different levels of chitosan (0, 2, 4, 8, 15, 30, 60, and 120 mg chitosan/l) on shoot regeneration from mature embryo axes of cv. Nubaria 2 were studied. The obtained results indicated that high levels of chitosan have lethal effect on the development of embryo axes tissues and the plantlets showed morphological abnormalities. However, low levels of chitosan 2 mg /l and 4mg /l in combination with 4.5 mg/l BAP increased the shoot regeneration. Moreover, the total soluble phenols were increased by increasing the age of the faba bean plantlets (six weeks old) cultured in vitro on a medium containing low level of chitosan (2, 4 and 8 mg chitosan/l) as compared with plantlets did not expose to chitosan. HPLC analysis showed changes in the polyphenols concentrations and the concentration of Gibberellic acid (GA3) and Abscisic acid (ABA) in faba bean plantlets that exposed to low levels of chitosan (2, 4 and 8 mg chitosan /l) were increased as compared with control plantlets. The obtained results indicated that the concentration of phenolic compounds, GA3 and ABA in the extracts were increased in the faba bean plantlets that exposed to low levels of chitosan.file: :Users/u0129515/Sync/My_list_publication/Abeer, 2020.pdf:pdf keywords: ABA,Embryo Axes,GA3,Phenols,Regeneration Frequenc

Enhanced Abiotic Stress Tolerance of <i>Vicia faba</i> L. Plants Heterologously Expressing the <i>PR10a</i> Gene from Potato

Pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins are known to play relevant roles in plant defense against biotic and abiotic stresses. In the present study, we characterize the response of transgenic faba bean (Vicia faba L.) plants encoding a PR10a gene from potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) to salinity and drought. The transgene was under the mannopine synthetase (pMAS) promoter. PR10a-overexpressing faba bean plants showed better growth than the wild-type plants after 14 days of drought stress and 30 days of salt stress under hydroponic growth conditions. After removing the stress, the PR10a-plants returned to a normal state, while the wild-type plants could not be restored. Most importantly, there was no phenotypic difference between transgenic and non-transgenic faba bean plants under well-watered conditions. Evaluation of physiological parameters during salt stress showed lower Na+-content in the leaves of the transgenic plants, which would reduce the toxic effect. In addition, PR10a-plants were able to maintain vegetative growth and experienced fewer photosystem changes under both stresses and a lower level of osmotic stress injury under salt stress compared to wild-type plants. Taken together, our findings suggest that the PR10a gene from potato plays an important role in abiotic stress tolerance, probably by activation of stress-related physiological processes

Enhanced Abiotic Stress Tolerance of Vicia faba L. Plants Heterologously Expressing the PR10a Gene from Potato

Pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins are known to play relevant roles in plant defense against biotic and abiotic stresses. In the present study, we characterize the response of transgenic faba bean (Vicia faba L.) plants encoding a PR10a gene from potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) to salinity and drought. The transgene was under the mannopine synthetase (pMAS) promoter. PR10a-overexpressing faba bean plants showed better growth than the wild-type plants after 14 days of drought stress and 30 days of salt stress under hydroponic growth conditions. After removing the stress, the PR10a-plants returned to a normal state, while the wild-type plants could not be restored. Most importantly, there was no phenotypic difference between transgenic and non-transgenic faba bean plants under well-watered conditions. Evaluation of physiological parameters during salt stress showed lower Na+-content in the leaves of the transgenic plants, which would reduce the toxic effect. In addition, PR10a-plants were able to maintain vegetative growth and experienced fewer photosystem changes under both stresses and a lower level of osmotic stress injury under salt stress compared to wild-type plants. Taken together, our findings suggest that the PR10a gene from potato plays an important role in abiotic stress tolerance, probably by activation of stress-related physiological processes