Los marcadores microsatélite revelan la reestructuración genética de Medicago sinskiae (Fabaceae) en el oeste y el sudoeste de Irán

Medicago sinskiae appears to be a very rare species in the Iranian flora with only a few records in the last three decades. Eight populations (62 individuals) of M. sinskiae, one population of M. rigidula (seven individuals), and one population of M. constricta (five individuals) from western and southwestern Iran were analyzed for microsatellite data based on newly designed SSR primers using NGS technology. The PCoA, Clustering and Structure analyses showed no geographical pattern of genetically designated clusters. Our results showed that M. sinskiae is mainly an inbreeder. It is assumed that high levels of gene flow (Nm) and generation of genetically homogenous populations seem to be more affected by fast dispersal and not localized gene flow. Extensive collections recently made from the western and southwestern Iran showed that its presence is increasing. Finally, our results indicate that the species is segregated from its very close relatives M. rigidula and M. constricta in Iran.Medicago sinskiae es considerada una especie rara en la flora iraní con únicamente unas pocas citas en las tres últimas décadas. Se han muestreado ocho poblaciones (62 individuos) de M. sinskiae, una población de M. rigidula (siete individuos) y una población de M. constricta (cinco individuos) en el oeste y el suroeste de Irán que han sido analizadas con marcadores microsatélite. Se han utilizado nuevos primers obtenidos con tecnología NGS. Los análisis de PCoA, Clustering y Structure no muestran un patrón geográfico para los clústeres genéticos. Los resultados muestran que M. sinskiae es principalmente una especie autógama. Se asume que los altos niveles de flujo genético (Nm) y la homogeneidad genética poblacional están afectados por una rápida dispersión y un flujo genético no localizado. Recolecciones extensivas realizadas recientemente en el oeste y el suroeste de Iran muestran que el rango de distribución esta especie se está incrementando. Finalmente, nuestros resultados indican que M. sinskiae está diferenciada de las especies M. rigidula y M. constricta en Irán

Putrescine-functionalized carbon quantum dot (put-CQD) nanoparticles effectively prime grapevine (Vitis vinifera cv. ‘Sultana’) against salt stress

Background: Salinity is an important global problem with destructive impacts on plants leading to different biochemical and metabolic changes in plants through induced oxidative stress that disturbs metabolism, growth, performance and productivity of plants. Given that putrescine (Put) and carbon quantum dots (CQDs), individually, have promising effects in different plant processes, the idea of their combination in a nano-structure “Put-CQD” lead to its synthesis to evaluate the potential exertion of synergistic effects. The current study aimed to investigate the application of newly-synthesized nanoparticles (NPs) consisting of CQDs and Put in grapevine (Vitis vinifera cv. ‘Sultana’) under salinity stress conditions. For this purpose, Put, CQDs and Put-CQD NPs at 5 and 10 mg L− 1 concentrations were applied as chemical priming agents in ‘Sultana’ grapevine 48 h prior salinity stress imposition (0 and 100 mM NaCl). Results: Salinity significantly decreased (P ≤ 0.05) morphological parameters, photosynthetic pigments, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters and membrane stability index. In addition, salinity enhanced MDA, H2O2, proline content and antioxidant enzyme activity. Results revealed that Put-CQD NPs, particularly at 10 mg L− 1 concentration, alleviated the destructive impacts of salinity stress by improving leaf fresh and dry weights, K+ content, photosynthetic pigments, chlorophyll fluorescence and SPAD parameters, proline content, total phenolics and antioxidant enzymatic activities (CAT, APX, GP and SOD), while decreasing Na+ content, EL, MDA and H2O2 levels. Conclusion: To conclude, Put-CQD NPs represent an innovative priming treatment that could be effectively applied on grapevine to improve plant performance under salinity stress conditions