Cryopreservation and In Vitro banking: a cool subject – Preface from the editors

Plant breeding depends largely on having access to a wide variety of plant genetic resources, which are vulnerable to losses caused by biotic and abiotic threats when grown in the field or in a greenhouse. Thus, cryopreservation or in vitro banking is a safe strategy for long-term conservation of such genetic resources, which serves as back-up collections for field genebanks and reduces. For many species, encapsulation technologies can be a promising tool for the management of plant material of high quality, the production in nurseries of plants from in vitro culture, or the conservation of plant genetic resources. Such “synthetic seeds” proved to be of great value in the medium- (slow-growth storage) and long-term (cryopreservation) conservation of germplasm of fruit, ornamental, horticultural and forestry species in small spaces. However, more research is still needed. Cryopreservation projects must have clear goals, long-term funding, skilled technical support staff, necessary infrastructure, and well-defined procedures and protocols, so that they can be routinely implemented in plant cryobanks and help to establish backup collections of valuable plant genetic resources

Management and Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources for a Sustainable Agriculture

Despite the dramatic increase in food production thanks to the Green Revolution, hunger is increasing among human populations around the world, affecting one in nine people. The negative environmental and social consequences of industrial monocrop agriculture is becoming evident, particularly in the contexts of greenhouse gas emissions and the increased frequency and impact of zoonotic disease emergence, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Human activity has altered 70–75% of the ice-free Earth’s surface, squeezing nature and wildlife into a corner. To prevent, halt, and reverse the degradation of ecosystems worldwide, the UN has launched a Decade of Ecosystem Restoration. In this context, this review describes the origin and diversity of cultivated species, the impact of modern agriculture and other human activities on plant genetic resources, and approaches to conserve and use them to increase food diversity and production with specific examples of the use of crop wild relatives for breeding climate-resilient cultivars that require less chemical and mechanical input. The need to better coordinate in situ conservation efforts with increased funding has been highlighted. We emphasise the need to strengthen the genebank infrastructure, enabling the use of modern biotechnological tools to help in genotyping and characterising accessions plus advanced ex situ conservation methods, identifying gaps in collections, developing core collections, and linking data with international databases. Crop and variety diversification and minimising tillage and other field practices through the development and introduction of herbaceous perennial crops is proposed as an alternative regenerative food system for higher carbon sequestration, sustaining economic benefits for growers, whilst also providing social and environmental benefits

Chemistry of hydrazine adducts of bicyclo [3.3.1] nonadiene diones and an approach to the synthesis of some bridged heterocyclic annulenes

The literature concerning polyamines and some bridged cyclic amines of biological importance is reviewed. The structure of the dihydrazone 4,9dimethyl-2,3,7,8-tetraazatetracyclo[7.3.1.0.4,1206,10]trideca-l,6-dieneprepared by the reaction of hydrazine with 4,8-dimethylbicyclo[3.3.1]nona3,7-diene-2,6-dione was established. This hydrazone has two double bonds at bridgehead positions (anti Bredt). The reduction of 4,9-dimethyl-2,3,7,8-tetraazatetracyclo[7.3.1.0.4,1206,10]trideca-l,6-diene to give the dihydrazine 1,6-dimethyl-2,3,7,8-tetraazatetracyclo[7.3.1.0.4,1206,10]tridecane was investigated. Reduction of the dihydrazone using lithium aluminium hydride and aluminium chloride gave the dihydrazine but lithium aluminium hydride alone or aluminium chloride alone induced the ring cleavage of the dihydrazone to afford tricyclic dihydro pyrazoles. The oxidation of the dihydrazine and reaction with aldehydes were also examined. The oxidation gave the bridged bisazoalkane 1,6-dimethyl-2,3,7,8-tetraazatetracyclo[7.3.1.0 4,1206,10]trideca-2,7-diene and the reactions of the dihydrazine with aldehydes gave products with further cyclisation. In Part Two, the literature of bridged heterocyclic annulenes is reviewed. Aspects of the chemistry of the readily available bridged l,5-benzodiazepine 4,6-dimethyl-5,2,8-ethanylylidene-5H-1,9-benzodiazacycloundecine are described. The allylic bromination of this bridged 1,5-benzodiazepine gave the dibromide 4,6-dibromomethyl-5,2,8-ethanylylidene-5H-1,9-benzodiazacycloundecine in good yield. Transformations of this dibromide by a series of nucleophiles gave products with formation of extra carbocyclic rings, and extra heterocyclic rings with incorporation of one or two further nitrogen groups. The chemistry of these bridged systems was extensively studied and led to a synthesis of a benzo[14] annulene.</p

Studies on Improving the Efficiency of Somatic Embryogenesis in Grapevine (<i>Vitis vinifera</i> L.) and Optimising Ethyl Methanesulfonate Treatment for Mutation Induction

Somatic embryogenesis (SE) has many applications in grapevine biotechnology including micropropagation, eradicating viral infections from infected cultivars, mass production of hypocotyl explants for micrografting, as a continuous source for haploid and doubled haploid plants, and for germplasm conservation. It is so far the only pathway for the genetic modification of grapevines through transformation. The single-cell origin of somatic embryos makes them an ideal explant for mutation breeding as the resulting mutants will be chimera-free. In the present research, two combinations of plant growth regulators and different explants from flower buds at two stages of maturity were tested in regard to the efficiency of callusing and embryo formation from the callus produced in three white grape cultivars. Also, the treatment of somatic embryos with the chemical mutagen ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) was optimised. Medium 2339 supplemented with β-naphthoxyacetic acid (5 μM) and 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP—9.0 μM) produced significantly more calluses than medium 2337 supplemented with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (4.5 µM) and BAP (8.9 µM) in all explants. The calluses produced on medium 2337 were harder and more granular and produced more SEs. Although the stage of the maturity of floral bud did not have a significant effect on the callusing of the explants, calluses produced from immature floral bud explants in the premeiotic stage produced significantly more SEs than those from more mature floral buds. Overall, immature ovaries and cut floral buds exposing the cut ends of filaments, style, etc., tested for the first time in grapevine SE, produced the highest percentage of embryogenic calluses. It is much more efficient to cut the floral bud and culture than previously reported explants such as anthers, ovaries, stigmas and styles during the short flowering period when the immature flower buds are available. When the somatic embryos of the three cultivars were incubated for one hour with 0.1% EMS, their germination was reduced by 50%; an ideal treatment considered to obtain a high frequency of mutations for screening. Our research findings will facilitate more efficient SE induction in grapevines and inducing mutations for improving individual traits without altering the genetic background of the cultivar

Sustainable Agro-Food Systems for Addressing Climate Change and Food Security

Despite world food production keeping pace with population growth because of the Green Revolution, the United Nations (UN) State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2022 Report indicates that the number of people affected by hunger has increased to 828 million with 29.3% of the global population food insecure, and 22% of children under five years of age stunted. Many more have low-quality, unhealthy diets and micronutrient deficiencies leading to obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related non-communicable diseases. Additionally, current agro-food systems significantly impact the environment and the climate, including soil and water resources. Frequent natural disasters resulting from climate change, pandemics, and conflicts weaken food systems and exacerbate food insecurity worldwide. In this review, we outline the current knowledge in alternative agricultural practices for achieving sustainability as well as policies and practices that need to be implemented for an equitable distribution of resources and food for achieving several goals in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. According to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, animal husbandry, particularly ruminant meat and dairy, accounts for a significant proportion of agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and land use but contributes only 18% of food energy. In contrast, plant-based foods, particularly perennial crops, have the lowest environmental impacts. Therefore, expanding the cultivation of perennials, particularly herbaceous perennials, to replace annual crops, fostering climate-smart food choices, implementing policies and subsidies favoring efficient production systems with low environmental impact, empowering women, and adopting modern biotechnological and digital solutions can help to transform global agro-food systems toward sustainability. There is growing evidence that food security and adequate nutrition for the global population can be achieved using climate-smart, sustainable agricultural practices, while reducing negative environmental impacts of agriculture, including GHG emissions

Sustainable Agro-Food Systems for Addressing Climate Change and Food Security

Despite world food production keeping pace with population growth because of the Green Revolution, the United Nations (UN) State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2022 Report indicates that the number of people affected by hunger has increased to 828 million with 29.3% of the global population food insecure, and 22% of children under five years of age stunted. Many more have low-quality, unhealthy diets and micronutrient deficiencies leading to obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related non-communicable diseases. Additionally, current agro-food systems significantly impact the environment and the climate, including soil and water resources. Frequent natural disasters resulting from climate change, pandemics, and conflicts weaken food systems and exacerbate food insecurity worldwide. In this review, we outline the current knowledge in alternative agricultural practices for achieving sustainability as well as policies and practices that need to be implemented for an equitable distribution of resources and food for achieving several goals in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. According to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, animal husbandry, particularly ruminant meat and dairy, accounts for a significant proportion of agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and land use but contributes only 18% of food energy. In contrast, plant-based foods, particularly perennial crops, have the lowest environmental impacts. Therefore, expanding the cultivation of perennials, particularly herbaceous perennials, to replace annual crops, fostering climate-smart food choices, implementing policies and subsidies favoring efficient production systems with low environmental impact, empowering women, and adopting modern biotechnological and digital solutions can help to transform global agro-food systems toward sustainability. There is growing evidence that food security and adequate nutrition for the global population can be achieved using climate-smart, sustainable agricultural practices, while reducing negative environmental impacts of agriculture, including GHG emissions

Wideband MC-CDMA and Rake Receivers for UEP with Wavelet Video Transmission over AWGN and Rayleigh Fading Channels

Abstract. Wideband Multicarrier code division multiple access (MC-CDMA) and Rake receivers for wavelet video transmission with four levels of unequal error protection (UEP) codes over additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) and Rayleigh fading channels are performed and evaluated. The deployment of Wavelets has approached a powerful technique and high quality for compressing video sequence. A spatially scalable video coding framework of MPEG2 in which motion correspondences between successive video frames are exploited in the wavelet transform domain. The proposed algorithms of the embedded zero-tree wavelet (EZW) coder and the two-dimensional wavelet packet transform (2-D WPT) are analysed. The presented scheme of the asynchronous wideband MC-CDMA and Rake receivers is used for multipath problems. Each carrier of asynchronous wideband MC-CDMA is provided for each Rake receiver and each level of UEP codes.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation of axillary bud callus of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. ‘Ruby’ and regeneration of transgenic plants

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. is a popular ornamental species valued for its large brightly coloured ephemeral flowers and has a range of health-promoting properties. The value of H. rosa-sinensis could be improved even further if there were ways to prolong the display life of its short-lived flowers, and to improve its frost tolerance. Development of an efficient plant transformation and regeneration procedure that allows introduction of genes into the plant will greatly facilitate this. Here we outline a transformation and regeneration procedure that is the first to produce transformed H. rosa-sinensis plants successfully. We first optimised callus induction and shoot regeneration efficiency. The highest shoot regeneration frequency of 66.7 % was achieved in the cultivar \u2018Ruby\u2019 when callus induced from axillary buds using a basal medium supplemented with 2.22 \ub5M benzylaminopurine and 2.47 \ub5M \u3b2-naphthoxyacetic acid was cultured on shoot regeneration medium. The frequency of shoot regeneration from callus was lower in \u2018Ben James\u2019 and absent in \u2018Bright Light\u2019, indicating genotypic differences. When axillary bud-derived callus of \u2018Ruby\u2019 was co-cultured with Agrobacterium tumefaciens harbouring a \u3b2-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter plasmid, 49 % of calli produced shoots on selection media. All tested plantlets were confirmed as transformed based on the presence of the GUS transgene in the genomic DNA and GUS activity measurements. Roots were induced on transgenic plantlets using half-strength basal medium supplemented with 2.85 \ub5M indole-3-acetic acid. This simple protocol can be used to improve the ornamental, agronomic and health-promoting traits of H. rosa-sinensis hitherto recalcitrant to A. tumefaciens-mediated transformation