Flowering of strict photoperiodic Nicotiana varieties in non-inductive conditions by transgenic approaches

The genus Nicotiana contains species and varieties that respond differently to photoperiod for flowering time control as day-neutral, short-day and long-day plants. In classical photoperiodism studies, these varieties have been widely used to analyse the physiological nature for floral induction by day length. Since key regulators for flowering time control by day length have been identified in Arabidopsis thaliana by molecular genetic studies, it was intriguing to analyse how closely related plants in the Nicotiana genus with opposite photoperiodic requirements respond to certain flowering time regulators. SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CONSTANS 1 (SOC1) and FRUITFULL (FUL) are two MADS box genes that are involved in the regulation of flowering time in Arabidopsis. SOC1 is a central flowering time pathway integrator, whereas the exact role of FUL for floral induction has not been established yet. The putative Nicotiana orthologs of SOC1 and FUL, NtSOC1 and NtFUL, were studied in day-neutral tobacco Nicotiana tabacum cv Hicks, in short-day tobacco N. tabacum cv Hicks Maryland Mammoth (MM) and long-day N. sylvestris plants. Both genes were similarly expressed under short- and long-day conditions in day-neutral and short-day tobaccos, but showed a different expression pattern in N. sylvestris. Overexpression of NtSOC1 and NtFUL caused flowering either in strict short-day (NtSOC1) or long-day (NtFUL) Nicotiana varieties under non-inductive photoperiods, indicating that these genes might be limiting for floral induction under non-inductive conditions in different Nicotiana varietie

A combined archaeobotanical and palaeogenetic analysis of charred pea (Pisum sativum) seeds from an Early Iron Age storage pit at the hill fort settlement Hissar, Leskovac, southeast Serbia

A unique example of 2,572 carbonized pea seeds was recovered from the 11th century B.C. deposits at Hissar, a multilevel settlement of the Brnjica cultural group (1,350-1,000 B.C.) in southeast Serbia. Five hundred seeds maintained pea-like hilum, only few had preserved intact smooth-surfaced testa and the majority of seeds had no seed coat. Fortunately, only few seeds of other pulses were observed in the sample and their identity was clearly determined. Applying the exclusion principle, all the “naked”, 3-4 mm large seeds, mainly broad ellipsoid and less often globose, with flattenings or concavities, were determined to correspond to cultivated pea (Pisum sativum L.). Additionally, a high thousand seed weight of charred seeds (24.4 g) suggested cultivated status. To confirm our finding, we processed two samples with molecular tools. A sequence analysis of four chloroplast DNA loci (trnSG, trnK, matK and rbcL) in total length of 1329bp, showed intermediate position to cultivated P. sativum and wild P. sativum subsp. elatius

Climate Change Dependence in Ex Situ Conservation of Wild Medicinal Plants in Crete, Greece

Over 80% of the global population addresses their primary healthcare needs using traditional medicine based on medicinal plants. Consequently, there’s a rising demand for these plants for both household and industrial use at local, regional, national, and international levels. However, wild harvesting has negatively impacted natural ecosystems. Cultivating medicinal species has been proposed as a conservation strategy to alleviate this pressure. Yet, in this age of global climate change concerns, smallholder farmers’ views on the benefits of such cultivation clash with the uncertainties of climate change impacts, amplifying their anxieties. In this context, the climate change dependence of ex situ cultivation of ten wild medicinal taxa with significant ethnopharmacological interest in Crete, Greece, were studied, projecting their potential habitat suitability under various future climate scenarios. The results demonstrated species-specific effects. Based on the potential cultivation area gains and losses, these effects can be categorized into three groups. We also outlined the spatial patterns of these gains and losses, offering valuable insights for regional management strategies benefiting individual practitioners

Aleksandar Mikić, the legume (re)searcher

Aleksandar Mikić was born in Pančevo, Serbia, on 9 January 1974, and died on 5 September 2021, Novi Sad, Serbia. He received BSc in 1998, MSc in 2008, and PhD in 2014 in Plant Genetics and Breeding at the University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Agriculture. He worked as Research Associate and annual legume breeder at the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops in Novi Sad, Serbia, from 2000 to 2018. His fields of interest encompassed conventional and molecular genetics, genetic resources, breeding, agronomy, agroecology, and crop history of annual legumes. Dr. Mikić co-authored more than 350 journal papers, about 120 international conference papers, over 10 book chapters and one book. He has also authored more than 30 cultivars of annual legumes and various forage crops registered in Serbia and abroad. Aleksandar's scientific horizons were endless, including archaeobotany, linguistics, plant biology, breeding, and farmers communities

Reports on establishing an ex situ site for ‘beautiful’ vavilovia (Vavilovia formosa) in Armenia

Vavilovia (Vavilovia Fed.) is one of the five genera in tribe Fabeae and consists of only one species, ‘beautiful’ vavilovia (Vavilovia formosa (Stev.) Fed.). The main centre of distribution is the Central and Eastern Caucasus, with a disjunct distribution among high alpine areas in the region, extending as far as West Turkey, Lebanon and Iran. In Armenia, in situ studies on Vavilovia started in the late 1930s. In July and August 2009, three expeditions were conducted to two locations: two to the Ughtasar Mountain and one to the Geghama Mountains. The first expedition to Ughtasar resulted in fresh plant collections and soil analysis for one of the sites. The expedition to Geghama established the existence of Vavilovia in the region of Lake Aknalitch. The second expedition to Ughtasar provided immature fruits and seeds. Collected plant material was transplanted into the Flora and Vegetation of Armenia plot of the Yerevan Botanic Garden established in 1940. Today, along with other plants the plot contains more than 200 species of wild relatives of cultural plants from 130 genera, including indiginous species of tribe Fabeae such as Vavilovia. The transplanted plants will continue to be monitored to see if the plants go on to successfully flower and set seed or whether further sites, possibly at higher altitudes might need to be tested to meet the long term conservation requirements of this iconic legume. These co-ordinated efforts provide a good example of an ex situ conservation strategy for Vavilovia formosa, which, if successful will improve access and utility for the whole legume research community

Spatial patterns and intraspecific diversity of the glacial relict legume species Vavilovia formosa (Stev.) Fed. in Eurasia

Vavilovia formosa is one of five genera in tribe Fabeae, (Fabaceae, Leguminosae) with close phylogenetic relationships to Pisum. It grows in subalpine and alpine levels in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Russia and Turkey and is recognized as an endangered and protected plant. This study was conducted to reveal its intraspecific variability, as well as to predict the past, extant and future species distribution range. We analysed 51 accessions with common phylogenetic markers (trnF-trnL, trnS-trnG, matK, rbcL, psbA-trnH and ITS). These represent in total up to 2551 bp of chloroplast and 664 bp of nuclear sequences per sample. Two populations from Turkey and Armenia were analysed for genetic diversity by AFLP

The bicentenary of the research on 'beautiful' vavilovia (Vavilovia formosa), a legume crop wild relative with taxonomic and agronomic potential

Vavilovia formosa is a relict, endangered species from the highlands of the Caucasus and the Near East. Described in 1812, it has had an uncertain status and was finally recognized as a separate genus of tribe Fabeae (Fabaceae). Our informal international group was established in 2007 to revive the interest in this species as it had been seriously neglected for decades. Here, we provide an overview of the accumulated knowledge on V.formosa and present the results of the most recent multidisciplinary research. Three expeditions were made to two locations in Armenia in 2009, providing the material for anatomical, morphological, chemical and molecular analysis. Unlike previous attempts, ex situ conservation in Yerevan and in vitro propagation, important for potential interspecific hybridization, were successful. Molecular tools were used to clarify the taxonomic position of V.formosa, often considered the closest to the extinct ancestor of the whole tribe. The analysis of four informative regions of plastid and nuclear DNA showed that V.formosa belongs to the same clade as Lathyrus and Pisum, with a distinct status. Preservation and maintenance of V.formosa remains the only basis for further development of all other scientific aspects, especially breeding and uses in agronomy.

Beauty will save the world, but will the world save beauty? The case of highly endangered Vavilovia formosa (Stev.) Fed.

Vavilovia formosa (Stev.) Fed. is a relict, endangered species from the highlands of Caucasus and Near East. It was described in 1812, with often uncertain status and finally recognised as a separate genus of the tribe Fabeae Rchb. Our informal international group was established in 2007 to revive the interest in this species since it had been seriously neglected for decades. This review gives an overview of the accumulated knowledge on V. formosa and presents the results of its most recent multidisciplinary research. Three expeditions were made to two locations in Armenia in 2009, providing the material for anatomical, morphological, chemical and molecular analysis. Unlike previous attempts, ex situ conservation in Yerevan and in vitro propagation, important for potential interspecies hybridisation, are successful. Molecular tools were used to clarify the taxonomical position of V. formosa, often considered the closest to the extinct ancestor of the whole tribe. The analysis of four informative regions of chloroplast and nuclear DNA showed that V. formosa belonged to the same clade with Lathyrus and Pisum and with a distinct status. Preservation and maintenance of V. formosa remains the only basis for further development of all other scientific aspects, especially breeding and uses in agronomy

Developing biotechnology tools for 'beautiful' vavilovia (Vavilovia formosa), a legume crop wild relative with taxonomic and agronomic potential

Erratum to: Developing biotechnology tools for ‘beautiful’ vavilovia (Vavilovia formosa), a legume crop wild relative with taxonomic and agronomic potential (2016) 127: 649. DOI : 10.1007/s11240-016-1148-5Beautiful vavilovia, the closest species to the common now extinct ancestor of the whole tribe Fabeae holds significant taxonomical interest and also for breeding within this group of species, which includes the most cultivated leguminous pulses in the world. In spite of this, vavilovia has attracted very scarce research to date and is in danger of complete extinction. Thus, as a part of the research carried out by an informal international group of researchers from various countries, we report here various experiments for the development and exploitation of a range of biotechnology tools for vavilovia, ranging from standard in vitro propagation, to plant regeneration from explant-derived callus, and also from protoplasts. Plants were successfully recovered following propagation from nodes, and by regeneration through organogenesis from callus derived from internodes (which provided the best responses) and leaves. Also, protoplasts were isolated from leaves and stems from in vitro shoots and from callus derived from these two explants, with the latter undergoing sustained division. Subsequently, protoplasts isolated from internode callus proliferated and also underwent organogenesis coupled with whole plant recovery at a low frequency, while protoplasts from leaf callus origin followed both organogenesis and embryogenesis simultaneously but failed to yield viable plants. Flow cytometry assessments permitted to ascertain the genetic fidelity of both propagated and regenerated plants irrespectively of the source tissue from which they were derived (i.e., either callus from explants or from protoplasts). Finally, flow cytometry also permitted us to provide the first record on the relative nuclear DNA content and genome size for Vavilovia formosa