First-generation Plants Research Articles

Total integration of renewable and fossil energy aiming to a clean and sustainable energy system

This paper presents a new concept of total integration of renewable and fossil energies (TIRFE), represented by an octagonal structure of all sources, vectors of transmission and optimization of consumption, aiming a clean and sustainable energy system. The main TIRFE technologies are: cogeneration of H2 and electric energy (EE) by biomass gasification in supercritical water integrated with a thermoelectric unit (H2 -BGSCW/TEU); use of H2 from biomass in oil refinery processes for production of light and clean derivatives; supply of H2 deficiency for methanol production from coal; carbon sequestration by a basket of technologies (exhausted P&G wells, underground saline aquifers, forests and stockpile of cellulignin-CL-produced from forest residues); use of H2 -BGSCW/TEU as district CHP with photovoltaic panels for EE, including electric car battery recharge; optimization of energy consumption by verticalization of the cities replacing low strength materials (bricks and common cement) by high performance concrete with addition of silica from rice husk. TIRFE helps to solve key problems of H2 -BGSCW/TEU, such as materials, energy recovery, plugging, corrosion, economics and energy security for the first generation of plants, and organizes the development for the second generation. TIRFE can be incrementally implanted in existent and new cities

Non-stressful temperature changes affect transgenerational phenotypic plasticity across the life cycle of Arabidopsis thaliana plants.

Plants respond in a plastic manner to seasonal changes, often resulting in adaptation to environmental variation. Although much is known about how seasonality regulates developmental transitions within generations, transgenerational effects of non-stressful environmental changes are only beginning to be unveiled. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of ambient temperature changes on the expression of transgenerational plasticity in key developmental traits of Arabidopsis thaliana plants. We grew Columbia-0 plants in two contrasting temperature environments (18 and 24 °C) during their whole life cycles, or the combination of those temperatures before and after bolting (18-24 and 24-18 °C) across two generations. We recorded seed germination, flowering time and reproductive biomass production for the second generation, and seed size of the third generation. The environment during the whole life cycle of the first generation of plants, even that experienced before flowering, influenced the germination response and flowering time of the second generation. These effects showed opposing directions in a pattern dependent on the life stage experiencing the cue in the first generation. In contrast, the production of reproductive biomass depended on the immediate environment of the progeny generation. Finally, the seed area of the third generation was influenced positively by correlated environments across generations. Our results suggest that non-stressful environmental changes affect the expression of key developmental traits across generations, although those changes can have contrasting effects depending on the parental and grandparental life stage that perceives the cue. Thus, transgenerational effects in response to non-stressful cues might influence the expression of life-history traits and potential adaptation of future generations.

Biocontrol and Biostimulant Effect of a Fungal-Derived Extract in Commercial Varieties of Strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.)

Objective: Strawberry postharvest fruits and plants are mainly affected by the fungus Botrytis cinerea (B. cinerea), which causes grey mould rot. Biological control agents and biostimulants can effectively control this fungus and promote plant growth. This study aimed to evaluate the capacity of a novel fungal-derived extract called culture filtrate (CF) to biocontrol grey mould rot in postharvest strawberries and plants while promoting plant growth. Methods: The CF extract was obtained from the liquid culture of a strawberry pathogenic fungus, gauze-filtered and inactivated by autoclave. The Fragaria x ananassa cultivars Camino Real, Benicia, and Merced were used. For the postharvest assay, fruit natural decay was evaluated by simulating real storage conditions. For the phytopathological assays, first-generation plants inoculated with B. cinerea were evaluated 26 days post infection. The effect of CF on plant growth and biomass promotion was evaluated 60 days post treatment (DPT). Results: The treatment with CF yielded healthier fruits of the three varieties, which presented minor severity of grey mould symptoms compared to the controls treated with water or potato dextrose broth (PDB) by 7 DPT. For instance, 40% of Camino Real, 80% of Benicia, and 20% of Merced fruits presented an incipient lesion (severity 1), whereas no fruits treated with water or PDB showed this minor level of infection. On the contrary, around 50% and 70% of the control fruits presented the highest level of severity. Moreover, CF pre-treatment of Benicia “mother plants” protected first-generation untreated plants. Likewise, the best biostimulant effect was observed for Benicia plants, which presented an increased number of leaves and runner production 60 DPT. Conclusion: The fungal-derived extract CF constitutes a promising alternative to be used as a biological control agent of B. cinerea in strawberry. CF efficiently controlled the causal agent of grey mould in harvested strawberries and first-generation untreated plants. Yet, showed a minor effect as a plant growth promoter. Thus, the current study opens up the possibility to develop "phytovaccines" using extracts of almost any fungus, including pathogenic ones, as long as they are previously inactivated.

Effects of γ-radiation on chickpea (Cicer arietinum) varieties and their tolerance to salinity stress

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is a bisexual and self-pollinated legume. It improves the soil fertility through its natural ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen with its symbiotic bacteria. Salinity is one of the most important abiotic stress factors affecting plant growth. γ-radiation is a very effective tool for inducing mutations in many plants. This study evaluated the γ-radiation effect on germination, cell division and plant growth of first-generation plants. Seeds of seven chickpea varieties were irradiated with γ-radiation doses ranging between 50 Gy and 600 Gy. Non-significant differences in germination percentage were recorded for seeds exposed to 50 Gy, 100 Gy, and 200 Gy of γ-radiation in comparison to the corresponding controls except ILC 484. The mitotic index (MI) of root cells increased at the low doses of 50 Gy, 100 Gy and 200 Gy comparing and reduced at the higher doses in all chickpea varieties to the control. All doses of γ-radiation induced a variable range of chromosomal abnormalities; the most common were bridges, laggard chromosomes, stickiness at metaphase, chromosome breaks, micronuclei and binucleate cells. The 300 Gy to 600 Gy doses induced degradation of nuclear membranes. The salinity treatments at 25 mM NaCl and 60 mM NaCl reduced seedling’s growth of all cultivars. The dose of 100 Gy alleviated the impact of salinity at a concentration of 25 mM NaCl for all varieties, except FLIP 84-188 and FLIP 97-263. The 60 mM NaCl treatment significantly reduced early growth of all cultivars and its effect was not alleviated by the γ-radiation.

PHENOTYPIC AND GENETIC VARIABILITY INDUCED BY GAMMA IRRADIATION IN WILMAN LOVEGRASS Eragrostis superba (PEYR.)

Wilman lovegrass [Eragrostis superba (Peyr.)] is a species used worldwide to revegetate rangelands; however, it has a low nutritional quality and a poor tolerance to water stress; thus, it can be a candidate for plant breeding. In this study, the morphological, nutritional, stomatal and molecular diversity induced y gamma irradiation was evaluated in Wilman lovegrass. Seed of the common variety was exposed to gamma radiation at doses of 100, 200, 300, 450, 600, 900, 1400 and 2000 Gy; in addition, non-irradiated seed was used as a control. Seed of the different treatments was used to produce plants in a greenhouse, which were evaluated through traits related to forage quality and water stress tolerance. The first generation of plants derived from mutagenic treatments (M1) was selected based on agronomic traits. The selected promissory mutants were then nutritionally, stomatally and molecularly characterized. All the possible selected mutants presented lower lignin content (P ≤ 0.01) compared to the common variety. The 200-3 and 200-7 promissory mutants showed higher protein content (P ≤ 0.01) at maturity stage. Also, significant differences (P ≤ 0.01) were found between putative mutants and control plants in stomatal density and stomatal area. The molecular analysis revealed significant differences (P ≤ 0.05) between the control genotype and the promissory mutants 200-3, 600-3, and 600-6, which presented genetic distances of 0.41, 0.42 and 0.35 (Dice’s coefficient) in relation to the control genotype, respectively. The phenotypic and genetic variability induced by gamma irradiation allowed to select the first generation of putative mutants with outstanding agronomic traits, nutritional value and stomatal characteristics.

Food System Transformation and the Role of Gene Technology: An Ethical Analysis

AbstractThe global food system exhibits dizzying complexity, with interaction among social, economic, biological, and technological factors. Opposition to the first generation of plants and animals transformed through rDNA-enabled gene transfer (so-called GMOs) has been a signature episode in resistance to the forces of industrialization and globalization in the food system. Yet agricultural scientists continue to tout gene technology as an essential component in meeting future global food needs. An ethical analysis of the debate over gene technologies reveals the details that matter. On the one hand, alternative regimes for institutionalizing gene technology (through regulation, trade policy, and intellectual property law) could mitigate injustices suffered by politically marginalized and economically disadvantaged actors in the food system, especially smallholding farmers in less industrialized economies. On the other hand, GMO opposition has been singularly effective in mobilizing citizens of affluent countries against policies and practices that lie at the heart of these same injustices. As part of the roundtable, “Ethics and the Future of the Global Food System,” this essay argues that charting a middle course that realizes the benefits of gene technology while blocking its use in the perpetration of unjust harms may require a more detailed grasp of intricacies in the food system than even motivated bystanders are willing to develop.

"Doubled-haploid" allohexaploid Brassica lines lose fertility and viability and accumulate genetic variation due to genomic instability.

Microspore culture stimulates immature pollen grains to develop into plants via tissue culture and is used routinely in many crop species to produce "doubled haploids": homozygous, true-breeding lines. However, microspore culture is also often used on material that does not have stable meiosis, such as interspecific hybrids. In this case, the resulting progeny may lose their "doubled haploid" homozygous status as a result of chromosome missegregation and homoeologous exchanges. However, little is known about the frequency of these effects. We assessed fertility, meiosis and genetic variability in self-pollinated progeny sets (the MDL2 population) resulting from first-generation plants (the MDL1 population) derived from microspores of a near-allohexaploid interspecific hybrid from the cross (Brassica napus × B. carinata) × B. juncea. Allelic inheritance and copy number variation were predicted using single nucleotide polymorphism marker data from the Illumina Infinium 60K Brassica array. Seed fertility and viability decreased substantially from the MDL1 to the MDL2 generation. In the MDL2 population, 87% of individuals differed genetically from their MDL1 parent. These genetic differences resulted from novel homoeologous exchanges between chromosomes, chromosome loss and gain, and segregation and instability of pre-existing karyotype abnormalities. Novel karyotype change was extremely common, with 2.2 new variants observed per MDL2 individual. Significant differences between progeny sets in the number of novel genetic variants were also observed. Meiotic instability clearly has the potential to dramatically change karyotypes (often without detectable effects on the presence or absence of alleles) in putatively homozygous, microspore-derived lines, resulting in loss of fertility and viability.

Inheritance of seed and rhizosphere microbial communities through plant-soil feedback and soil memory.

Since the discovery of the role of microbes in the phytobiome, microbial communities (microbiota) have been identified and characterized based on host species, development, distribution, and condition. The microbiota in the plant rhizosphere is believed to have been established prior to seed germination and innate immune development. However, the microbiota in seeds has received little attention. Although our knowledge of the distribution of microbiota in plant seeds and rhizosphere is currently limited, the impact of these microbiota is likely to be greater than expected. This minireview suggests a new function of microbial inheritance from the seed to root and from the first generation of plants to the next. Surprisingly, recruitment and accumulation of microbiota by biotic and abiotic stresses affect plant immunity in the next generation through plant-soil feedback and soil memory. To illustrate this process, we propose a new term called 'microbiota-induced soil inheritance (MISI).' A comprehensive understanding of MISI will provide novel insights into plant-microbe interactions and plant immunity inheritance.

The Importance of Planting Pot Marigolds (Calendula officinalis L.) in Degraded Public Spaces from the Agroecological and Economic Perspective

Summary The purpose of this paper is to analyse the introduction of certain plant species such as pot marigolds (Calendula officinalis L.) into neglected and predominantly urban spaces in the Republic of Serbia. The research was based on the results obtained in a two-year experiment conducted in the vicinity of the Novi Sad-Backa Palanka road. The primary objective of the experiment was to examine the behaviour of pot marigolds in poor-quality and neglected soils, with minimum cultural practices, in order to obtain novel plants in such adverse environments, which could be subsequently marketed in Serbia. The experiment commenced in 2014 by planting pot marigolds in plots previously cleared of weeds by mechanical tilling. In the spring of 2015, pot marigold seedlings, i.e. the first generation of plants obtained from the plots created in 2014, were planted in weed-free plots. The measurements were performed in three replicates from 10 October to 10 December 2015 in order to determine the number of volunteer plants, which could be further improved in nursery production and subsequently marketed in Serbia. The results obtained indubitably indicate that this and prospective studies exert positive ecological, agricultural and economic effects on a vast range of potential users.

Assessment of Genetic Stability in Three Generations of In Vitro Propagated Jatropha curcas L. Plantlets Using ISSR Markers

Tissue culture has been widely employed in Jatropha curcas L. for the clonal multiplication of superior genotypes. However, the evaluation of genetic stability is necessary to detect somaclonal variants. In this context, the present aim was to evaluate the genetic stability of J. curcas plantlets, obtained via indirect organogenesis, by means of ISSR markers. To supply the explant sources for in vitro propagation, the first generation of plants was produced from in vitro germination of J. curcas seeds. Fragments of cotyledonary leaves were inoculated into medium supplemented with 1.5 mg L−1 BAP and 0.05 mg L−1 of IBA for induction of callogenesis. The resulting calli were transferred to bud induction medium. Subsequently, the buds were cultured in medium for elongation, giving rise to the second generation of plants. These plants provided new buds, which were excised and subcultured in elongation medium, yielding a third generation of plants. To evaluate genetic stability in three plant generations, twelve ISSR primers were used, resulting in 124 bands showing 41.93 % of polymorphism. Increase was observed in the level of somaclonal variation (SV) over the generations. The present study reports, for the first time, the analysis of genetic stability in J. curcas plantlets regenerated via indirect organogenesis by means of ISSR markers. The results suggest that the indirect route is associated to higher levels of genetic instability, which also increased with successive subcultures. The ISSR markers were efficient in detecting SV, and the generated genetic variability may be useful for breeding programs.

The Virtual Sugarcane Biorefinery—A Simulation Tool to Support Public Policies Formulation in Bioenergy

Abstract The Virtual Sugarcane Biorefinery (VSB) is a simulation and evaluation tool designed to assess the development of new technologies and innovations in the production and processing of biomass. The VSB integrates computer simulation platforms with economic, social, and environmental evaluation tools to assess the sustainability impacts of different sugarcane biorefinery alternatives. It considers all phases of the process, from sugarcane production and conversion to products use and disposal. The VSB can evaluate the stage of development of new technologies and perform comparative assessments of biorefinery alternatives, which make it a tool with great potential to support the formulation of political policies in the context of bioenergy. To demonstrate the potential of VSB, two scenarios are examined: (1) the optimization of first-generation plants and straw recovery for maximal electricity generation; and (2) the assessment of ethanol production from sugarcane lignocellulosic materials (2G proces...

Raise of short-stemmed vaviloid branched spike lines and their cytogenetics

Hybridization between hexaploid species of wheat ( Triticum L.) and triticale (Ч Triticosecale Wittm.) is used widely in genetic research and breeding when studying mutual introgressions of genetic material to original species. As far as the hexaploid triticale obtained in our Institute possessed a strong potential of morphogenesis, we decided to use it in crosses with bread wheat. During the process of morphogenesis in hybrid population of the second and third generations derived from the crosses between hexaploid triticale with different bread wheat cultivars (Opal and Chinese Spring) and variety (Triticum aestivum var. velutinum), plants with wheat, rye, intermediate, and triticale-like spike types were noted. Starting from the third generation, constant short-stemmed vaviloid branched spike plants were isolated among populations under study. Despite instability and numerous meiotic aberrations observed in the first generation of plants, including branched-spike ones, the subsequent progeny demonstrated meiotic and morphological stability. The chromosome composition of one of the lines (378/3SD) was characterized by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and genome in situ hybridization (GISH), and it was identified as a substitution line. Chromosomal identification of such lines will allow their use in genetic studies concerning specified traits, in particular, the vaviloid branched spike.

Ethanol and Protein from Ethanol Plant By-Products Using Edible Fungi Neurospora intermedia and Aspergillus oryzae.

Feasible biorefineries for production of second-generation ethanol are difficult to establish due to the process complexity. An alternative is to partially include the process in the first-generation plants. Whole stillage, a by-product from dry-mill ethanol processes from grains, is mostly composed of undegraded bran and lignocelluloses can be used as a potential substrate for production of ethanol and feed proteins. Ethanol production and the proteins from the stillage were investigated using the edible fungi Neurospora intermedia and Aspergillus oryzae, respectively. N. intermedia produced 4.7 g/L ethanol from the stillage and increased to 8.7 g/L by adding 1 FPU of cellulase/g suspended solids. Saccharomyces cerevisiae produced 0.4 and 5.1 g/L ethanol, respectively. Under a two-stage cultivation with both fungi, up to 7.6 g/L of ethanol and 5.8 g/L of biomass containing 42% (w/w) crude protein were obtained. Both fungi degraded complex substrates including arabinan, glucan, mannan, and xylan where reductions of 91, 73, 38, and 89% (w/v) were achieved, respectively. The inclusion of the current process can lead to the production of 44,000 m3 of ethanol (22% improvement), around 12,000 tons of protein-rich biomass for animal feed, and energy savings considering a typical facility producing 200,000 m3 ethanol/year.

INCREASE OF PLANT RESISTANCE TO DISEASES, PESTS AND STRESSES WITH NEW BIOSTIMULANTS

In the greenhouse experiments the antipathogenic activity of new polycomponent plant growth regulators (РGRs) Regoplant, Stimpo and Radostim have been investigated by cultivating different cultivars of winter wheat, soy and corn plants on infectious backgrounds. The best biological efficiency against phytopathogens was obtained by preseeding treatments of seeds and spraying crops in vegetation period with Regoplant (up to 98%) and Stimpo (up to 89%), while Radostim showed up to 74% bioprotective efficiency compared to the control (without treatment by PGRs). By the second generation of wheat and chickpea plants (infected by pathogenic micromycetes of Fusarium L. genus without treatment by РGRs), there was increased resistance to pathogenic micromycetes of Fusarium L. genus. Using the DOT-blot hybridization method, the considerable difference between mRNA of control wheat and chickpea seedlings and small regulatory si/miRNA of experimental seedlings (obtained from seeds of the first generation of plants, infected by pathogenic micromycetes of Fusarium L. genus and treated by PGRs) was found. It is proposed that the indicated difference is connected with partial reprograming of the plant cells’ genome under the impact of PGRs - inductors of synthesis si/miRNA with antipathogenic properties.

EFFECT OF GAMMA IRRADIATION ON DRY SEEDS OF SOLANUM MELONGENA L.: OBSERVATIONS ON THE M1 GENERATION

Effects of gamma radiation (dose range: 5–40 krad) on germination, survival, growth performance, injury, pollen sterility and yield were studied on the first generation plants (M1) of cultivars KT3 and BG of Solanum melongena. Both varieties followed almost similar trends of radio response though the magnitude of effects produced by radiation at any dose level differed in the cultivars. Stimulation of germination was noted in KT3 up to 15 krad and an increase in yield in BG up to 20 krad. In spite of approximately the same LD50 values, while 40 krad caused 100% lethality in KT3 the same resulted in 73% lethality in BG.

Native and non‐native grasses generate common types of plant–soil feedbacks by altering soil nutrients and microbial communities

Soil conditioning occurs when plants alter features of their soil environment. When these alterations affect subsequent plant growth, it is a plant soil feedback. Plant–soil feedbacks are an important and understudied aspect of aboveground–belowground linkages in plant ecology that influence plant coexistence, invasion and restoration. Here, we examine plant–soil feedback dynamics of seven co‐occurring native and non‐native grass species to address the questions of how plants modify their soil environment, do those modifications inhibit or favor their own species relative to other species, and do non‐natives exhibit different plant–soil feedback dynamics than natives. We used a two‐phase design, wherein a first generation of plants was grown to induce species‐specific changes in the soil and a second generation of plants was used as a bioassay to determine the effects of those changes. We also used path‐analysis to examine the potential chain of effects of the first generation on soil nutrients and soil microbial composition and on bioassay plant performance. Our findings show species‐specific (rather than consistent within groups of natives and non‐natives) soil conditioning effects on both soil nutrients and the soil microbial community by plants. Additionally, native species produced plant–soil feedback types that benefit other species more than themselves and non‐native invasive species tended to produce plant–soil feedback types that benefit themselves more than other species. These results, coupled with previous field observations, support hypotheses that plant–soil feedbacks may be a mechanism by which some non‐native species increase their invasive potential and plant–soil feedbacks may influence the vulnerability of a site to invasion.

Integrated gasification combined cycle and carbon capture: A risky option to mitigate CO 2 emissions of coal-fired power plants

The power sectors of many big economies still rely on coal-fired plants and emit huge amounts of carbon dioxide. Emerging countries like Brazil, China and South Africa plan to expand the use of coal-fired thermal plants in the next decade. Integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) is an innovative technology that facilitates the implementation of carbon capture (CC). The present work analyzes the maturity and costs of the IGCC technology, with and without CC, and assesses the effect of the technology risk on its economic viability. Findings show that the inclusion of the risk in the economic analysis of IGCC plants raises the cost of CO 2 avoided from 36 US$/t CO2 to 106 US$/t CO2 in the case of Shell Gasifiers and from 39 US$/t CO2 to 112 US$/t CO2 in the case of GE Gasifiers. Thus, the introduction of IGCC with CC on a wider scale faces huge uncertainties. The feasibility of these plants will rely heavily on the overcoming of the technology risk. Besides, its implementation in the short run will depend on government incentives to bear with the additional cost incurred in the first-generation plants.

Techno-economic assessment of future-proofing coal plants with postcombustion capture against technology developments

Abstract While CCS is demonstrated globally utilities will face a period with fast learning curves for capture technologies. Technology and cost uncertainty is a topic of particular concern for first-movers. For post-combustion capture plants, costs are expected to decrease in the future and improved solvents are likely to become commercially available after the first CCS plants have started operating. Given that power generation assets are usually paid back over extensive periods of time it is important that, in this context, the first generation of plants and any capture-ready plants can be future-proofed to incorporate future technological improvements. This paper presents selected results from a forthcoming report commissioned by the IEAGHG. A methodology based on a sensitivity analysis of solvent properties is used to identify pieces of equipment, which contribute to locking-in performance with capture. Finally, some principles for analysing power plant economics with improved solvents and assessing the potential financial benefits in competitive electricity market of mitigating these technology risks are examined.

A Simple and Rapid PCR-based Procedure for Identifying Homozygous Transgenic Rice Plants

We present a simple and rapid method for screening second-generation transgenic rice plants (T1) to identify homozygous plants. The plasmid (pfd11) used for rice transformation contains a partially deleted cytochrome c gene (cyc) for comparing with the endogenous cyc for copy number. After polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of a segment of the cyc in transgenic rice DNA followed by agarose gel electrophoresis, two specific bands are obtained. The upper band represents the endogenous cyc, and the lower band represents the partially deleted cyc in the transgene. The first-generation plants (T0) that harbor a single copy of the transgene are selected based on the fact that the density of the lower band is half as dense as the upper band. Next, only plants harboring a single copy of the transgene are advanced to the second generation (T1). The same PCR procedure is used again, and homozygous T1 plants are easily identified from samples in which the intensity of the two bands is the same.

Effects of Nitrogen Source on Growth and Development of Strawberry Plants

ABSTRACT An experiment was conducted to study the effects of nitrate (NO3 −) and ammonium (NH4 +) ratios in nutrient solutions on the growth and production of fruits, runners, and daughter plants of strawberry Fragaria x ananassa Duch., grown in a hydroponic system. Five treatments were applied, consisting of different proportions of NH4 + and NO3 − in the nutrient solution. The NH4 +:NO3 − ratios were: T0 = 0:4, T1 = 1:3, T2 = 2:2, T3 = 3:1, and T4 = 4:0, at a constant nitrogen (N) concentration of 4 mol m−3. Growth and morphogenesis were characterized by monitoring leaf-area increase, number of flowers and fruits per plant, and number of daughter plants of first and second generations. Nitrogen and carbon (C) content were measured at the end of the experiment in the organs of both mother and daughter plants. None of the variables related to the growth of the mother plant was affected by the treatments. However, the number of fruits increased with the proportion of NH4 + in the nutrient solution. The number of daughter plants produced was affected only at high NH4 + proportions, and their size (dry matter per daughter plant) and fertility (number of second-generation plants per first-generation plants) were reduced. The N or C content of the plants was not significantly affected by the treatments, but the C/N ratio in the crowns of mother plants was higher in treatments with 25% and 50% NH4 + in the nutrient solution.