Coordination between MIDASIN 1-mediated ribosome biogenesis and auxin modulates plant development

Linkage and association mapping of ovule number per ovary (ON) in oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.)

Ovule number (ON) produced during flower development determines the maximum number of seeds per silique and thereby affects crop productivity; however, the genetic basis of ON remains poorly understood in oilseed rape (Brassica napus). In this study, we genetically dissected the ON variations in a double haploid (DH) population and in natural population (NP) by linkage mapping and genome-wide association analysis. Phenotypic analysis showed that ON displayed normal distribution in both populations with the broad-sense heritability of 0.861 (DH population) and 0.930 (natural population). Linkage mapping identified 5 QTLs related to ON, including qON-A03, qON-A07, qON-A07-2, qON-A10, and qON-C06. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) revealed 214, 48, and 40 significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) by individually using the single-locus model GLM and the multiple-locus model MrMLM and FASTMrMLM. The phenotypic variation explained (PVE) by these QTLs and SNPs ranged from 2.00-17.40% to 5.03-7.33%, respectively. Integration of the results from both strategies identified four consensus genomic regions associated with ON from the chromosomes A03, A07, and A10. Our results preliminarily resolved the genetic basis of ON and provides useful molecular markers for plant yield improvement in B. napus.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-023-01355-7.

Brassinosteroids in Plants: Crosstalk with Small-Molecule Compounds

Brassinosteroids (BRs) are known as the sixth type of plant hormone participating in various physiological and biochemical activities and play an irreplaceable role in plants. Small-molecule compounds (SMCs) such as nitric oxide (NO), ethylene, hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), and hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) are involved in plant growth and development as signaling messengers. Recently, the involvement of SMCs in BR-mediated growth and stress responses is gradually being discovered in plants, including seed germination, adventitious rooting, stem elongation, fruit ripening, and stress responses. The crosstalk between BRs and SMCs promotes plant development and alleviates stress damage by modulating the antioxidant system, photosynthetic capacity, and carbohydrate metabolism, as well as osmotic adjustment. In the present review, we try to explain the function of BRs and SMCs and their crosstalk in the growth, development, and stress resistance of plants.