Grape (Vitis vinifera L.) is among the most important commercial fruit species grown worldwide in terms of its economic value. Anatolia (Turkey), located in the favorable climate zone for viticulture, has a rich grape genetic potential due to its location at the intersection of the grapevine gene centers. In Turkish Kara grape germplasm, there are problems in terms of accuracy during the production phase due to the inadequacies in ampelographic definitions, and also very little information is available on genetic analysis of Kara grape germplasm. This study carried out genetic analysis of 49 Kara grape cultivars from six regions (sub-populations) of Turkey and 3 reference cultivars using 22 microsatellite loci (SSR), and ampelographic analysis were also performed concerning 39 OIV descriptors. In the SSR analysis, the average number of alleles per locus was 8.91, ranging from 4 to 13; four synonymous and five homonymous cases were also identified. In the population structure analysis, the genetic differentiation (Fst) values among six populations were moderate. In the BAPS analysis, all populations except Central Anatolia were found to be highly admixed with each other, and in the FCA analysis, the East Anatolia population was completely separated. In the multilocus lineages (MLLs) analysis, a total of three accessions were matched to different accessions as clone assignment. In this study, SSR-based genetic characterization of the Turkish Kara grape germplasm was revealed for the first time, and it is thought that the obtained data will help other grape genetic characterization studies and contribute to viticulture research in other areas such as breeding, protection and variety registration.

Grapevine cultivars (Vitis vinifera L.) generally exhibit relatively high tolerance to drought stress. In contrast, the drought tolerance of other Vitis species and their hybrids used as rootstocks differs considerably. In order to attain a better understanding of the molecular basis of drought tolerance in grapevine, we conducted a comparative transcriptomic analysis of roots of drought-stressed Cabernet Sauvignon (CS, Vitis vinifera L.) and rootstock of Kober 5BB (V. berlandieri × V. riparia) using the Affymetrix Vitis Genome Array Version 2.0. We identified 1279 (745 upregulated and 534 downregulated) and 1925 (807 upregulated and 118 downregulated) differentially expressed genes in 5BB and CS. Numerous genes that are putatively involved in aquaporins, proline-rich protein, reactive oxygen species, osmoprotection, and lipid transfer were differentially expressed in response to drought stress in both genotypes. When gene ontology analyses were examined, it was observed that CS and 5BB genotypes were associated with the highest number of similar genes in both the molecular function (protein binding, catalytic activity, and DNA binding) and the biological process (metabolic process and translation) categories. The identification of different regulated genes between 5BB and CS roots is expected to help advance our understanding of molecular mechanisms operating during drought stress in grapevine roots.

The study investigated the effects of zinc oxide nanoparticle (ZnO-NP) on the growth, secondary metabolite accumulation, and antioxidant activity of Ocimum basilicum L. (basil) shoots in vitro. Various concentrations of ZnO-NP (5, 10, 20, 40 and 50 mg/L) were applied to assess their impact on growth parameters such as shoot elongation, node and leaf numbers, shoot multiplication rate, root formation percentage, and root length. Results showed that lower ZnO-NP concentrations stimulated shoot elongation, while higher concentrations negatively affected root development. Total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity were assessed in methanolic extracts, with higher TPC observed in roots compared to stems. The antioxidant capacity, evaluated using DPPH and CUPRAC assays, showed variable responses to ZnO-NP concentrations, with higher antioxidant activity (SC50: 0.77 mg/mL and 0.512 mmol TE/g plant, respectively) detected at 40 mg/L ZnO-NP concentration in roots. Additionally, the study analyzed rosmarinic acid content, the main phenolic compound in O. basilicum, and found that its accumulation increased with ZnO-NP application, especially in roots at the 40 mg/L ZnO-NP concentration with the value of 35.98 µg phenolic/mg plant. Overall, the findings suggest that ZnO-NP application influences growth, secondary metabolite accumulation, and antioxidant activity in O. basilicum, with effects varying based on concentration and plant part.

Drought and salinity are among the most important abiotic stress factors that limit the productivity in economically important plants. Although genes from wild relatives or unadapted germplasm have often been used for stress tolerance breeding, only few studies have examined wild relatives to understand the genetic and molecular basis of stress tolerance. In this study, we monitored the changes in gene expression profiles of leaf and root tissues of two wild barleys (Hordeum spontaneum L.) accessions from Israel after treatment with salt (NaCl) and drought (PEG) stress. We identified a total of 641 differentially expressed genes across 24 conditions (2 accessions, 2 stress conditions, 2 tissues and 3 time points). Our gene expression analyses revealed large numbers of differentially expressed genes in different accessions by different stress treatments. In addition, the number of genes altered in the leaves of stress-exposed plants of both genotypes was higher than those altered in the roots. Interestingly, there was a relatively little overlap between the leaf and the root stress-responsive gene expression patterns, suggesting that different stress-associated processes might be operating in these tissues during stress adaptation. Overall, our results revealed a number of candidate genes and plant processes associated with stress tolerance in wild barley. Wild barley would be a useful source of new genetic variation for drought and salt stress tolerance. Our results could provide new insights into the mechanisms of drought and salt stress tolerance in wild barley and should be useful for genetic improvement of salt-drought tolerance in cultivated barley.

Drought is a major environmental constraint in viticulture, strongly influencing grapevine adaptation. Grapevine rootstocks differ in their capacity to cope with water deficit due to their distinct genetic backgrounds, which give rise to diverse tolerance mechanisms. Among the key regulatory components involved in stress responses, MYB transcription factors constitute a large and functionally diverse gene family that modulates both developmental processes and stress-related cellular pathways through interactions with cis-regulatory elements in target gene promoters. In this study, the expression levels of three Myb genes (Myb1, Myb14, and Myb15) were comparatively evaluated using Real-Time PCR analyses in six grapevine rootstocks subjected to long-term (16 days) drought stress (water deficit). The rootstocks included V. berlandieri × V. rupestris (110R, 1103P, and 99R) and V. berlandieri × V. riparia (SO4, 5BB, and 161-49C). The results demonstrated that all examined genes were upregulated under drought stress conditions. Notably, Myb1 exhibited the strongest response, with high and statistically significant increases in expression across all rootstocks. In contrast, Myb14 and Myb15 displayed relatively lower expression levels, with variations depending on the genotype. Among the rootstocks, higher levels of upregulation were observed in SO4 and 161-49C, whereas 1103P exhibited a more limited upregulation response. As a result of the study, these genes were determined to be part of a common transcriptional response to drought stress in grapevine rootstocks; however, the magnitude of this response varied depending on the genotype of the rootstock. These findings provide new insights into drought-responsive MYB transcription factors in grapevine rootstocks and may contribute to future molecular breeding and rootstock selection strategies.

Kuraklık stresi, bağcılıkta verim ve kaliteyi sınırlayan en önemli abiyotik stres faktörlerinden birisidir. Özellikle asma anaçlarında kuraklık toleransı, büyük ölçüde farklı genetik kökene bağlı olarak değişmekte olup, Vitis riparia kökenli genotipler genellikle kuraklığa hassas, Vitis rupestris kökenli genotipler ise daha tolerant bir profil sergilemektedir. Bu çalışmada, kuraklık stresi toleransı farklılık gösteren V. berlandieri × V. rupestris (110R, 1103P, 99R, 140Ru) ile V. berlandieri × V. riparia (SO4, 5BB ve 161-49C) melezi toplam 7 adet asma anacı kök dokusu bitkisel materyal olarak kullanılmıştır. Çalışmada, bu anaçların kuraklık stresine yanıtta Myb (Myb1 ve Myb14) ve ZAT10 transkripsiyon faktörü genlerinin, Real-Time PCR yöntemi kullanılarak gen ifadesi düzeyinde karşılaştırmalı olarak değerlendirilmesi amaçlanmıştır. 16 gün sulamama şeklinde uygulanan kuraklık stresi sonrasında yapılan yaprak su potansiyeli (Ψ, MPa) ölçümlerinde, su potansiyelindeki en büyük azalmalar sırası ile SO4 ve 140Ru anaçlarında gözlemlenmiştir. 3 gen bölgesine yönelik gerçekleştirilen istatistiksel analizlerde ise, 3 genin tümünde 161-49C anacı belirgin seviyelerde gen ifade artışı gösterirken, en yüksek gen ifade artışı da, 25 kat ile 161-49C anacında Myb1 geninde gözlemlenmiştir. Gen ifadesi sonuçları bakımından, kuraklık stresine hassas Vitis riparia ve kuraklık stresine tolerant Vitis rupestris kökenlerine göre net bir ayrım gözlemlenmemiştir.