Summary: The activity of the gibberellin (GA) biosynthetic enzymes GA 20‐oxidases (GA20ox) is of particular importance in determining GA concentration in many plant species. In Arabidopsis these enzymes are encoded by a family of five genes: AtGA20ox1–AtGA20ox5. Transcript analysis indicated that they have different expression patterns and may thus participate differentially in GA‐regulated developmental processes. We have used reverse genetics to determine the physiological roles of AtGA20ox1 and AtGA20ox2, the most highly expressed GA20ox genes during vegetative and early reproductive development. AtGA20ox1 and AtGA20ox2 act redundantly to promote hypocotyl and internode elongation, flowering time, elongation of anther filaments, the number of seeds that develop per silique and elongation of siliques, with AtGA20ox1 making the greater contribution to internode and filament elongation, and AtGA20ox2 making the greater contribution to flowering time and silique length. Pollination of the double mutant with wild‐type pollen indicated that the GA promoting silique elongation is of maternal origin. The ga20ox2 phenotype revealed that GA promotes the number of stem internodes that elongate upon bolting, and does so independently of its effect on internode elongation. Comparison of the phenotype of the double mutant with that of the highly GA‐deficient ga1‐3 mutant indicates that other GA20ox genes contribute to all the developmental processes examined, and, in some cases such as root growth and leaf expansion, make major contributions, as these processes were unaffected in the double mutant. In addition, the effects of the mutations are mitigated by the homeostatic mechanism that acts on expression of other GA dioxygenase and GID1 receptor genes.

Gibberellin (GA) biosynthesis is necessary for normal plant development, with later GA biosynthetic stages being governed by multigene families. Arabidopsis thaliana contains five GA 20-oxidase (GA20ox) genes, and past work has demonstrated the importance of GA20ox1 and -2 for growth and fertility. Here, we show through systematic mutant analysis that GA20ox1, -2, and -3 are the dominant paralogs; their absence results in severe dwarfism and almost complete loss of fertility. In vitro analysis revealed that GA20ox4 has full GA20ox activity, but GA20ox5 catalyzes only the first two reactions of the sequence by which GA(12) is converted to GA(9). GA20ox3 functions almost entirely redundantly with GA20ox1 and -2 at most developmental stages, including the floral transition, while GA20ox4 and -5 have very minor roles. These results are supported by analysis of the gene expression patterns in promoter:β-glucuronidase reporter lines. We demonstrate that fertility is highly sensitive to GA concentration, that GA20ox1, -2, and -3 have significant effects on floral organ growth and anther development, and that both GA deficiency and overdose impact on fertility. Loss of GA20ox activity causes anther developmental arrest, with the tapetum failing to degrade. Some phenotypic recovery of late flowers in GA-deficient mutants, including ga1-3, indicated the involvement of non-GA pathways in floral development.

• Background and Aims The use of grafted plants in vegetable crop production is now being expanded greatly. However, few data are available on the formation of graft unions in vegetables. In this work, the structural development of the graft union formation in tomato plants is studied, together with the possible relationship with activities of peroxidases and catalases. • Methods Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) seedlings of cultivar Fanny were grafted on the rootstock of cultivar AR‐9704 using the ‘tongue approach grafting’ method, and were grown in a crop chamber. A study of the structural development of the graft union and the involvement of peroxidases and catalases in the process of graft formation was carried out during the first stages of the graft union (4, 8 and 15 d after grafting). • Key Results Observation of the structure of the graft union showed formation of xylem and phloem vessels through the graft union 8 d after grafting. In addition, root hydraulic conductance, L₀, indicate that the graft union is fully functional 8 d after grafting, which coincided with an increase of peroxidase and catalase activities. • Conclusions These results suggest that increased peroxidase and catalase activities might be implicated in graft development in tomato plants.

Salinity affects normal growth and development of plants depending on their capacity to overcome the induced stress. The present study was focused on the response and regulation of the antioxidant defence system in Brassica oleracea roots under short and long salt treatments. The function and the implications of hydrogen peroxide as a stressor or as a signalling molecule were also studied. Two different zones were analysed—the elongation and differentiation zone and the fully differentiated root zone—in order to broaden the knowledge of the different effects of salt stress in root. In general, an accumulation of hydrogen peroxide was observed in both zones at the highest (80 mM NaCl) concentration. A higher accumulation of hydrogen peroxide was observed in the stele of salt-treated roots. At the subcellular level, mitochondria accumulated hydrogen peroxide in salt-treated roots. The results confirm a drastic decrease in the antioxidant enzymes catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, and peroxidases under short salt treatments. However, catalase and peroxidase activities were recovered under long salt stress treatments. The two antioxidant molecules analysed, ascorbate and glutathione, showed a different trend during salt treatments. Ascorbate was progressively accumulated and its redox state maintained, but glutathione was highly accumulated at 24 h of salt treatment, but then its concentration and redox state progressively decreased. Concomitantly, the antioxidant enzymes involved in ascorbate and glutathione regeneration were modified under salt stress treatments. In conclusion, the increase in ascorbate levels and the maintenance of the redox state seem to be critical for root growth and development under salt stress.