Crown rot (CR) and Fusarium head blight (FHB) are two serious wheat diseases caused by Fusarium pathogens in China. To identify new resistant sources for CR and FHB, 205 Chinese wheat cultivars collected from Huang-Huai wheat-growing region in China were screened for resistance. Cunmai633, LS4607, Pubing01, and Hongyun2 showed seedling resistance to CR with disease index (DI) less than 0.25. Sixteen cultivars showed adult-plant resistance to CR with DI lower than 0.10. Twenty-six cultivars showed moderate resistance to CR at seedling stage with DI from 0.26 to 0.35, and 63 cultivars showed moderate adult-plant resistance with DI from 0.11 to 0.20. Among them, Cunmai633, LS4607, Pubing01, Xinong916, Zhengda161, Xumai14017, Zhengpinmai30, Bainong8822, Jimai216, Huacheng865, Fengyumai5, and Tianmin319 showed resistance or moderate resistance to CR at both seedling and adult plant stages, with Cunmai633 showing the best resistance. Most of the cultivars (>76%) were susceptible to FHB in both the 2017 and 2018 experiments with DI > 0.40. However, some cultivars demonstrated excellent FHB resistance. For example, Zhongyu1526, Tianminxiaoyan369, and Yangao168 were resistant (DI ≤ 0.25) in 2017 and moderately resistant (0.26 ≤ DI ≤ 0.40) in 2018; Zhongwo9 was moderately resistant in 2017 (DI = 0.38) and resistant in 2018 (DI = 0.25). Eight cultivars (Cunmai608, Zhengmai162, Minfeng266, Junda159, LS4607, Deyan1603, Pumai1165, and Fengmai12) showed moderate FHB resistance with DI lower than 0.40 in both experiments. LS4607 showed moderate resistance to both diseases. The resistant cultivars identified in this study can be used for mapping the resistance genes and improving resistance to CR and/or FHB.

The branched spike phenotype is an important supernumerary spikelet trait of Triticum turgidum L. associated with the production of significantly more grains per spike, thereby offering a higher potential yield. However, the genetic basis of branch meristem (BM) development remains to be fully elucidated in wheat. TAW1, an ALOG (Arabidopsis LSH1 and Oryza G1) family gene, has been shown to function as a unique regulator in promoting BM development in rice. In this study, we found that the development pattern of the BMs of the branched spike in wheat was similar to the indeterminate BMs of rice. Moreover, phylogenetic analysis classified the ALOG genes into 12 groups. This family of genes was found to have evolved independently in eudicots and monocots and was evolutionarily conserved between wheat and rice as well as during wheat polyploidization. Furthermore, experiments revealed that TtALOG2-1A, a TAW1-homologous gene, plays a significant role in regulating the transition of indeterminate BM fate. Finally, large-scale RNA-sequencing studies and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) experiments revealed that members of the TtALOGs may act upstream of the TtMADS22, TtMADS47, and TtMADS55 genes to promote indeterminate BM activities. Our findings further knowledge on BM development in wheat.

Cotton is a crucial economic crop that supplies natural fibers for the textile industry, with fiber quality being greatly impacted by abiotic stress throughout its growth stages. The Golden2-Like (GLK) gene family plays a key role in plant development and adaptation to abiotic stress. However, the specific functions and regulatory mechanisms of GLK members in cotton remain largely unexplored. In this study, a thorough analysis of GLK in four cotton species (Gossypium arboreum, G. raimondii, G. hirsutum, and G. barbadense) was conducted. A total of 198 GLK genes were identified in cotton. Conserved sequence analysis revealed that most GLK proteins contain two highly conserved domains: a MYB DNA-binding domain and a C-terminal (GCT) box. Promoter element analysis results show that the GLK gene family contains many stress response-related elements. Expression analysis demonstrated that GhGLK2, GhGLK11, GhGLK16, and GhGLK30 responded significantly to drought, salt, and temperature stresses. And GhGLK2, GhGLK13, GhGLK38, GhGLK42, and GhGLK46 responded significantly to cotton development. Yeast one-hybrid, yeast two-hybrid, and dual-luciferase assay results indicate that GhGLK2 interacts with GhGUN5, GhPIL6, GhNAC6, GhTPX2, and GhERF10. These findings suggest that these GhGLKs may play crucial roles in regulating the response to abiotic stress. Overall, this study provides a solid theoretical foundation for understanding the role of the GLK gene family in cotton’s response to abiotic stress.

Fatty acyl-CoA reductase (FAR) is involved in the biosynthesis of primary alcohols, which are waxy constituents that play an important role in plant stress. Previous studies have shown that primary alcohol is the most important component in the wheat seeding stage and accounts for more than 80% of the total composition. To date, eight FAR genes have been identified in wheat, but there has not been a systematic analysis. In this study, a comprehensive overview of the TaFAR gene family was performed, including analyses of the phylogenetic relationship, the multiple sequence alignment, the conserved motif distribution and the expression pattern. The result showed that a total of 41 wheat FAR genes were identified and designated TaFAR1-A–TaFAR22-D; all FAR genes were divided into six classes according to their phylogenetic relationship, and most of the FAR genes might be related to wheat cuticular wax synthesis. The analysis of the promoter binding site showed that TaFAR genes could be regulated by the MYB transcription factor and could be used as target genes for hormone regulation under adverse conditions, especially during a drought. This study provides a basis for further analyses of the TaFAR gene function and of upstream regulatory genes.