Abiotic stresses, such as heat, salt, waterlogging, and multiple-stress environments have significantly reduced wheat production in recent decades. There is a need to use effective strategies for overcoming crop losses due to these abiotic stresses. Fertilizer-based approaches are readily available and can be managed in all farming communities. This research revealed the effects of sulfur-coated urea (SCU, 130 kg ha⁻¹, release time of 120 days) on wheat crops under heat, salt, waterlogging, and combined-stress climatic conditions. The research was done using a completely randomized design with three replicates. The results revealed that SCU at a rate of 130 kg of N ha⁻¹ showed a significantly (p ≤ 0.05) high SPAD value (55) in the case of waterlogging stress, while it was the lowest (31) in the case of heat stress; the control had a SPAD value of 58. Stress application significantly (p ≤ 0.05) reduced the leaf area and was the highest in control (1898 cm²), followed by salt stress (1509 cm²), waterlogging (1478 cm²), and heat stress (1298 cm²). A significantly (p ≤ 0.05) lowest crop yield was observed in the case of heat stress (3623.47 kg ha⁻¹) among all stresses, while it was 10,270 kg ha⁻¹ in control and was reduced up to 35% after the application of heat stress. Among all stresses, the salt stress showed the highest crop yield of 5473.16 kg ha⁻¹. A significant correlation was observed among growth rate, spike length, yield, and physiological constraints with N content in the soil. The SCU fertilizer was the least effective against heat stress but could tolerate salt stress in wheat plants. The findings suggested the feasibility of adding SCU as an alternative to normal urea to alleviate salt stresses and improve wheat crop growth and yield traits. For heat stress tolerance, the applicability of SCU with a longer release period of ~180 days is recommended as a future prospect for study.

The market success of any rice cultivar is exceedingly dependent on its grain appearance, as well as its grain yield, which define its demand by consumers as well as growers. The present study was undertaken to explore the contribution of nine major genes, qPE9~1, GW2, SLG7, GW5, GS3, GS7, GW8, GS5, and GS2, in regulating four size and weight related traits, i.e., grain length (GL), grain width (GW), grain thickness (GT), and thousand grain weight (TGW) in 204 diverse rice germplasms using Insertion/Deletion (InDel) markers. The studied germplasm displayed wide-ranging variability in the four studied traits. Except for three genes, all six genes showed considerable association with these traits with varying strengths. Whole germplasm of 204 genotypes could be categorized into three major clusters with different grain sizes and weights that could be utilized in rice breeding programs where grain appearance and weight are under consideration. The study revealed that TGW was 24.9% influenced by GL, 37.4% influenced by GW, and 49.1% influenced by GT. Hence, assuming the trend of trait selection, i.e., GT > GW > GL, for improving TGW in the rice yield enhancement programs. The InDel markers successfully identified a total of 38 alleles, out of which 27 alleles were major and were found in more than 20 genotypes. GL was associated with four genes (GS3, GS7, GW8, and GS2). GT was also found to be regulated by four different genes (GS3, GS7, GW8, and GS2) out of the nine studied genes. GW was found to be under the control of three studied genes (GW5, GW8, and GS2), whereas TGW was found to be under the influence of four genes (SLG7, GW5, GW8, and GS5) in the germplasm under study. The Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic means (UPGMA) tree based on the studied InDel marker loci segregated the whole germplasm into three distinct clusters with dissimilar grain sizes and weights. A two-dimensional scatter plot constructed using Principal Coordinate Analysis (PCoA) based on InDel markers further separated the 204 rice germplasms into four sub-populations with prominent demarcations of extra-long, long, medium, and short grain type germplasms that can be utilized in breeding programs accordingly. The present study could help rice breeders to select a suitable InDel marker and in formulation of breeding strategies for improving grain appearance, as well as weight, to develop rice varieties to compete international market demands with higher yield returns. This study also confirms the efficient application of InDel markers in studying diverse types of rice germplasm, allelic frequencies, multiple-gene allele contributions, marker-trait associations, and genetic variations that can be explored further.

Tetraploid Robinia pseudoacacia L. is a difficult-to-root species, and is vegetatively propagated through stem cuttings. Limited information is available regarding the adventitious root (AR) formation of dark-pretreated micro-shoot cuttings. Moreover, the role of specific miRNAs and their targeted genes during dark-pretreated AR formation under in vitro conditions has never been revealed. The dark pretreatment has successfully promoted and stimulated adventitious rooting signaling-related genes in tissue-cultured stem cuttings with the application of auxin (0.2 mg L⁻¹ IBA). Histological analysis was performed for AR formation at 0, 12, 36, 48, and 72 h after excision (HAE) of the cuttings. The first histological events were observed at 36 HAE in the dark-pretreated cuttings; however, no cellular activities were observed in the control cuttings. In addition, the present study aimed to uncover the role of differentially expressed (DE) microRNAs (miRNAs) and their targeted genes during adventitious root formation using the lower portion (1–1.5 cm) of tetraploid R. pseudoacacia L. micro-shoot cuttings. The samples were analyzed using Illumina high-throughput sequencing technology for the identification of miRNAs at the mentioned time points. Seven DE miRNA libraries were constructed and sequenced. The DE number of 81, 162, 153, 154, 41, 9, and 77 miRNAs were upregulated, whereas 67, 98, 84, 116, 19, 16, and 93 miRNAs were downregulated in the following comparisons of the libraries: 0-vs-12, 0-vs-36, 0-vs-48, 0-vs-72, 12-vs-36, 36-vs-48, and 48-vs-72, respectively. Furthermore, we depicted an association between ten miRNAs (novel-m0778-3p, miR6135e.2-5p, miR477-3p, miR4416c-5p, miR946d, miR398b, miR389a-3p, novel m0068-5p, novel-m0650-3p, and novel-m0560-3p) and important target genes (auxin response factor-3, gretchen hagen-9, scarecrow-like-1, squamosa promoter-binding protein-like-12, small auxin upregulated RNA-70, binding protein-9, vacuolar invertase-1, starch synthase-3, sucrose synthase-3, probable starch synthase-3, cell wall invertase-4, and trehalose phosphatase synthase-5), all of which play a role in plant hormone signaling and starch and sucrose metabolism pathways. The quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to validate the relative expression of these miRNAs and their targeted genes. These results provide novel insights and a foundation for further studies to elucidate the molecular factors and processes controlling AR formation in woody plants.

The TUBBY gene family is a group of transcription factors found in animals and plants with many functions. TLP genes have a significant role in response to different abiotic stresses. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the TUBBY gene family in T. aestivum. Here we identified 40 TaTLP genes in wheat to reveal their potential function. This study found that TUBBY (TaTLP) genes are highly conserved in wheat. The GO analysis of TaTLP genes revealed their role in growth and stress responses. Promoter analysis revealed that most TaTLPs participate in hormone and abiotic stress responses. The heatmap analysis also showed that TaTLP genes showed expression under various hormonal and abiotic stress conditions. Several genes were upregulated under different hormonal and temperature stresses. The qRT-PCR analysis confirmed our hypotheses. The results clearly indicate that various TaTLP genes showed high expression under temperature stress conditions. Furthermore, the results showed that TaTLP genes are expressed in multiple tissues with different expression patterns. For the first time in wheat, we present a comprehensive TaTLP analysis. These findings provide valuable clues for future research about the role of TLPs in the abiotic stress process in plants. Overall, the research outcomes can serve as a model for improving wheat quality through genetic engineering.