Tall fescue is a widely used cool season turfgrass and relatively sensitive to high temperature. Chemical compounds like melatonin (MT) and 24-epibrassinolide (EBL) have been reported to improve plant heat stress tolerance effectively. In this study, we reported that MT and EBL pretreated tall fescue seedlings showed decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS), electrolyte leakage (EL) and malondialdehide (MDA), but increased chlorophyll (Chl), total protein and antioxidant enzyme activities under heat stress condition, resulting in improved plant growth. Transcriptomic profiling analysis showed that 4311 and 8395 unigenes were significantly changed after 2 h and 12 h of heat treatments, respectively. Among them, genes involved in heat stress responses, DNA, RNA and protein degradation, redox, energy metabolisms, and hormone metabolism pathways were highly induced after heat stress. Genes including FaHSFA3, FaAWPM and FaCYTC2 were significantly upregulated by both MT and EBL treatments, indicating that these genes might function as the putative target genes of MT and EBL. These findings indicated that heat stress caused extensively transcriptomic reprogramming of tall fescue and exogenous application of MT and EBL effectively improved thermotolerance in tall fescue.

Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) is a widely used, cool-season turf grass and is relatively sensitive to water stress. Melatonin has been reported to improve abiotic stress tolerance in many plants. In this study, we demonstrated that, although shoot height and fresh weight of tall fescue seedlings were significantly reduced by drought stress, they were increased by melatonin pre-treatment compared with control plants. Chemical analyses showed that tall fescue seedlings pre-treated with melatonin exhibited decreased levels of reactive oxygen species, electrolyte leakage and malondialdehyde, but higher levels of antioxidant enzyme activities (catalase, and peroxidase) and total chlorophyll content, compared with untreated seedlings. Leaf water loss was also partially mitigated and leaf water content increased by melatonin application, resulting in improved plant growth under drought stress. Moreover, root growth of tall fescue seedlings was promoted by melatonin under osmotic stress. The results show that drought tolerance was improved in cool-season tall fescue by application of exogenous melatonin. Therefore, melatonin may potentially be used as a protectant for plants against the deleterious effects of drought or water-deficit stress.

Over 3.0 billion people of the 7.75 billion globally suffer from malnutrition due to deficiencies in micronutrients, particularly iron, zinc, and vitamins (such as vitamin A, B complex, E, and folate, etc.). In response, there is growing consumer interest in foods that provide traditional nutrients and contain additional compounds beneficial to health and well-being. Wheat is the most important cereal crop in terms of both production and consumption, contributing about 30% of total cereal consumption worldwide. It provides a significant source of carbohydrates and gluten protein (around 12-14% protein), which supply substantial energy. Wheat grain is also rich in various nutrients, such as macro-elements like phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg); microelements like iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), and vitamins B complex: thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine (B6), biotin (B7), folate (B9), additionally soluble fiber and other trace minerals which are higher than in other major cereals. The inner bran coats, phosphates, and other mineral salts in wheat contribute to its beneficial effects on bowel movements. Despite its nutritional benefits, the quality of wheat's nutrients is a topic of ongoing discussion. Exploring ways to enhance the nutritional quality of wheat could provide valuable insights for scientists working to improve global nutrition status.

Bangladesh faces a significant deficit in wheat grain production relative to its national demand, largely due to the prolonged duration-typically 10 to 12 years-required to release a new variety through conventional breeding approaches. Traditional methods involve multiple years of crossing between male and female parents or their progenies, followed by recurrent selection to develop homozygous lines (from the F1 to F6 generations) possessing desired traits. In contrast, the doubled haploid (DH) method offers a faster, simpler, and more reliable alternative, enabling the development of homozygous lines within just 2–3 years. In this study, DH lines were produced by crossing two F1 wheat hybrids with maize. A 0.1 % colchicine solution was applied to induce chromosome doubling in the F₂ progeny. Of the 421 florets pollinated, 340 (80.8 %) developed into green parthenocarpic caryopses (GPC). From these, 70 embryos (20.6 %) were successfully rescued, and 35 (50 %) of the rescued embryos germinated. Ten green haploid plants (28.6 % of the germinated embryos) were regenerated and subsequently transplanted. After colchicine treatment of nine haploid (H₁) plants, eight (88.9 %) survived. Among them, one plant (12.5 %) successfully produced homozygous doubled haploid (DH₁) seed. These seeds were then multiplied to obtain DH₂ seeds, which were evaluated in a preliminary yield trial next year. The results confirm the effectiveness of this method in generating homozygous lines within a significantly shorter time frame (2–3 years) by utilizing maize pollination and colchicine-induced chromosome doubling.