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Agricultural Genomics and Sustainable Productivity

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Dr. Estela Gimenez

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Guest Editor

Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Interests: agrigenomics; productivity; quality; sustainability; cereals; wheat

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Technological innovations in Agronomy, including the design of new plant varieties, have driven a remarkable increase in crop productivity during the past several decades, contributing to the production of food, feed, fiber, and fuel to meet the needs of a growing world population. However, the increasing awareness about the limitation of natural resources, including arable lands and water, and the preservation of the environment explains that one of the main goals of current agriculture is the sustainable enhancement of crop yields. Thus, “Producing more with less” has become a central notion of many research efforts in the field of plant production and related disciplines. Agricultural genomics, or “Agrigenomics” (the application of genomics in agriculture), may face this challenge through various genomic and bioinformatic technologies. Genotyping and molecular marker development, comparative genomics, transcriptome analysis, and recombinant DNA technology offer the potential to gain advanced knowledge and to develop valuable tools that will aid in the selection and breeding of novel plant varieties with a more efficient absorption and use of water and nutrients, with an increased photosynthetic efficiency, increased tolerance to biotic stresses, or a better performance under unfavorable abiotic conditions, among other beneficial agronomic traits. Current progress in agrigenomics will surely have a main role in the creation of this new generation of sustainable crops.

This Special Issue aims to report novel research and reviews concerning the use of agricultural genomics to support sustainable crop production.

Dr. Estela Gimenez
Guest Editor

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Research

13 pages, 1863 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Efficacy of N-Methyl-N-Nitrosourea Mutation on Physicochemical Properties, Phytochemicals, and Momilactones A and B in Rice

by Kifayatullah Kakar, Tran Dang Xuan, Nguyen Van Quan, Imran Khan Wafa, Hoang-Dung Tran, Tran Dang Khanh and Tran Dang Dat

Sustainability 2019, 11(23), 6862; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11236862 - 2 Dec 2019

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3997

Abstract

Attempts regarding the improvement and development of novel rice with better quality and higher productivity have been increasing. Among approaches, mutation is a direct alteration on the genome and considered as one of the most beneficial routes to acquire new beneficial traits in rice. An experiment was carried out to explore the effects of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) mutation on the antioxidant activities, phytochemical compounds, and momilactones A (MA) and B (MB) in rice. Two rice cultivars, K1 (an original cultivar DT84) and K2 (mutated DT84), were examined. Antioxidant activities, phenolic compounds, and momilactones of the rice grain, husk, and straw portions were measured and quantified. Antioxidant activities were higher in grain and straw of K2, whereas K1 showed greater antioxidant activity in rice husk. Additionally, K2 displayed higher total phenolic contents (TPC) in grain and straw as well as lower of it in the husk, but these variations significantly differed only in the straw portion. An increase in total flavonoid contents (TFC) was observed in the husk of K1, while K2 significantly enhanced TFC in straw. Both MA and MB, two compounds obtaining antidiabetes, anticancer, antimicrobial, antigout, and antiobesity properties, were detected and quantified in grain, husk, and straw of K1 and K2 samples. Generally, the contents of MA were higher than MB in all tested portions of rice crop. MA and MB were higher in straw followed by those in husk and grain, respectively. K2 contained higher amounts of MA and MB in straw and husk, but lower contents in grain compared with those in K1. This study illustrates that MNU mutation can improve grain quality and enhance bioactive compounds in straw, husk, and grain of rice. This approach has the potential to develop functional foods from rice, and therefore help farmers in developing countries to improve value in rice production. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural Genomics and Sustainable Productivity)

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16 pages, 2513 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Pakchoi Antioxidant Improvement and Differential Rhizobacterial Community Composition under Organic Fertilization

by Jianli Liao, Jun Ye, Yun Liang, Muhammad Khalid and Danfeng Huang

Sustainability 2019, 11(8), 2424; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11082424 - 24 Apr 2019

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3879

Abstract

A high level of antioxidants in organic-produced vegetables has been attributed to soil conditions; however, little is known about the relationships between antioxidants and rhizobacteria under different fertilization treatments. A pot trial for pakchoi (Brassica campestris ssp. chinensis L.) was conducted under greenhouse conditions with: (1) control; (2) chemical fertilizer; and (3) organic fertilizer. The responses of the plant, soil properties, and rhizobacterial community were measured after 45 days of cultivation. Fertilization increased soil nutrient levels and pakchoi productivity and the reshaped rhizobacterial community structure, while no differences in rhizobacterial abundance and total diversity were observed. Generally, most plant antioxidants were negatively correlated with inorganic nitrogen (N) and positively correlated to organic N in soil. The genera of Arthrospira and Acutodesmus contained differential rhizobacteria under chemical fertilizer treatment, which are known as copiotrophs. In addition, the addition of a chemical fertilizer may stimulate organic substance turnover by the enrichment of organic compound degraders (e.g., Microbacterium and Chitinophaga) and the promotion of predicted functional pathways involved in energy metabolism. Several beneficial rhizobacteria were associated with organic fertilizer amended rhizosphere including the genera Bacillus, Mycobacterium, Actinomycetospora, and Frankia. Furthermore, Bacillus spp. were positively correlated with plant biomass and phenolic acid. Moreover, predictive functional profiles of the rhizobacterial community involved in amino acid metabolism and lipid metabolism were significantly increased under organic fertilization, which were positively correlated with plant antioxidant activity. Overall, our study suggests that the short-term application of chemical and organic fertilizers reshapes the rhizobacterial community structure, and such changes might contribute to the plant’s performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Agricultural Genomics and Sustainable Productivity)

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