Several studies have described quantitative trait loci (QTL) for seed size in wheat, but the relevant genes and molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here we report the functional characterization of the wheat TaCYP78A3 gene and its effect on seed size. TaCYP78A3 encoded wheat cytochrome P450 CYP78A3, and was specifically expressed in wheat reproductive organs. TaCYP78A3 activity was pos...

Hybridisation and polyploidy are major forces contributing to plant speciation. Homoploid (2x) and heteroploid (3x) hybrids, however, represent critical stages for evolution due to disturbed meiosis and reduced fertility. Apomixis--asexual reproduction via seeds--can overcome hybrid sterility, but requires several concerted alterations of developmental pathways to result in functional seed form...

SUMMARY We present GeneNet Toolbox for MATLAB (also available as a set of standalone applications for Linux). The toolbox, available as command-line or with a graphical user interface, enables biologists to assess connectivity among a set of genes of interest ('seed-genes') within a biological network of their choosing. Two methods are implemented for calculating the significance of connectivit...

Some physical properties and chemical compositions of two cultivars (Semsouri and Shahabadi) of cantaloupe studied during four different stages of maturity from fruit set to completely ripe. The physical properties investigated were the geometric mean diameter (GMD), specific gravity (SG), mean firmness (MF), rind, seed (%) and flesh (%). The chemical compositions were Brix, Titrable Acidity (T...

Naturally occurring polyamines in plants have been implicated in cell division, metabolic activity, floral initiation, and fruit development. The plant growth regulator BM was formulated to stimulate seed production and fruit growth. In this study, it was hypothesized that the addition of BM would increase levels of polyamines for seed induction and have a direct benefit of improving fertilizat...

Flower and pod production and seed set of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) are sensitive to drought stress. A 2-fold range in seed yield was found among a large number of chickpea genotypes grown at three dryland field sites in south-western Australia. Leaf water potential, photosynthetic characteristics, and reproductive development of two chickpea genotypes with contrasting yields in the field w...