Verticillium wilt is a major threat to alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and many other crops. The model legume Medicago truncatula was used as a host for studying resistance and susceptibility to Verticillium albo-atrum. In addition to presenting well-established genetic resources, this wild plant species enables to investigate biodiversity of the response to the pathogen and putative crosstalk betwee...

In silico analysis of the Medicago truncatula gene index release 8.0 at The Institute for Genomic Research identified approximately 530 tentative consensus sequences (TC) clustered from 2,700 expressed sequence tags (EST) derived solely from Sinorhizobium meliloti-inoculated root and nodule tissues. A great majority (76%) of these TC were derived exclusively from nitrogen-fixing and senescent n...

WD40 repeat proteins regulate biosynthesis of anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins (PAs), and mucilage in the seed and the development of trichomes and root hairs. We have cloned and characterized a WD40 repeat protein gene from Medicago truncatula (MtWD40-1) via a retrotransposon-tagging approach. Deficiency of MtWD40-1 expression blocks accumulation of mucilage and a range of phenolic compounds, i...

A core genetic map of the legume Medicago truncatula has been established by analyzing the segregation of 288 sequence-characterized genetic markers in an F(2) population composed of 93 individuals. These molecular markers correspond to 141 ESTs, 80 BAC end sequence tags, and 67 resistance gene analogs, covering 513 cM. In the case of EST-based markers we used an intron-targeted marker strategy...

© 2012 Panara et al., licensee InTech. This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Medicago truncatula Functional Genomics – An Invaluable Resource for Studies on Agric...

The ability of legume crops to fix atmospheric nitrogen via a symbiotic association with soil rhizobia makes them an essential component of many agricultural systems. Initiation of this symbiosis requires protein phosphorylation-mediated signaling in response to rhizobial signals named Nod factors. Medicago truncatula (Medicago) is the model system for studying legume biology, making the study ...

Somatic embryogenesis (SE) can be readily induced in leaf explants of the Jemalong 2HA genotype of the model legume Medicago truncatula by auxin and cytokinin, but rarely in wild-type Jemalong. Gibberellic acid (GA), a hormone not included in the medium, appears to act in Arabidopsis as a repressor of the embryonic state such that low ABA (abscisic acid): GA ratios will inhibit SE. It was impor...

N-acetylglucosamine-based saccharides (chitosaccharides) are components of microbial cell walls and act as molecular signals during host-microbe interactions. In the legume plant Medicago truncatula, the perception of lipochitooligosaccharide signals produced by symbiotic rhizobia and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi involves the Nod Factor Perception (NFP) lysin motif receptor-like protein and lea...

three stocking densities (20, 40, and 60 sheep/ha) were applied in four stocking periods (0, 2, 4, and 6 weeks) on a medicago truncatula cv. paraggio pasture. treatments were arranged in a split plot system and compared through a completely randomised block design with four replications.grazing period had a significant effect (p

Crenate broomrape (Orobanche crenata) is a root parasitic weed that represents a major constraint for grain legume production in Mediterranean and West Asian countries. Medicago truncatula has emerged as an important model plant species for structural and functional genomics. The close phylogenic relationship of M. truncatula with crop legumes increases its value as a resource for understanding...