Curvature analysis was demonstrated to be an effective method for precise measurement of the broadness of the carrot shoulder, and degree of tip fill; the first principal component of the respective curvature profiles captured 87% and 84% of the total variance. This platform's performance was validated in two experimental panels. First, a diverse, global collection of germplasm was used to assess its capacity to identify market classes through clustering analysis. Second, a diallel mating design between inbred breeding lines of differing market classes was used to estimate the heritability of the key phenotypes that define market class, which revealed significant variation in the narrow-sense heritability of size and shape traits, ranging from 0.14 for total root size, to 0.84 for aspect ratio. These results demonstrate the value of high-throughput digital phenotyping in characterizing the genetic control of complex quantitative phenotypes.Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) are three major macronutrients essential for plant life. These nutrients are acquired and transported by several large families of transporters expressed in plant roots. However, it remains largely unknown how these transporters are distributed in different cell-types that work together to transfer the nutrients from the soil to different layers of root cells and eventually reach vasculature for massive flow. Using the single cell transcriptomics data from Arabidopsis roots, we profiled the transcriptional patterns of putative nutrient transporters in different root cell-types. Such analyses identified a number of uncharacterized NPK transporters expressed in the root epidermis to mediate NPK uptake and distribution to the adjacent cells. Some transport genes showed cortex- and endodermis-specific expression to direct the nutrient flow toward the vasculature. For long-distance transport, a variety of transporters were shown to express and potentially function in the xylem and phloem. In the context of subcellular distribution of mineral nutrients, the NPK transporters at subcellular compartments were often found to show ubiquitous expression patterns, which suggests function in house-keeping processes. Overall, these single cell transcriptomic analyses provide working models of nutrient transport from the epidermis across the cortex to the vasculature, which can be further tested experimentally in the future.Nitrogen-fixing nodules are new organs formed on legume roots as a result of the beneficial interaction with the soil bacteria, rhizobia. Proteins of the nitrate transporter 1/peptide transporter family (NPF) are largely represented in the subcategory of nodule-induced transporters identified in mature nodules. The role of nitrate as a signal/nutrient regulating nodule functioning has been recently highlighted in the literature, and NPFs may play a central role in both the permissive and inhibitory pathways controlling N2-fixation efficiency. In this study, we present the characterization of the Lotus japonicus LjNPF3.1 gene. LjNPF3.1 is upregulated in mature nodules. Promoter studies show transcriptional activation confined to the cortical region of both roots and nodules. Under symbiotic conditions, Ljnpf3.1-knockout mutant's display reduced shoot development and anthocyanin accumulation as a result of nutrient deprivation. Altogether, LjNPF3.1 plays a role in maximizing the beneficial outcome of the root nodule symbiosis.Durian is an economically important fruit of Southeast Asia. There is, however, a lack of in-depth information on the alteration of its metabolic networks during ripening. Here, we annotated 94 ripening-associated metabolites from the pulp of durian cv. Monthong fruit at unripe and ripe stages, using capillary electrophoresis- and gas chromatography- time-of-flight mass spectrometry, specifically focusing on taste-related metabolites. During ripening, sucrose content increased. Change in raffinose-family oligosaccharides are reported herein for the first time. The malate and succinate contents increased, while those of citrate, an abundant organic acid, were unchanged. Notably, most amino acids increased, including isoleucine, leucine, and valine, whereas aspartate decreased, and glutamate was unchanged. Furthermore, transcriptomic analysis was performed to analyze the dynamic changes in sugar metabolism, glycolysis, TCA cycle, and amino acid pathways to identify key candidate genes. Taken together, our results elucidate the fundamental taste-related metabolism of durian, which can be exploited to develop durian metabolic and genetic markers in the future.Trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27me3) is a highly conserved repressive histone modification that signifies transcriptional repression in plants and animals. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the demethylation of H3K27 is regulated by a group of JUMONJI DOMAIN-CONTANING PROTEIN (JMJ) genes. Transcription of JMJ genes is spatiotemporally regulated during plant development and in response to the environment. Once JMJ genes are transcribed, recruitment of JMJs to target genes, followed by demethylation of H3K27, is critically important for the precise control of gene expression. JMJs function synergistically and antagonistically with transcription factors and/or other epigenetic regulators on chromatin. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/gdc-0068.html This review summarizes the latest advances in our understanding of Arabidopsis H3K27me3 demethylases that provide robust and flexible epigenetic regulation of gene expression to direct appropriate development and environmental responses in plants.Phenotyping crop performance is critical for line selection and variety development in plant breeding. Canola (Brassica napus L.) flowers, the bright yellow flowers, indeterminately increase over a protracted period. Flower production of canola plays an important role in yield determination. Yellowness of canola petals may be a critical reflectance signal and a good predictor of pod number and, therefore, seed yield. However, quantifying flowering based on traditional visual scales is subjective, time-consuming, and labor-consuming. Recent developments in phenotyping technologies using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) make it possible to effectively capture crop information and to predict crop yield via imagery. Our objectives were to investigate the application of vegetation indices in estimating canola flower numbers and to develop a descriptive model of canola seed yield. Fifty-six diverse Brassica genotypes, including 53 B. napus lines, two Brassica carinata lines, and a Brassica juncea variety, were grown near Saskatoon, SK, Canada from 2016 to 2018 and near Melfort and Scott, SK, Canada in 2017.