After exposure to different temperature conditions, total soluble sugars, starch, total leaf area and biomass were reduced, while night respiration and specific leaf area were increased with narrowing of diurnal temperature amplitude (18 to 2°C) of HDNT followed by ODNT. However, there was no influence on photosynthesis across different ODNT and HDNT. Contradiction in response of foliar gas exchange and growth suggests higher contribution of night respiration for maintenance rather than growth with narrowing of diurnal temperature amplitude of ODNT and HDNT. Results imply that diurnal temperature amplitude has immense impact on the carbon tradeoff and growth, regardless of hybrid variation. Hence, diurnal temperature amplitude and night respiration should be considered while quantifying response and screening for high temperature tolerance in sorghum genotypes and comprehensive understanding of dark phase mechanisms which are coupled with stress response can further strengthen screening procedures.Coarse root systems provide a framework for water and nutrient absorption from the soil and play an important role in plant survival in harsh environments. However, the adaptions of plant roots in soil-limited environments with low water storage capacity and nutrient content needs to be better understood. The adaptation strategies of two common plant species (a deciduous tree Platycarya longipes and an evergreen shrub Tirpitzia ovoidea) from two contrasting habitats (a shallow rocky soil and a nearby deep soil) in a karst region of subtropical China were compared and analyzed. Foliar nutrient concentrations, stoichiometry, stable carbon, and oxygen isotopes were used to determine plant nutrient and water use status across these two habitats. Six indexes, including maximum root depth, maximum root radial extent, number of major roots and secondary roots, and tapering rate and curvature, were all investigated to characterize coarse root systems. Results show that both species exhibited similar nutrient and water use status in the two habitats that had contrasting water holding capacity and available nutrient content. On the other hand, although maximum root depths of the individual plants were not deeper than 33 cm, maximum radial extents were much larger when compared to rooting depths. Specifically, the ratio of radial extent to depth in the soil-limited habitat was approximately 6 and 1.5 times higher than that in the deep-soil habitat for the tree and shrub, respectively. Additionally, especially for the tree, a larger root radial extent was further accompanied by lower root tapering rate and bending levels. Our results provided evidence that plants growing in soil-limited environments maintain a stable resource use status along with large radially extended coarse root systems in humid karst regions like southwest China.Glycerol, a compatible solute, has previously been found to act as an osmoprotectant in some marine Chlamydomonas species and several species of Dunaliella from hypersaline ponds. Recently, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Dunaliella salina were shown to make glycerol with an unusual bidomain enzyme, which appears to be unique to algae, that contains a phosphoserine phosphatase and glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. Here we report that two psychrophilic species of Chlamydomonas (C. spp. UWO241 and ICE-MDV) from Lake Bonney, Antarctica also produce high levels of glycerol to survive in the lake's saline waters. Glycerol concentration increased linearly with salinity and at 1.3 M NaCl, exceeded 400 mM in C. sp. UWO241, the more salt-tolerant strain. We also show that both species expressed several isoforms of the bidomain enzyme. An analysis of one of the isoforms of C. sp. UWO241 showed that it was strongly upregulated by NaCl and is thus the likely source of glycerol. These results reveal another adaptation of the Lake Bonney Chlamydomonas species that allow them to survive in an extreme polar environment.Development of live imaging techniques for providing information how chromatin is organized in living cells is pivotal to decipher the regulation of biological processes. Here, we demonstrate the improvement of a live imaging technique based on CRISPR/Cas9. In this approach, the sgRNA scaffold is fused to RNA aptamers including MS2 and PP7. When the dead Cas9 (dCas9) is co-expressed with chimeric sgRNA, the fluorescent coat protein-tagged for MS2 and PP7 aptamers (tdMCP-FP and tdPCP-FP) are recruited to the targeted sequence. Compared to previous work with dCas9GFP, we show that the quality of telomere labeling was improved in transiently transformed Nicotiana benthamiana using aptamer-based CRISPR-imaging constructs. Labeling is influenced by the copy number of aptamers and less by the promoter types. The same constructs were not applicable for labeling of repeats in stably transformed plants and roots. The constant interaction of the RNP complex with its target DNA might interfere with cellular processes.Colorado potato beetle (CPB) is an agricultural pest of solanaceous crops, notorious for its rapid resistance development to chemical pesticides. Foliar spraying of dsRNA formulations is a promising innovative technology providing highly specific and environmentally acceptable option for CPB management. We designed dsRNA to silence CPB mesh gene (dsMESH) and performed laboratory feeding trials to assess impacts on beetle survival and development. We compared the effectiveness of in vivo and in vitro produced dsRNA in a series of laboratory experiments. We additionally performed a field trial in which the efficacy of dsRNA sprayed onto potato foliage was compared to a spinosad-based insecticide. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/sj6986.html We showed that dsMESH ingestion consistently and significantly impaired larval growth and decreased larval survival in laboratory feeding experiments. In vivo produced dsRNA performed similarly as in vitro synthesized dsRNA in laboratory settings. In the field trial, dsMESH was as effective in controlling CPB larvae as a commercial spinosad insecticide, its activity was however slower. We discuss limitations and benefits of a potential dsMESH-based CPB management strategy and list some important RNAi based CPB research topics, which will have to be addressed in future.