Cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp] is a multipurpose crop that provides nutrients for human and livestock diets, as well as regulates and supports ecosystem services. In developing countries, cowpea is exploited as a dual-purpose crop for its grain and fodder; it is cultivated primarily for grain and as a cover crop in industrialized countries. However, root-knot nematodes (RKNs) (Meloidogyne spp.) represent a threat to cowpea production worldwide. Thus, we screened the University of California, Riverside (UC-Riverside), cowpea mini-core collection for resistance to Meloidogyne incognita Kofoid and White (Chitwood) and M. enterolobii Yang and Eisenback to verify the potential of this collection to be used for improving RKN resistance in cowpeas. Both screenings showed significant genotypic variation and medium/high broad-sense heritability (H2) estimates for most traits, and several traits were also strongly correlated. For the M. incognita screening, 86.1% of accessions showed some level of resistance based on gall score (≤3), and 77.7% based on reproduction index (RI) (25 ≤ RI ≤ 50), whereas only 10.4% and 29.8% of accessions were resistant to M. enterolobii based on gall score (≤3) and RI (25 ≤ RI ≤ 50), respectively. These results demonstrate the greater virulence of M. enterolobii than M. incognita in cowpea, and that geographic origin of germplasm was not linked to sources of resistance. Among cultivars, only US-1136 showed resistance against both nematode species, whereas 12 wild/landrace germplasms exhibited resistance to M. incognita and M. enterolobii, and can be exploited for breeding resistant cowpeas.

This paper aims at discussing some concepts regarding technological forecasting techniques (TFTs) and competitive intelligence (CI) and presents some links between them in a strategic approach based in a theoretical review. These techniques are considered as tools for improving the innovation process within firms. This paper analyzes, via a business case, how a Brazilian electronic company, Digitel SA, which produces modems and multiplexers for internal and global markets, deals with these techniques as a way of improving its process of innovation to achieve competitive advantage.

Transcription factors (TF) are a wide class of genes in plants, and these can regulate the expression of other genes in response to various environmental stresses (biotic and abiotic). In the current study, transcription factor activity in sugarcane was examined during cold stress. Initially, RNA transcript reads of two sugarcane cultivars (ROC22 and GT08-1108) under cold stress were downloaded from SRA NCBI database. The reads were aligned into a reference genome and the differential expression analyses were performed with the R/Bioconductor edgeR package. Based on our analyses in the ROC22 cultivar, 963 TF genes were significantly upregulated under cold stress among a total of 5649 upregulated genes, while 293 TF genes were downregulated among a total of 3,289 downregulated genes. In the GT08-1108 cultivar, 974 TF genes were identified among 5,649 upregulated genes and 283 TF genes were found among 3,289 downregulated genes. Most transcription factors were annotated with GO categories related to protein binding, transcription factor binding, DNA-sequence-specific binding, transcription factor complex, transcription factor activity in RNA polymerase II, the activity of nucleic acid binding transcription factor, transcription corepressor activity, sequence-specific regulatory region, the activity of transcription factor of RNA polymerase II, transcription factor cofactor activity, transcription factor activity from plastid promoter, transcription factor activity from RNA polymerase I promoter, polymerase II and RNA polymerase III. The findings of above results will help to identify differentially expressed transcription factors during cold stress. It also provides a comprehensive analysis of the regulation of the transcription activity of many genes. Therefore, this study provides the molecular basis for improving cold tolerance in sugarcane and other economically important grasses.

White mold caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is an important disease that may lead to severe crop losses. The resistance of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) to white mold is quantitative and affected by environmental conditions. In this case, QTL identification of higher effect and stable in several populations and environments (Meta-QTL) can be useful in marker-assisted breeding. This study aimed to analyze the expression of candidate genes within Meta-QTL regions in two common bean lines Cornell 605 (resistant) and Beryl (susceptible), inoculated with S. sclerotiorum, at different evaluation times. We did so by conducting a phenotypic analysis of the reaction lines were evaluated at 3, 7 and 11 days after inoculation (DAI), with the aim of verifying the reaction discrepancy between the lines in the test environment, and assessing the the expressions of seven genes (PvPKF, PvF-Box, PvERF1, PvPGIP4, PvPR1, PvPOD and PvMYB) within Meta-QTL intervals were analyzed in the lines, at 0, 24, 48 and 72 h after inoculation (HAI). The phenotypic evaluation showed high susceptibility in Beryl and suggested that most of the interaction between lines and evaluation times occurred due to the rapid development of symptoms in the susceptible line. Based on RT-qPCR results, the genes PvPKF and PvPOD were the most promising to explain partial Cornell 605 resistance conditioning. Differences in the genetic backgrounds of the lines used in this study and the fact that the evaluations were performed in a greenhouse may help to explain why the other candidate genes were not highly expressed in Cornell 605.

Rubber tree cultivation is limited in many regions by abiotic factors such as drought. We investigated the biochemical mechanisms responsible for responses to, and recovery from, drought conditions during the establishment phase of four high latex producing rubber tree clones (RRIM600, IAC40, PR255 and GT1). Five-month-old plants were exposed to 32 days of water restriction, followed by 15 days of soil rehydration. Leaf area, as well as their osmolyte accumulations, saccharolytic enzyme activity, and oxidative stress markers, were accompanied. Although clones IAC40 and PR255 responded more precociously to drought conditions, halting leaf expansion before clones GT1 and RRIM600, they demonstrated slow recuperation after reestablishing irrigation. The greater tolerances of clones RRIM600 and GT1 to drought conditions were related to greater vacuolar invertase (VINV) activity in their leaves, which guaranteed more significant accumulations of vacuolar reducing sugars (RS). Similar to RS, glycine betaine accumulations were related to osmoprotection and to reducing oxidative damage (lipidic peroxidation) caused by water deficit conditions. The observed decreases in cytosol neutral invertase (AINV) and cell wall insoluble invertase (CWINV) activities, which resulted in cytosol hexose decreases, may be related to increases in antioxidant enzyme (superoxide dismutase and ascorbate peroxidase) activities in the leaves in response to water deficit conditions. As such, the introduction of specific sugars (RS) and the modulation of key carbon metabolism enzymes, such as VINV, are promising strategies for promoting drought tolerance in rubber tree clones.