Pistachio, one of the important tree nuts, is cultivated in arid and semi-arid regions where salinity is the most common abiotic stress encountered by this tree. However, the mechanisms underlying salinity tolerance in this plant are not well understood. In the present study, five 1-year-old pistachio rootstocks (namely Akbari, Badami, Ghazvini, Kale-Ghouchi, and UCB-1) were treated with four saline water regimes (control, 8, 12, and 16 dS m) for 100 days. At high salinity level, all rootstocks showed decreased relative water content (RWC), total chlorophyll content (TCHC), and carotenoids in the leaf, while ascorbic acid (AsA) and total soluble proteins (TSP) were reduced in both leaf and root organs. In addition, the total phenolic compounds (TPC), proline, glycine betaine, total soluble carbohydrate (TSC), and HO content increased under salinity stress in all studied rootstocks. Three different ion exclusion strategies were observed in the studied rootstocks: (i) Na exclusion in UCB-1, because most of its Na is retained in the roots; (ii) Cl exclusion in Badami, in which most of its Cl remained in the roots; and (iii) similar concentrations of Na and Cl were observed in the leaves and roots of Ghazvini, Akbari, and Kale-Ghouchi. Transport capacity (ST value) of K over Na from the roots to the leaves was more observable in UCB-1 and Ghazvini. Overall, the root system cooperated more effectively in UCB-1 and Badami for retaining and detoxifying an excessive amount of Na and Cl. The results presented here provide important inputs to better understand the salt tolerance mechanism in a tree species for developing more salt-tolerant genotypes. Based on the results obtained here, the studied rootstocks from tolerant to susceptible are arranged as follows: UCB-1 > Badami > Ghazvini > Kale-Ghouchi > Akbari.

This study investigated the carboxymethylcellulose (CMC)-based edible coating effects on some quality parameters and enzyme activities of plum fruits (Prunus domestica L. cv. Golden drop) during their shelf life. Three concentrations of CMC (0.5%, 1%, and 1.5%), plasticized with glycerol (0.3% w/v), were applied to plum fruits plus a control treated with only distilled water. The results demonstrate that the CMC-based edible coating was significantly effective in maintaining firmness and titratable acidity (TA); vitamin C, anthocyanin, and flavonoid content; and the antioxidant capacity of plum fruits. Enzymatic activity was affected significantly by the coating. Peroxidase (POD) activity increased, and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and polygalacturonase (PG) decreased. In general, the formulation consisting of 1% CMC showed the best results in most of the measured parameters. Taking into account the positive effects on qualitative and biochemical characteristics of CMC-based edible coatings on plums, their application can be a potentially promising method to enhance the shelf-life of this fruit.

The NPR1 (NONEXPRESSOR OF PATHOGENESIS RELATED GENES1) gene has a central role in the long-lasting, broad-spectrum defense response known as systemic acquired resistance (SAR). When overexpressed in a transgenic context in Arabidopsis thaliana, this gene enhances resistance to a number of biotic and abiotic stresses. Its position as a key regulator of defense across diverse plant species makes NPR1 a strong candidate gene for genetic engineering disease and stress tolerance into other crops. High-value horticultural crops face many new challenges from pests and pathogens, and their emergence exceeds the pace of traditional breeding, making the application of NPR1-based strategies potentially useful in fruit and vegetable crops. However, plants overexpressing NPR1 occasionally present detrimental morphological traits that make its application less attractive. The practical utility of NPR-based approaches will be a balance of resistance gains versus other losses. In this review, we summarize the progress on the understanding of NPR1-centered applications in horticultural and other crop plants. We also discuss the effect of the ectopic expression of the A. thaliana NPR1 gene and its orthologs in crop plants and outline the future challenges of using NPR1 in agricultural applications.

Plant tissue culture is a basic and fundamental component of plant biotechnology, and progress in different fields of biotechnology greatly depends on the improvement of this technique. Nowadays, nanomaterials especially Nanosilver [NS], are regularly being used as an antimicrobial agent in medical and environmental fields. In order to assay the efficiency of NS in sterilizing plant seeds and fragile tissues, such as leaf and cotyledon, two important model plants, Arabidopsis and tomato, as well as potato as an important cultivated crop, were used as explants in this study. Briefly, samples soaked in different concentrations of NS with various exposure times, and then transferred onto the MS medium. Results showed that at lower concentrations, NS could function as an antimicrobial agent with no side effect on the explant viability, and consequently, all decontaminated seeds germinated, and leaf and cotyledon explants survived.