Czech Journal of Genetics and Plant Breeding - Latest articles

Genome-wide identification and in silico expression analysis of CCO gene family in Citrus sinensis (orange) in response to citrus greening

Sadaf Sarwar, Muhammad Shafiq, Layba Tasawar, Iram Gull, Jannat Akram, Maha Al-Roshdi, Gabrijel Ondrasek, Muhammad Shafiq Shahid

Czech J. Genet. Plant Breed., 2025, 61(3):113-127 | DOI: 10.17221/11/2025-CJGPB  

Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck (sweet orange) is the most important cultivated citrus fruit in the world. However, Hanglongbing (HLB) disease, caused by Candidatus Liberibactor asiaticus (CLAs), poses a major threat to sweet orange production, by hindering colour, quality and export. Carotenoid cleavage oxygenases (CCOs), which include carotenoid cleavage dioxygenases (CCDs) and 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenases (NCEDs), are essential for plant growth, development, and adaptation to phytohormonal, biotic, and abiotic stresses. This study identified 14 CsCCO genes in C. sinensis. Structural and conservation studies were conducted...

List of varieties registered in the Czech Republic in 2024

Tomáš Mezlík

Czech J. Genet. Plant Breed., 2025, 61(2):110-112 | DOI: 10.17221/16/2025-CJGPB  

Reciprocal hybridisation of Aloe species (Aloe arborescens with A. vera) and their characterisation in a highland region of Venezuela

José Imery-Buiza, Wendy Ozols-Narbona

Czech J. Genet. Plant Breed., 2025, 61(2):100-109 | DOI: 10.17221/7/2025-CJGPB  

Aloe vera and A. arborescens are succulent plants widely used in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and food supplements. The objective of this study was to perform interspecific crosses and agronomically characterise three genotypes cultivated in a Venezuelan highland region (altitude 1 727 m, 13–17.9 °C). Successful hybridisation was achieved only when A. arborescens pollen (P1) was used on A. vera pistils (P2), whereas the reciprocal cross was largely unsuccessful. Hybrid seed germination reached 11.86%, and adult hybrids exhibited significant vegetative superiority over P1, particularly in leaf volume, leaf weight, and...

Characterization of carotenoid profiles and presence of functional markers in sub-tropical maize (Zea mays L.) inbred lines

Peter Amoah, Victor O. Adetimirin, Bismark Anokye, Oluyinka J. llesanmi, Nnanna Unachukwu, Elisabeth Ivania Aporva

Czech J. Genet. Plant Breed., 2025, 61(2):86-99 | DOI: 10.17221/143/2024-CJGPB  

Biofortification provides a sustainable, pragmatic strategy to address the lack of vitamin A and the associated health complications. The objectives of the study encompassed the quantification of the carotenoid content of 147 maize inbred lines, the identification of variable regions within the ZEP1 gene, the correlation of these observed variances in the presence of this gene with carotenoid content, and the identification of lines harbouring the favourable alleles of the crtRB1 gene. The observed correlations among the carotenoids synthesised by distinct branches of the biosynthetic process were both significant and positive. Utilising...

Ectopic expression of the cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) VuCERK1 gene confers enhanced resistance to Pto DC3000 hrcC^- in Arabidopsis

Weida Chen, Lifen Gao, Gao Chen, Ting Yang, Zixin Zhao, Wenhao Xia, Niannian Fan, Siming Chen

Czech J. Genet. Plant Breed., 2025, 61(2):77-85 | DOI: 10.17221/112/2024-CJGPB  

Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) play multiple roles in plants. As a kind of PRRs, chitin elicitor receptor kinase 1 (CERK1) proteins were reported to function in plant resistance to fungal and bacterial pathogens, and tolerance to salt stress. In this study, a predicted cowpea CERK1 homologous gene, designated as VuCERK1, was identified by database search. VuCERK1 protein contains 618 amino acid residues, with a predicted molecular mass of 67.5 kDa and a predicted isoelectric point of 5.04. VuCERK1 shows 58% and 60% sequence identity with AtCERK1 and OsCERK1, respectively. VuCERK1 also shows similar subcellular pattern with AtCERK1...

Agronomic and pod traits in relation to pod shattering in cultivated soybeans

Bingjie Tu, Qingying Zhang, Xiaobing Liu, Shaopeng Yu, Nan Xu, Jia Liu, Changkai Liu

Czech J. Genet. Plant Breed., 2025, 61(2):67-76 | DOI: 10.17221/119/2024-CJGPB  

Pod dehiscence or pod shattering from mature soybean (Glycine max L.) is one of the most outstanding disadvantages in domesticated cultivars. Pod shattering in relation to 16 quantitative traits and 3 qualitative traits among 140 cultivars of vegetable soybeans, grain soybeans and small-grain soybeans was evaluated over two years. We found the pod shattering percentage is positively correlated with the number of productive branches, pod width, pod length, pod area, 100-seed weight, 1-seeded-pod percentage, 2-seeded-pod percentage and seed protein content, but negatively correlated with the plant height, pod height at the bottom, number of nodes...

Association ana­lysis of the molecular characteristics and floral traits of Iris × germanica

Feng Tian, Ya Tian, Fang Yu, Jinsen Qian, Feijian Wang, Xue Li, Tongyin Li, Xiaofei Zhang, Dazhuang Huang, Xiaojie Zhao

Czech J. Genet. Plant Breed., 2025, 61(2):55-66 | DOI: 10.17221/93/2024-CJGPB  

Iris × germanica L. (bearded iris) is a popular ornamental plant with numerous commercially important cultivars; however, little is known about the genetic diversity and population structure of the species, as limited DNA markers have been explored. In this study, 34 722 expressed sequence tag (EST)-simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci were identified from RNA sequencing data. The most abundant SSR motifs belonged to the tri-nucleotide type, of which the most common were AGG/CCT followed by AAG/CTT. Overall, 50 primer pairs derived from these EST-SSRs were randomly selected and synthesized, and 22 primer pairs with good polymorphism effects...

LIST OF REVIEWERS 2024

Editorial Department

Czech J. Genet. Plant Breed., 2025, 61(1):I  

Overexpression of a sorghum SnRK1βγ2 gene increases the biomass in Setaria viridis but not in rice

Chudamani Sharma Prakash, Lihua Wang, Qi Shen, Jieqin Li, Yi-Hong Wang

Czech J. Genet. Plant Breed., 2025, 61(1):50-53 | DOI: 10.17221/63/2024-CJGPB  

Sorghum as a C₄ crop has been shown to be both drought tolerant and photosynthetically productive. In this study, we demonstrated that sorghum SbSnRK1βγ2 (SbSNF4-2), the γ subunit of the sucrose non-fermenting 1 (SNF1)/SNF1-related protein kinase 1 (SnRK1) heterotrimeric complex, increased the plant height and biomass in Setaria viridis, a C4 relative of sorghum, but not in rice, a C3 relative, when overexpressed driven by the maize ubiquitin promoter. However, the overexpression did not increase the tiller number in S. viridis, although it caused modest increases in the tiller number in both sorghum...

The insertion of an ancestral gene in Nicotiana tabacum plants reduces free radicals during saline irrigation

Claudia Marissa Calderón Torres, Victoria Abril Mancilla Galván, Miguel Murguía Romero

Czech J. Genet. Plant Breed., 2025, 61(1):43-49 | DOI: 10.17221/107/2024-CJGPB  

Transgenic organisms modified with ancestral genes for nitrogen metabolism are rare. Previously, it was reported that genetically modified Nicotiana tabacum with the ARO4 gene of aromatic amino acid synthesis from the yeast Debaryomyces hansenii increases its growth during moderate salt stress. In this investigation, it was explored if the changes in the expression of the gene DhARO4 in Nicotiana tabacum, during saline irrigation, are related to the chlorophyll content and the total reactive oxygen species production. Seedlings of transgenic and wild type Nicotiana tabacum germinated in standard conditions...

High levels of type II Fusarium head blight resistance conferred in wheat by combining wheat gene Fhb1 with Lophopyrum elongatum gene Fhb7^The2 

Jan Dvorak, Karin R. Deal, Patrick E. McGuire, Emily J. Conley, James A. Anderson, George Fedak, Julia A. Malvick, Han Chen, Hans-Georg Müller

Czech J. Genet. Plant Breed., 2025, 61(1):31-42 | DOI: 10.17221/104/2024-CJGPB  

Wheat Fusarium head blight (FHB) leads to losses of grain yield and quality. Ingestion of diseased grain is detrimental to human health due to the mycotoxins present in the grain. Developing resistant cultivars for environments where FHB is prevalent is therefore an important breeding objective. One of the most effective wheat genes conferring type II resistance to FHB is Fhb1, originally discovered in the Chinese cultivar (cv) Sumai 3. Another excellent FHB resistance gene is Fhb7 located on the long arm of Lophopyrum elongatum chromosome 7E. Several alleles of Fhb7 have been identified. Allele Fhb7^The2...

Detection of genomic loci associated with days to heading in tropical japonica rice through QTL-seq

Khairul Yusuf Nasution, Dani Satyawan, Muhamad Yunus, Azri Kusuma Dewi, Puput Melati, Marina Yuniawati Maryono, Ita Dwimahyani, Wening Enggarini, Sobrizal

Czech J. Genet. Plant Breed., 2025, 61(1):23-30 | DOI: 10.17221/66/2024-CJGPB  

This study investigated the genetic basis of days to heading (DTH) in tropical japonica rice using F₂ populations derived from late-maturing Rojolele and early-maturing Rojolele Srinuk varieties. Phenotypic analysis of DTH showed continuous distribution and positive skewness. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) derived single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) from early and late-heading bulks were used to identify three candidate regions with strong association to DTH: qDTH3.1 and qDTH3.2 on chromosome 3, and qDTH7.1 on chromosome 7, with the latter linked to the Oryza sativa Pseudo-Response Regulator 37 (OsPRR37)...

Unravelling population structure and marker trait association using SSR markers among the identified drought tolerant rice landraces (Oryza sativa L.)

Shanmugam Manju Devi, John Amalraj Joel, Muthurajan Raveendran, Ramamoorthy Pushpam, Sengalan Muthuramu, Raman Pushpa, N. Sritharan, Periyasamy Prasanna, Ramalingam Suresh

Czech J. Genet. Plant Breed., 2025, 61(1):1-22 | DOI: 10.17221/12/2024-CJGPB  

With climate change, plants face numerous stresses, notably drought for rice cultivation. Improving rice drought tolerance is vital for sustainable production in water-scarce regions. Identification of drought tolerant genotypes at the seedling stage of the crop contributes to build a climate resilient genotype during the period of water scarcity and under challenging environmental conditions. Hence, polyethylene glycol-6000 (PEG-6000) induced drought conditions could be used for testing the drought tolerance in rice at an earlier stage of the crop. Optimization of PEG-6000 concentration for screening index at -6 bar was done using three drought-tolerant...

Index of Volume 60_Authors Index

Editorial Department

Czech J. Genet. Plant Breed., 2024, 60(4):I-IV  

Transcriptome analyses reveal the toxicity of graphene oxide with different diameters on buckwheat root growth

Changying Liu, Hanlin Wang, Han Li, Qingcheng Qiu, Dabing Xiang, Yanxia Liu

Czech J. Genet. Plant Breed., 2024, 60(4):237-248 | DOI: 10.17221/69/2024-CJGPB  

Graphene-based materials (GBMs) have become potential soil pollutants due to their wide applications in agricultural environments. Although physiological mechanisms of plant responses to GBMs have been previously explored, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. In this paper, we analysed the physiological and transcriptomic changes of buckwheat (Fagopyrum spp.) roots exposed to 100 mg/L graphene oxide (GO) with different diameter. GO negatively affected root growth and higher diameters of GO caused more adverse effects on the root. In total 3 724 GO-responsive genes were identified in root by transcriptome analysis. 70 differentially...

Molecular identification of yellow rust resistance genes in some wheat and triticale cultivars and their resistance to Puccinia striiformis f.sp. tritici

Emad Mahmood Al-Maaroof^*, Sarkawt Hama Salih Ali

Czech J. Genet. Plant Breed., 2024, 60(4):223-236 | DOI: 10.17221/39/2024-CJGPB  

Yellow rust (YR), caused by Puccinia striiformis f.sp. tritici (Pst), is a global threat to wheat production. In this study the response of 46 wheat and triticale cultivars to Pst at the adult plant stage (APS) was evaluated during two successive growing seasons at Sulaimania, Iraq. Also, we used a molecular analysis to find the yellow rust resistance (Yr) genes present in the individual cultivars. The results revealed large differences in the response to Pst between the cultivars. Most of the cultivars were susceptible to YR; the mean coefficients of infection (CI) varied from 0.23 in cv. Sarah to 83.33 in...

Temperature dependence of nitrate uptake kinetics in Triticum aestivum L. and Triticum dicoccon Schrank cultivars

Ivana Raimanová, Jana Wollnerová, Jan Haberle, Svoboda Pavel

Czech J. Genet. Plant Breed., 2024, 60(4):212-222 | DOI: 10.17221/41/2024-CJGPB  

Temperature is a key parameter that influences the uptake and subsequent utilization of nitrogen by plants. Both suboptimal and supraoptimal temperatures can impair nutrient uptake. The close relatives of bread wheat provide a possible source for breeders to increase stress tolerance. The effect of the increasing temperature (5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 °C) on nitrate uptake and metabolism in five modern spring cultivars of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and two cultivars of emmer wheat (Triticum dicoccon Schrank), was monitored. Wheat plants were grown under controlled conditions in hydroponics. The parameters of Michaelis-Menten kinetics,...

Quo vadis, breeding for an efficient root system, in the era of climate change?

Tomáš Středa, Jana Hajzlerová, Jhonny Alba-Mejía, Ivana Jovanović, Nicole Frantová, Hana Středová

Czech J. Genet. Plant Breed., 2024, 60(4):181-211 | DOI: 10.17221/57/2024-CJGPB  

Despite all the complications that arise with root research, such as slow, laborious, and unclear genetics, roots are a promising object of interest for breeders because many root traits are compatible with high yield potential. It is a great challenge for further research that there is a wide demand for information on the “hidden half of plant metabolism” from many research fields. We have summarized the main obstacles in root system research and sketched a solution for breeding in field conditions so that the result was more meaningful to the farmer. (i) The most important challenge in root research is linking the functional identification...

Role of herbicide-tolerant (HT) rice in the weed management of direct seeded crop: Challenges and opportunities

Jenifer Sylvia Johnson Sunder Singh, Thangaraj Kandasamy, Manonmani Swaminathan, Raveendran Muthurajan, Murali Arthanari Palanisamy, Vijayalakshmi Dhashnamurthi, Sudha Manickam

Czech J. Genet. Plant Breed., 2024, 60(4):159-180 | DOI: 10.17221/26/2024-CJGPB  

Food insecurity which has been a global threat, forces researchers to develop crops with increased productivity even under varying climatic conditions. Rice, being a significant staple and strategic crop, helps ensure economic stability, food, and nutritional security globally. It meets 20% of the calorie requirement of people residing all over the world. Lately, rice cultivation and research have been facing hitherto unprecedented difficulties in the context of climate-induced water scarcity and dwindling resources of manpower, arable land, etc. In this regard, direct seeded rice (DSR) as a resource conservation technique is gaining popularity as a potential...

Evaluation of Levante × Karakılçık durum wheat advanced lines for yield related and quality traits using principal component biplot analysis

İmren Çöken Tekin, Ali Tekin, Ziya Dumlupınar

Czech J. Genet. Plant Breed., 2024, 60(3):149-157 | DOI: 10.17221/18/2024-CJGPB  

The Karakılçık landrace is known for its quality traits, especially protein content. However, its high plant height causes lodging and yield loss, which limits the production area. A Levante × Karakılçık population developed by crossing the local Karakılçık wheat with the commercial variety Levante in order to eliminate the disadvantages of Karakılçık and adapt it to wider production areas. In the study, yield, quality, and some physiological traits were investigated in the population. The experiment was conducted in an augmented experimental design in the cropping seasons of 2021–2022 and 2022–2023....

Molecular basis of differential sensitivity to MeJA in floret opening between indica and japonica rice

Zhiqiang Yan^*, Ruyue Deng, Huihui Tang, Hongwei Zhang, Susong Zhu^*

Czech J. Genet. Plant Breed., 2024, 60(3):136-148 | DOI: 10.17221/43/2024-CJGPB  

Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) accelerated floret opening in rice, crucial for addressing inconsistent floret opening in hybrid seed production of indica × japonica hybrids. However, indica and japonica rice exhibited notable differences in their sensitivity to MeJA’s impact on floret opening, with indica responding faster. To clarify the molecular basis of MeJA-induced floret opening sensitivity differences between indica and japonica rice, after 1 h of MeJA spraying, transcriptomes and endogenous floret opening regulators were compared between indica and japonica rice, with histology differences observed. The results showed that MeJA quickly activated...

Exploring potato diversity: A comprehensive genetic and phenotypic analysis of quantitative and qualitative traits

Tasnim Khandaker Samiha, Md Ataur Rahman, Saiful Islam, Nusrat Jalal, Aparna Islam, Abu Shamim Mohammad Nahiyan

Czech J. Genet. Plant Breed., 2024, 60(3):126-135 | DOI: 10.17221/10/2024-CJGPB  

For sustainable breeding in potato, a better understanding of genetic diversity within germplasm banks for sustainable breeding is needed. This study comprehensively characterised the molecular and phenotypic traits of 62 potato accessions, including advanced clones and indigenous potato varieties from Advanced Chemical Industries Limited (ACI Ltd.), Bangladesh, and 8 varieties from the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI). By using 9 SSR markers and 13 morphological traits, including both quantitative and qualitative traits, we observed correlation coefficients ranging from –0.3 to 0.7 for 8 quantitative traits, and Pearson's chi-square...

QTL mapping for heading date and plant height using a RIL population in rice in different photoperiod environments

Hong-Wei Zhang, Ling-Zhi Wang, Ying Xie, Liu-Gen Hao, Zhen-Zhen Wang, Chong-Fen Yi, Hui Guo, Yu Gan, Guan-Lun Xiang, Zhi-Qiang Yan, Ze Song, Zhan-Lie Yang

Czech J. Genet. Plant Breed., 2024, 60(3):119-125 | DOI: 10.17221/2/2024-CJGPB  

Heading date determines rice seasonal and regional adaptation, while plant height is an important trait related to rice lodging resistance. In this study, a recombinant inbred line population was used to detect quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for both traits in long-day (LD) and short-day (SD) environments. Three and two QTLs for heading date were detected in LD and SD environments, respectively. Notably, qHD8 and qHD10 were commonly detected in both environments. Five and four QTLs for plant height were identified in LD and SD environments, respectively. Among them, qPH3, qPH5 and qPH6 showed no pleiotropic effects...

Isolation and expression analysis of the HvnAnt2 gene in qingke barley (Hordeum vulgare L. var. nudum Hook. f.) varieties with different grain colours

Hongyan Li, Youhua Yao, Likun An, Xin Li, Yongmei Cui, Yixiong Bai, Xiaohua Yao, Kunlun Wu

Czech J. Genet. Plant Breed., 2024, 60(3):107-118 | DOI: 10.17221/7/2024-CJGPB  

To investigate the role of the HvnAnt2 gene in the formation of different qingke barley grain colours, HvnAnt2 was isolated from the leaves of the White 91-97-3 (white), Blue qingke (blue), Kunlun 17 (black), and Purple qingke (purple). The HvnAnt2 gene encodes a hydrophilic unstable protein consisting of 561 amino acids, without a transmembrane structure and without a signal peptide, with one bHLH-MYC_N and one HLH domain at amino acids 22–204 and 387–436, respectively. The HvnAnt2 of qingke barley was most closely related to Hordeum vulgare and most distantly related to Triticum monococcum; it was mainly...

List of field crop varieties registered in the Czech Republic in 2023

Tomáš Mezlík

Czech J. Genet. Plant Breed., 2024, 60(2):105-106 | DOI: 10.17221/11/2024-CJGPB  

Transcriptome analysis of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) roots reveals overwintering changes in different varieties

Yajun Ma, Guozhu Yang, Ruijun Duan, Xiaoan Li, Siheng Zeng, Yajun Yan, Ce Zheng, Yueming Hu

Czech J. Genet. Plant Breed., 2024, 60(2):97-104 | DOI: 10.17221/92/2023-CJGPB  

Low temperatures are one of the major abiotic stresses that affect alfalfa’s development and yield. Enhancing frost resistance through resistance-related genes is one of the most effective ways to address this issue in alfalfa. Therefore, exploring cold-resistant gene resources and the cultivation of cold-resistant alfalfa cultivars is inevitable in order to achieve high yield and quality. In this study, we conducted transcriptome profiling of roots obtained from two alfalfa genotypes, i.e., Qingda No.1 for freeze tolerance and Gannong No.9 for freeze sensitivity. We observed that Qingda No.1 had more lateral roots and a more developed root system...

Estimation of genetic diversity of sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) genotypes as a bioethanol source using SSRs markers

Herniwati Herniwati, Marcia Bunga Pabendon, Karuniawan Puji Wicaksono, Budi Waluyo, Eko Widaryanto

Czech J. Genet. Plant Breed., 2024, 60(2):86-96 | DOI: 10.17221/79/2023-CJGPB  

Sweet sorghum is a cereal crop that can potentially serve as a source for bioethanol production. This study aims to analyse the genetic diversity of promising genotypes of sweet sorghum at the molecular level. The genetic material consisted of 12 sweet sorghum genotypes. The genetic diversity estimated using 59 SSRs markers showed a polymorphism value of 0.48 and the coefficient of genetic diversity was classified as moderate. The unweighted pair group method arithmetic average (UPGMA) analysis assigned the tested genotypes into three major clusters with a similarity coefficient level of 0.596. This indicates that the genetic similarity of the tested...

Impact of selected antimitotic substances on doubled haploid and polyploid regeneration in microspore cultures of swede (Brassica napus ssp. napobrassica (L.) Hanelt)

Miroslav Klíma, Yamen H. Shmeit, Pavel Kopecký, Pavel Vítámvás, Klára Kosová, Ilja T. Prášil, Eloy Fernández-Cusimamani

Czech J. Genet. Plant Breed., 2024, 60(2):79-85 | DOI: 10.17221/84/2023-CJGPB  

Several antimitotic agents were tested in three embryogenic doubled haploid (DH) lines of swede (Brassica napus ssp. napobrassica). No effect on embryogenesis was observed at the given concentrations of colchicine (5 μmol/L or 50 mg/L) and treatment time of 24 hours. Flow cytometric analysis of microspore embryos revealed a significant increase in the percentage of DH compared to the control for all substances: ethalfluralin, 62.2%; trifluralin, 58.3%; colchicine, 56.1%; amiprophos-methyl, 54.4%; pronamide, 35.0%; control, 13.3%. The occurrence of pure tetraploids was low (0–5%), mixoploids – especially n+2n...

Malting quality molecular markers for barley breeding

Leona Leišová-Svobodová, Vratislav Psota, Marta Zavřelová, Martin Kříž, Pavel Mařík, Zdeněk Nesvadba

Czech J. Genet. Plant Breed., 2024, 60(2):70-78 | DOI: 10.17221/72/2023-CJGPB  

Barley is one of the world’s most important crops. Barley is used for both food and feed and is important for the production of malt. Malt quality is a complex function of barley genetics, environmental conditions during barley growth, and the technological aspects of the malting process. Due to the high heritability of more than half of the malting parameters, barley can be bred for malting quality. Marker-assisted selection (MAS) is a good way to speed up the breeding process. In this study, nine molecular markers were used to screen 115 barley varieties and breeding lines over a four-year period. The results were compared with malting quality...

Exploring strigolactones for inducing abiotic stress tolerance in plants

Mohd. Kamran Khan, Anamika Pandey, Mehmet Hamurcu, Tomáš Vyhnánek, Sajad Majeed Zargar, Abdullah Kahraman, Ali Topal, Sait Gezgin

Czech J. Genet. Plant Breed., 2024, 60(2):55-69 | DOI: 10.17221/88/2023-CJGPB  

Strigolactones (SLs) are a comparatively novel class of phytohormones that are involved in the maintenance of plant architecture with key regulation of lateral branching. They are also reported to play an important role in regulating plant responses to various abiotic stresses. The potential of SLs to improve crop resilience and productivity needs to be effectively translated into agriculture. Therefore, both the endogenous biosynthesis of SLs and their exogenous application need to be thoroughly investigated to understand and exploit the mechanism underlying the alleviation of abiotic stress responses. Although several reviews have emphasised the...