• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.8
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• pp.1045-1059
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• 2021

Various abiotic stressors like drought, salinity, temperature, and heavy metals are major environmental stresses that affect agricultural productivity and crop yields all over the world. Continuous changes in climatic conditions put selective pressure on the microbial ecosystem to produce exopolysaccharides. Apart from soil aggregation, exopolysaccharide (EPS) production also helps in increasing water permeability, nutrient uptake by roots, soil stability, soil fertility, plant biomass, chlorophyll content, root and shoot length, and surface area of leaves while also helping maintain metabolic and physiological activities during drought stress. EPS-producing microbes can impart salt tolerance to plants by binding to sodium ions in the soil and preventing these ions from reaching the stem, thereby decreasing sodium absorption from the soil and increasing nutrient uptake by the roots. Biofilm formation in high-salinity soils increases cell viability, enhances soil fertility, and promotes plant growth and development. The third environmental stressor is presence of heavy metals in the soil due to improper industrial waste disposal practices that are toxic for plants. EPS production by soil bacteria can result in the biomineralization of metal ions, thereby imparting metal stress tolerance to plants. Finally, high temperatures can also affect agricultural productivity by decreasing plant metabolism, seedling growth, and seed germination. The present review discusses the role of exopolysaccharide-producing plant growth-promoting bacteria in modulating plant growth and development in plants and alleviating extreme abiotic stress condition. The review suggests exploring the potential of EPS-producing bacteria for multiple abiotic stress management strategies.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.12
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• pp.1737-1746
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• 2013

IbMYB1, a transcription factor (TF) for R2R3-type MYB TFs, is a key regulator of anthocyanin biosynthesis during storage of sweet potatoes. Anthocyanins provide important antioxidants of nutritional value to humans, and also protect plants from oxidative stress. This study aimed to increase transgenic potatoes' (Solanum tuberosum cv. LongShu No.3) tolerance to environmental stress and enhance their nutritional value. Transgenic potato plants expressing IbMYB1 genes under the control of an oxidative stress-inducible peroxidase (SWPA2) promoter (referred to as SM plants) were successfully generated through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Two representative transgenic SM5 and SM12 lines were evaluated for enhanced tolerance to salinity, UV-B rays, and drought conditions. Following treatment of 100 mM NaCl, seedlings of SM5 and SM12 lines showed less root damage and more shoot growth than control lines expressing only an empty vector. Transgenic potato plants in pots treated with 400 mM NaCl showed high amounts of secondary metabolites, including phenols, anthocyanins, and flavonoids, compared with control plants. After treatment of 400 mM NaCl, transgenic potato plants also showed high DDPH radical scavenging activity and high PS II photochemical efficiency compared with the control line. Furthermore, following treatment of NaCl, UV-B, and drought stress, the expression levels of IbMYB1 and several structural genes in the flavonoid biosynthesis such as CHS, DFR, and ANS in transgenic plants were found to be correlated with plant phenotype. The results suggest that enhanced IbMYB1 expression affects secondary metabolism, which leads to improved tolerance ability in transgenic potatoes.

• Journal of agriculture & life science
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.73-82
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• 2016

Best drought tolerance index was determined through statistics analysis and growth appearance of drought tolerant plants was determined by cultivation in pot and sloping land. For determination of best drought tolerant indicators, RD(Resistant dry days), LD(Leaf area), UTR(Unit transpiration), RWC(Relative water content), RWL(Relative water loss), LA(Leaf area), SN(Stoma unmber) and SA(Stoma area) were carried out by correlation and PCA analysis. RWL and UTR were affected on plant drought tolerance according to comparison among six indices for resistant dry days. The PCs axes separated SA, LA, RD and RWC and SN. UTR was negatively correlated with SA, RWL were also negatively correlated with RWC and SN. RWL and UTR were proved best selection indicator for the selection of drought tolerant species. Ulmus parvifolia, Bidens bipinnata, Patrinia villosa, Kummerowia striata, Arundinella hirta, Artemisia gmelini etc. were selected drought tolerant plants. Shoot growth appearance of drought resistant plants was differed pot and sloping land. Shoot growth and leaf number was no significant differences between the pot and sloping land. However, root growth of drought tolerant plants was all the difference between two cultivation. T/R ratio of drought tolerant plants was also found a big difference. T/R ratio of drought tolerant plants in sloping land was lower than that of pot. These results will be served efficiently plant breeding.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.555-566
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• 2018

Two rhizobacteria Bacillus aryabhattai H26-2 and B. siamensis H30-3 were evaluated whether they are involved in stress tolerance against drought and high temperature as well as fungal infections in Chinese cabbage plants. Chinese cabbage seedlings cv. Ryeokgwang (spring cultivar) has shown better growth compared to cv. Buram-3-ho (autumn cultivar) under high temperature conditions in a greenhouse, whilst there was no difference in drought stress tolerance of the two cultivars. In vitro growth of B. aryabhattai H26-2 and B. siamensis H30-3 were differentially regulated under PEG 6000-induced drought stress at different growing temperatures (30, 40 and $50^{\circ}C$). Pretreatment with B. aryabhattai H26-2 and B. siamensis H30-3 enhanced the tolerance of Chinese cabbage seedlings to high temperature, but not to drought stress. It turns out that only B. siamensis H30-3 showed in vitro antifungal activities and in planta crop protection against two fungal pathogens Alternaria brassicicola and Colletotrichum higginsianum causing black spots and anthracnose on Chinese cabbage plants cv. Ryeokgwang, respectively. B. siamensis H30-3 brings several genes involved in production of cyclic lipopeptides in its genome and secreted hydrolytic enzymes like chitinase, protease and cellulase. B. siamensis H30-3 was found to produce siderophore, a high affinity iron-chelating compound. Expressions of BrChi1 and BrGST1 genes were up-regulated in Chinese cabbage leaves by B. siamensis H30-3. These findings suggest that integration of B. aryabhattai H26-2 and B. siamensis H30-3 in Chinese cabbage production system may increase productivity through improved plant growth under high temperature and crop protection against fungal pathogens.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.156-162
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• 2013

Plant tolerance to drought is a beneficial trait for stabilizing crop productivity under water deficits. Here we report that genetically engineered Chinese cabbage expressing Arabidopsis $H^+$-pyrophosphatase (AVP1) shows enhanced physiological parameters related to drought tolerance. In comparison with wild type plants under soil water deficit stress created by cessation of irrigation, soil water potential in pot with AVP1-expressing plants was more rapidly decreased that might lead to increased relative water content in leaves, while both genotypes had indistinguishable wilting phenotypes. Transgenic plants subjected to drought treatment also exhibited higher photosystem II quantum yield in addition to lower electrolyte leakage and $H_2O_2-3,3^{\prime}$-diaminobenzidine content when compared to wild type plants.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.133-137
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• 2006

Evaluation of physiological performance of trehalose-producing transgenic rice line was conducted to investigate drought tolerance at early growth stage. Under artificially induced drought condition of 8% polyethylene glycol 6000, this transgenic rice line had leaf photosynthetic rate of 11.08 uml CO$_2$ $m^{-2}s^{-1}$, leaf transpiration rate of 8.38 mmol $H_2O$ $m^{-2}s^{-1}$ and leaf water potential of -1.12 MPa after 96 hours of treatment. Nakdongbyeo, the parent of this tyansgenic rice line, had photosynthetic rate of 15.42 $\mu$mol CO$_2$ $m^{-2}s^{-1}$, leaf transpiration rate of 8,04 mmol $H_2O$ $m^{-2}s^{-1}$ and leaf water potential of -0.88 MPa. The other variety used in this experiment for comparison, IR 72, showed higher values than both tyansgenic rice line and variety Nakdonbyeo on all three parameters; leaf photosynthetic rate of 20.61 $\mu$mol CO$_2$ $m^{-2}s^{-1}$, leaf transpiration rate of 12.88 mmol $H_2O$ $m^{-2}s^{-1}$, and leaf water potential of -0.82 MPa. So this transgenic rice line did not show superior performance in leaf transpiration rate, leaf photosynthetic rate and leaf water potential compared to variety Nakdongbyeo. This result along with visual observation on leaf rolling and drying during the experimental period indicated poor physiological performance of this transgenic rice line. Further studies on metabolic status of stress-induced trehalose, along with study on physiological response of this transgenic rice line during drought stress would shed more light on overall physiological performance of this transgenic rice line.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.302-310
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• 2016

A study aimed at identifying putative drought responsive genes that confer tolerance to water stress deficit in tea plants was conducted in a 'rain-out shelter' using potted plants. Eighteen months old drought tolerant and susceptible tea cultivars were each separately exposed to water stress or control conditions of 18 or 34% soil moisture content, respectively, for three months. After the treatment period, leaves were harvested from each treatment for isolation of RNA and cDNA synthesis. The cDNA libraries were sequenced on Roche 454 high-throughput pyrosequencing platform to produce 232,853 reads. After quality control, the reads were assembled into 460 long transcripts (contigs). The annotated contigs showed similarity with proteins in the Arabidopsis thaliana proteome. Heat shock proteins (HSP70), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (cat), peroxidase (PoX), calmodulinelike protein (Cam7) and galactinol synthase (Gols4) droughtrelated genes were shown to be regulated differently in tea plants exposed to water stress. HSP70 and SOD were highly expressed in the drought tolerant cultivar relative to the susceptible cultivar under drought conditions. The genes and pathways identified suggest efficient regulation leading to active adaptation as a basal defense response against water stress deficit by tea. The knowledge generated can be further utilized to better understand molecular mechanisms underlying stress tolerance in tea.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.248-255
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• 2010

We previously demonstrated that root colonization of the rhizobacterium, Pseudomonas chlororaphis O6, induced expression of a galactinol synthase gene (CsGolS1), and resulting galactinol conferred induced systemic resistance (ISR) against fungal and bacterial pathogens in cucumber leaves. To examine the role of galactinol on ISR, drought or high salt stress, we obtained T-DNA insertion Arabidopsis mutants at the AtGolS1 gene, an ortholog of the CsGolS1 gene. The T-DNA insertion mutant compromised resistance induced by the O6 colonization against Erwinia carotovora. Pharmaceutical application of 0.5 - 5 mM galactinol on roots was sufficient to elicit ISR in wild-type Arabidopsis against infection with E. carotovora. The involvement of jasmonic acid (JA) signaling on the ISR was validated to detect increased expression of the indicator gene PDF1.2. The T-DNA insertion mutant also compromised tolerance by increasing galactinol content in the O6-colonized plant against drought or high salt stresses. Taken together, our results indicate that primed expression of the galactinol synthase gene AtGolS1in the O6-colonized plants can play a critical role in the ISR against infection with E. carotovora, and in the tolerance to drought or high salt stresses.

• Weed & Turfgrass Science
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.360-367
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• 2015

This study was performed to determine the effects of silicon on zoysiagrass after the application of drought stress. The daily amount of water or scilicon solution was 150 ml per a pot. For 14 days, plants were treated with 0.1 and 1.0 mM silicon (Si) and with distilled water for control and the drought only-treatment. Afterward, the plants in Si and drought treatment were exposed to a 21-day under drought stress condition but the plants in control received water. The results indicated that the growth and the moisture and chlorophyll contents decreased in the drought only-treatment and 0.1 mM Si compared to the control. However, 1.0 mM Si showed an increase in the growth with a significant increase of water and chlorophyll contents. The MDA and $H_2O_2$ concentrations and electrolyte leakage decreased, while the radical scavenging capacity increased in 1.0 mM Si. 1.0 mM Si showed little to no differences in the growth and no differences in water and chlorophyll contents, electrolyte leakage, MDA and $H_2O_2$ concentrations and antioxidant capacity compared to the control. These results suggested that application of silicon is useful for drought tolerance improvement of zoysiagrass under drought that is occurring in turf fields.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.39-44
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• 2019

Drought is one of the key limiting factors that adversely affects the growth and productivity of crop plants. For the enhancement of drought tolerance in crop plants, the identification of basic mechanisms of a plant to drought stress is necessary. In this study, we compared physiological and biochemical responses of five local Arundenilla hirta ecotypes to drought stress. These ecotypes were previously collected from various parts of Korean peninsula, including Youngduk, Gunsan, Jangsoo, Jinju-1 and Yecheon. A. hirta plants were exposed to drought stress for 14 and 17 days respectively, followed by re-watering for 3 days. The results showed that the lipid peroxidation (MDA), hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$), DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity, and proline level were significantly increased while the chlorophyll content was decreased by drought stress in A. hirta leaves. The highest proline content and DPPH scavenging activity were shown in Ecotype of Youngduk with least MDA and $H_2O_2$ levels while the highest MDA and $H_2O_2$ contents, and least proline and DPPH levels were shown in Gunsan, respectvely. These results indicate that the Youngduk is the most tolerant and Gunsan is the most sensitive ecotype among the five different collections. Together, these results provide a new insight of overall physiological responses of A. hirta to drought stress.