The soil-borne pathogen Rhizoctonia solani AG 8 causes major yield losses in wheat (Triticum aestivum. L) production worldwide. Plant tissues of Brassicaceae species contain glucosinolates that are hydrolyzed in the presence of the enzyme myrosinase into products with pesticidal properties. Growth chamber studies were conducted to determine the effect of the Brassicaceae seed meals (SMs) from Brassica juncea, Brassica napus and Sinapis alba on the suppression of the R. solani AG 8 infection of winter wheat. Pasteurized sandy soils were amended with intact and denatured SMs of rape seed and mustard at a rate of 0.5% by soil weight. Regardless of the glucosinolate type and content, all intact and denatured Brassicaceae significantly reduced the infection of winter wheat seedlings by R. solani AG 8 compared to the un-amended control. However, soils amended with S. alba SMs had the lowest severity of Rhizoctonia root rot relative to other amended soils. Phytotoxicity arising from the use of Brassicaceae SMs was observed particularly in soils amended with high glucosinolate-containing SMs. These studies demonstrate that Brassicaceae SMs can be used to manage disease caused by R. solani AG-8. However, future studies will need to focus on strategies for diminishing the crop growth-reducing effects associated with Brassicaceae SM amendment to fully maximize these fungicidal benefits.

Crohn’s disease (CD) is one of the two manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease. Particular foods are thought with CD to exacerbate their illness. Vegetables, especially Brassicaceae, are often shunned by people with CD because of the negative effects they are alleged to have on their symptoms. Brassicaceae supply key nutrients which are necessary to meet recommended daily intakes. We sought to identify the candidate genes involved in the beneficial or adverse effects of Brassicaceae most commonly eaten, as reported by the New Zealand adults from the “Genes and Diet in Inflammatory Bowel disease Study” based in Auckland. An analysis of associations between the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the beneficial or adverse effects of the ten most commonly eaten Brassicaceae was carried out. A total of 37 SNPs were significantly associated with beneficial effects (p = 0.00097 to 0.0497) and 64 SNPs were identified with adverse effects (p = 0.0000751 to 0.049). After correcting for multiple testing, rs7515322 (DIO1) and rs9469220 (HLA) remained significant. Our findings show that the tolerance of some varieties of Brassicaceae may be shown by analysis of a person’s genotype.

Crohn’s disease (CD) is one of the two manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease. Particular foods are thought with CD to exacerbate their illness. Vegetables, especially Brassicaceae, are often shunned by people with CD because of the negative effects they are alleged to have on their symptoms. Brassicaceae supply key nutrients which are necessary to meet recommended daily intakes. We sought to identify the candidate genes involved in the beneficial or adverse effects of Brassicaceae most commonly eaten, as reported by the New Zealand adults from the “Genes and Diet in Inflammatory Bowel disease Study” based in Auckland. An analysis of associations between the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the beneficial or adverse effects of the ten most commonly eaten Brassicaceae was carried out. A total of 37 SNPs were significantly associated with beneficial effects (p = 0.00097 to 0.0497) and 64 SNPs were identified with adverse effects (p = 0.0000751 to 0.049). After correcting for multiple testing, rs7515322 (DIO1) and rs9469220 (HLA) remained significant. Our findings show that the tolerance of some varieties of Brassicaceae may be shown by analysis of a person’s genotype.

Cheng S, van den Bergh E, Zeng P, et al. The Tarenaya hassleriana Genome Provides Insight into Reproductive Trait and Genome Evolution of Crucifers. <em>Plant Cell</em>. 2013;25(8):2813-2830. | The Brassicaceae, including Arabidopsis thaliana and Brassica crops, is unmatched among plants in its wealth of genomic and functional molecular data and has long served as a model for understanding gene, genome, and trait evolution. However, genome information from a phylogenetic outgroup that is essential for inferring directionality of evolutionary change has been lacking. We therefore sequenced the genome of the spider flower (Tarenaya hassleriana) from the Brassicaceae sister family, the Cleomaceae. By comparative analysis of the two lineages, we show that genome evolution following ancient polyploidy and gene duplication events affect reproductively important traits. We found an ancient genome triplication in Tarenaya (Th-alpha) that is independent of the Brassicaceae-specific duplication (At-alpha) and nested Brassica (Br-a) triplication. To showcase the potential of sister lineage genome analysis, we investigated the state of floral developmental genes and show Brassica retains twice as many floral MADS (for MINICHROMOSOME MAINTENANCE1, AGAMOUS, DEFICIENS and SERUM RESPONSE FACTOR) genes as Tarenaya that likely contribute to morphological diversity in Brassica. We also performed synteny analysis of gene families that confer self-incompatibility in Brassicaceae and found that the critical SERINE RECEPTOR KINASE receptor gene is derived from a lineage-specific tandem duplication. The T. hassleriana genome will facilitate future research toward elucidating the evolutionary history of Brassicaceae genomes.

The experiment was carried out in the years 2006-2008 in Bałcyny (N=53°35'49"; E=19°51'20"). The aim of this study was to determine the effect of sulfur fertilization on the sanitary state of spring oilseed rape, winter oilseed rape, white mustard and Chinese mustard as well as on the species composition of fungi colonizing their seeds. Sulfur fertilization had a beneficial effect on the health of Brassicaceae plants infested by Alternaria blight, grey mould, Sclerotinia stem rot, Phoma stem canker and Verticillium wilt, but it had a varying effect on the occurrence of powdery mildew. Alternaria alternata and Penicillium spp. were isolated most frequently from Brassicaceae seeds. In general, more fungi (including pathogenic to Brassicaceae) were isolated from the seeds of plants grown in non-sulfur fertilized plots. Pathogens occurred primarily on the seed surface, and their number decreased after surface disinfection of seeds.

Plants of the Brassicales order, and, in particular, the species belonging to the Brassicaceae family, are characterized by the presence of the glucosinolate (GLs)- myrosinase (MYR) system, an efficient internal defensive system that plays a role in the control of several types of pathogens. After wounding or a pathogen attack, GLs are hydrolyzed by MYR and release isothiocyanates (ITCs) harmful to pathogens or pests. The exploitation of this system has led to the definition of the "biofumigation" technique arising from the use of the biocidal properties of ITCs released from GL-containing plants and materials. In addition, Brassicaceae seeds are characterized by an oil content ranging from 10 to 45 % of their dry matter. The oils contain different fatty acids that confer different tribological properties for the production of bioenergy, biolubricants and molecules for lipochemistry. In order to better exploit and increase our knowledge of the Brassicaceae biodiversity, our research group has collected seeds from several wild and cultivated non-food species. They were characterized for their GL and fatty acid composition and the most interesting species were tested for their adaptability to full-field cultivation. This study characterizes a collection of seeds of 66 Brassicaceae species, preserved and available at CRA-CIN. The results confirm a wide variation in their profile that could open some application perspectives.

NB-LRR-type disease resistance (R) genes have been used in traditional breeding programs for crop protection. However, functional transfer of NB-LRR-type R genes to plants in taxonomically distinct families to establish pathogen resistance has not been successful. Here we demonstrate that a pair of Arabidopsis (Brassicaceae) NB-LRR-type R genes, RPS4 and RRS1, properly function in two other Brassicaceae, Brassica rapa and B. napus, but also in two Solanaceae, Nicotiana benthamiana and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). The solanaceous plants transformed with RPS4/RRS1 confer bacterial effector-specific immunity responses. Furthermore, RPS4 and RRS1, which confer resistance to a fungal pathogen Colletotrichum higginsianum in Brassicaceae, also protect against Colletotrichum orbiculare in cucumber (Cucurbitaceae). Thus the successful transfer of two R genes at the family level overcomes restricted taxonomic functionality. This implies that the downstream components of R genes must be highly conserved and interfamily utilization of R genes can be a powerful strategy to combat pathogens.

Arabidopsis thaliana L. (Brassicaceae) and its close relative Thellungiella salsuginea (Pallas) O.E. Schulz have been widely used as genetic models by researchers in their quest of understanding salt tolerance mechanisms in plants. Despite the fact that significant knowledge has been gained, both of these plants present some limitations mainly in relation to their response to salinity. Indeed, Arabidopsis is a glycophyte, whereas Thellungiella is a facultative halophyte. Among the Brassicaceae, Cakile maritima Scop. is an annual succulent obligate halophyte with a small size genome (1C=719Mb) and short life cycle. With these attributes, C. maritima presents a potential as a genetic model system to address salt stress adaptations at the molecular level in the quest to identify salt stress tolerance mechanisms. Beside their potential as promising model species, halophytes might also be valued for their potential as cash crops themselves. The present paper aims to highlight the main results gained on C. maritima using multidisciplinary approaches in complement to those obtained on plant model species of the Brassicaceae family.

The uptake of arsenic by plants from contaminated soils presents a health hazard that may affect home gardeners neighboring contaminated environments. A controlled greenhouse study was conducted in parallel with a co-created citizen science program (home garden experiment) to characterize the uptake of arsenic by common homegrown vegetables near the Iron King Mine and Humboldt Smelter Superfund site in southern Arizona. The greenhouse and home garden arsenic soil concentrations varied considerably, ranging from 2.35 to 533mgkg−1. In the greenhouse experiment four vegetables were grown in three different soil treatments and in the home garden experiment a total of 63 home garden produce samples were obtained from 19 properties neighboring the site. All vegetables accumulated arsenic in both the greenhouse and home garden experiments, ranging from 0.01 to 23.0mgkg−1 dry weight. Bioconcentration factors were determined and show that arsenic uptake decreased in the order: Asteraceae>Brassicaceae>Amaranthaceae>Cucurbitaceae>Liliaceae>Solanaceae>Fabaceae. Certain members of the Asteraceae and Brassicaceae plant families have been previously identified as hyperaccumulator plants, and it can be inferred that members of these families have genetic and physiological capacity to accumulate, translocate, and resist high amounts of metals. Additionally, a significant linear correlation was observed between the amount of arsenic that accumulated in the edible portion of the plant and the arsenic soil concentration for the Asteraceae, Brassicaceae, Amaranthaceae, and Fabaceae families. The results suggest that home gardeners neighboring mining operations or mine tailings with elevated arsenic levels should be made aware that arsenic can accumulate considerably in certain vegetables, and in particular, it is recommended that gardeners limit consumption of vegetables from the Asteraceae and Brassicaceae plant families.

Catch crops cultivated in autumn or over winter can be used as feedstock for agricultural biogas production. Brassicaceae crops are good candidates for this specific use due to their agronomic values in intercropping conditions. However their high content in glucosinolate may conduct to sulphur release in the digesters and induce anaerobic digestion troubles or biogas pollution with hydrogen sulphide. In this study, Brassicaceae crops were used as co-substrate with pig slurry in anaerobic digesters. Their anaerobic biodegradability was close to other lignocellulosic biomass with a large fraction of slowly biodegradable organic matter content. The sulphur and glucosinolates contents in plants did not inhibit the overall anaerobic process neither severely impacted hydrogen sulphide concentration in the biogas.