Plant adaptation to various stresses depends on transmitting the external stress signals into internal signals. Brassinosteroids (BRs) play pivotal roles in connecting the external and internal signals in Brassicaceae plants, particularly under abiotic stresses such as drought, cold, heat and salinity. They modulate plant growth and stress responses through receptor kinase-mediated signaling pathways, which integrate with redox homeostasis, antioxidant systems and crosstalk with other phytohormones, including auxin, abscisic acid, ethylene, cytokinins, gibberellines, jasmonates and salicylic acid. BR-dependent pathways are critical for balancing stress resilience and productivity in Brassicaceae plants. In this review, we introduce BR metabolism, signaling transduction and discuss their functions in regulating growth and development processes under adverse environment in Brassicaceae plants. We also emphasize recent advances in the crosstalk among BR and other phytohormones in stresses response. Understanding the mechanisms of BR-dependent pathways offers new approaches for enhancing the adaptation under adverse conditions in Brassicaceae crops.

International audience | Seeds harbor diverse endophytic microbes that can be transmitted to offspring through parental plants. However, studies on the seed microbiomes of metal hyperaccumulators—plants capable of accumulating high levels of specific metals in their tissues—are scarce. This study aimed to characterize the diversity of endophytic bacterial communities in seeds from the Brassicaceae family, which contains the highest number of hyperaccumulating species.The seed collection analyzed included 65 accessions from 53 hyperaccumulating and 12 non-hyperaccumulating Brassicaceae species, spanning five genera and 24 species. These seeds were collected from various countries (Albania, Austria, France, Greece, Italy, Slovakia, Spain, and Romania) between 2010 and 2021. Using 16S rRNA metabarcoding, we characterized seed endophytic bacterial communities and investigated potential correlations between bacterial diversity and nickel concentrations in seeds through ICP-MS and µXRF analyses.Our findings indicate that plant host taxonomy is the primary determinant of endophytic bacterial community diversity in Brassicaceae seeds. Non-hyperaccumulating plants harbored significantly more diverse bacterial communities than hyperaccumulators. Certain bacterial families, such as Pseudomonadaceae and Nocardiaceae, were more abundant in non-hyperaccumulating Brassicaceae seeds, whereas Stenotrophomonas was more prevalent in nickel-rich seeds of hyperaccumulators. These differences suggest that metal accumulation in hyperaccumulator seeds imposes selective pressures, leading to shifts in bacterial community composition.This work confirms that plant host taxonomy is the primary driver of the seed endophytic bacterial community. However, in hyperaccumulating plants, the high metal concentrations that may occurred in seeds also influence bacterial diversity in this plant organ.

Conservation of biodiversity in agroecosystems is essential for the sustainability of insect-pollinated crops. This study aimed to evaluate the importance of areas near the rapeseed crops containing spontaneous Brassicaceae species and to identify the insects visiting both. We assessed the impact of pollinators on rapeseed yield, its components, and seed oil content. The research was conducted in experimental plots in the southeastern Pampas region during 2017, 2018, and 2019. Each year, two rapeseed cultivars (a hybrid and a variety) were tested. The flowering period of spontaneous Brassicaceae extended beyond 90 days, approximately three times longer than the rapeseed crop. In the spontaneous Brassicaceae and the rapeseed plots, the same species of flower visitors were captured. However, in two of the three years, the number of insects was higher in the spontaneous patches. These findings highlight the importance of these plants as food resources for pollinators. When insects had access to the crop, the yield was significantly higher for all tested rapeseed cultivars, with an average increase ranging between 27% and 35%. Pollinators enhanced rapeseed production without affecting the oil percentage, resulting in an increased oil yield per hectare by positively impacting grain yield.

Abstract The Brassicaceae family includes Arabidopsis thaliana, various vegetables and oil crops. The R2R3-MYB genes of the S6 subfamily are crucial for regulating anthocyanin biosynthesis, however, their systematic identification in Brassicaceae plants is still incomplete. Here, we systematically identified homologous genes of R2R3-MYB transcription factors from the S6 subfamily across 31 Brassicaceae species. A total of 92 homologous genes were identified, with species representation ranging from 0 to 10 genes per species. Phylogenetic analysis classified these homologous genes into six distinct groups. Notably, approximately 70% of the homologous genes were found within the G6 group, indicating a high degree of evolutionary conservation. Furthermore, a phylogenetic analysis was conducted on 35 homologous genes obtained from six species within the U's triangle Brassica plants. The findings provided evidence of significant conservation among orthologous genes across species and demonstrated strong collinearity on subgenomic chromosomes, with notable tandem duplications observed on chromosomes A7 and C6. Subsequently, we predicted the cis-acting elements of these 35 homologous genes, and analyzed their structures, conserved motifs, and characteristic conserved domains, confirming the significant similarities between orthologous genes. Additionally, we employed white and purple flower rapeseed specimens to conduct qRT-PCR validation of the key genes and transcriptional regulators associated with the anthocyanin synthesis pathway. The results revealed significant differential expression of BnaPAP2.A7.b in purple flowers, alongside the differential expression of BnaPAP2.C6.d. Ultimately, based on previous research and the findings of this study, we propose a transcriptional regulatory framework to govern anthocyanin accumulation in distinct tissues or organs of B. napus. Our findings offer a novel perspective on the functional diversification of R2R3-MYB transcription factors within the S6 subfamily homologous genes, while also shedding light on the regulatory network governing anthocyanin biosynthesis in Brassicaceae species.

1. An error was made by including pea microgreens in the manuscript titled “Shoot Yield and Mineral Nutrient Concentrations of Five Microgreens in the Brassicaceae Family Affected by Fertigation Rate” [...]

Bio-organic farming plays a crucial role in ensuring environmental sustainability by fostering plant growth and yield, particularly in challenging abiotic stress conditions. The study aims to investigate the influence of farm yard manure (FYM) and Azotobacter, at varying altitudes, on the growth and yield performance of Brassicaceae vegetables, including cabbage, cauliflower and radish. The open-field study was carried out using a factorial experiment within a randomized block design. The first variable consisted of different treatments: T1 (FYM), T2 (Azotobacter), T3 (FYM + Azotobacter) and T4 (control). The second variable was the location factor (such as high-altitude (3340 m, Leh-Ladakh) and low altitude (321 m, Chandigarh), India. In general, the T3 treatment (FYM + Azotobacter) exhibited superior crop growth and yield attributes as compared to the control. At 90 days after transplanting (DAT) or 60 days after sowing (DAS), the T3 treatments demonstrated increased plant height, leaf length, leaf width, leaf area, plant spread, stem diameter, leaf chlorophyll content and leaf anthocyanin content at HA, whereas a higher number of leaves and greater radish plant height and leaf area were observed at LA. Further, T3 treatment of HA cultivated Brassicaceae vegetables demonstrated a higher yield, such as cabbage (494.75 ± 4.97 q/ha), cauliflower (259.05 ± 10.34 q/ha) and radish (390.64 ± 4.65 q/ha) than LA. Overall, this study concludes that bio-organic farming of sustainable Brassicaceae vegetable production at HA gets more yields as compared to LA cultivated samples.

Abstract Premise Orthology inference is crucial for comparative genomics, and multiple algorithms have been developed to identify putative orthologs for downstream analyses. Despite the abundance of proposed solutions, including publicly available benchmarks, it is difficult to assess which tool is most suitable for plant species, which commonly have complex genomic histories. Methods We explored the performance of four orthology inference algorithms—OrthoFinder, SonicParanoid, Broccoli, and OrthNet—on eight Brassicaceae genomes in two groups: one group comprising only diploids and another set comprising the diploids, two mesopolyploids, and one recent hexaploid genome. Results The composition of the orthogroups reflected the species' ploidy and genomic histories, with the diploid set having a higher proportion of identical orthogroups. While the diploid + higher ploidy set had a lower proportion of orthogroups with identical compositions, the average degree of similarity between the orthogroups was not different from the diploid set. Discussion Three algorithms—OrthoFinder, SonicParanoid, and Broccoli—are helpful for initial orthology predictions. Results produced using OrthNet were generally outliers but could still provide detailed information about gene colinearity. With our Brassicaceae dataset, slight discrepancies were found across the orthology inference algorithms, necessitating additional analyses such as tree inference to fine‐tune results.

Crambe tataria Sebeòk (Brassicaceae Burnett) is a rare species of flora of the Cis-Urals and the Southern Urals (the territory of the Republic of Bashkortostan). This species is in a near threatened state. The species is included in The Red Data Book of the Republic of Bashkortostan (2021). Crambe tataria is a valuable economically useful wild plant, belongs to the group of the Wild Relatives of Cultivated Plants. On the territory of the republic, this is a poorly studied species, located near the eastern border of the areal, known in the Bashkir Cis-Urals and the western foothills of the Southern Urals. The study and protection of this species is carried out in natural habitats (in situ) and when cultivated in nursery conditions (ex situ). The destruction of natural habitats is the main threat to the existence of this species. A method for creating artificial coenopopulations of this species (ex situ) is being developed.

In recent years, numerous botanical survey projects have been conducted across China, with accurate taxonomic identification being the primary objective of biodiversity research. Within this context, we report the discovery of Polycarpon tetraphyllum (L.) L. (Caryophyllaceae) and Arabis stelleri DC. (Brassicaceae) in Fujian, marking new records for the flora of mainland China. Furthermore, we provide detailed morphological descriptions, color photographs, and comparative taxonomic analyses with related species to scientifically substantiate the records of these two plant species.

In recent years, numerous botanical survey projects have been conducted across China, with accurate taxonomic identification being the primary objective of biodiversity research. Within this context, we report the discovery of Polycarpon tetraphyllum (L.) L. (Caryophyllaceae) and Arabis stelleri DC. (Brassicaceae) in Fujian, marking new records for the flora of mainland China. Furthermore, we provide detailed morphological descriptions, color photographs, and comparative taxonomic analyses with related species to scientifically substantiate the records of these two plant species.