The growth of human population has increased the demand for improved yield and quality of crops and horticultural plants. However, plant productivity continues to be threatened by stresses such as heat, cold, drought, heavy metals, UV radiations, bacterial and fungal pathogens, and insect pests. Long noncoding RNAs are associated with various developmental pathways, regulatory systems, abiotic and biotic stress responses and signaling, and can provide an alternative strategy for stress management in plants. Long Noncoding RNAs in Plants: Roles in development and stress provides the most recent advances in LncRNAs, including identification, characterization, and their potential applications and uses. Introductory chapters include the basic features and brief history of development of lncRNAs studies in plants. The book then provides the knowledge about the lncRNAs in various important agricultural and horticultural crops such as cereals, legumes, fruits, vegetables, and fiber crop cotton, and their roles and applications in abiotic and biotic stress management. - Includes the latest advances and research in long noncoding RNAs in plants - Provides alternative strategies for abiotic and biotic stress management in horticultural plants and agricultural crops - Focuses on the application and uses of long noncoding RNAs

This contributed volume offers a comprehensive and detailed overview of the various aspects of long non-coding RNAs and discusses their emerging significance. Written by leading experts in the field, it motivates young researchers around the globe, and offers graduate and postgraduate students fascinating insights into genes and their regulation in eukaryotes and higher organisms.

This volume focuses on various approaches to studying long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), including techniques for finding lncRNAs, localization, and observing their functions. The chapters in this book cover how to catalog lncRNAs in various plant species; determining subcellular localization; protein interactions; structures; and RNA modifications. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Cutting-edge and innovative, Plant Long Non-Coding RNAs: Methods and Protocols is a valuable resource that aids researchers in understanding the functions of lncRNAs in different plant species, and helps them explore currently uncharted facets of plant biology.

This book examines the application of soybean genome sequences to comparative, structural, and functional genomics. Since the availability of the soybean genome sequence has revolutionized molecular research on this important crop species, the book also describes how the genome sequence has shaped research on transposon biology and applications for gene identification, tilling and positional gene cloning. Further, the book shows how the genome sequence influences research in the areas of genetic mapping, marker development, and genome-wide association mapping for identifying important trait genes and soybean breeding. In closing, the economic and botanical aspects of the soybean are also addressed.

This book gathers state-of-the-art research in computational engineering and bioengineering to facilitate knowledge exchange between various scientific communities. Computational engineering (CE) is a relatively new discipline that addresses the development and application of computational models and simulations often coupled with high-performance computing to solve complex physical problems arising in engineering analysis and design in the context of natural phenomena. Bioengineering (BE) is an important aspect of computational biology, which aims to develop and use efficient algorithms, data structures, and visualization and communication tools to model biological systems. Today, engineering approaches are essential for biologists, enabling them to analyse complex physiological processes, as well as for the pharmaceutical industry to support drug discovery and development programmes.

Demystifies the genetic, biochemical, physiological, and molecular mechanisms underlying heat stress tolerance in plants Heat stress—when high temperatures cause irreversible damage to plant function or development—severely impairs the growth and yield of agriculturally important crops. As the global population mounts and temperatures continue to rise, it is crucial to understand the biochemical, physiological, and molecular mechanisms of thermotolerance to develop ‘climate-smart’ crops. Heat Stress Tolerance in Plants provides a holistic, cross-disciplinary survey of the latest science in this important field. Presenting contributions from an international team of plant scientists and researchers, this text examines heat stress, its impact on crop plants, and various mechanisms to modulate tolerance levels. Topics include recent advances in molecular genetic approaches to increasing heat tolerance, the potential role of biochemical and molecular markers in screening germplasm for thermotolerance, and the use of next-generation sequencing to unravel the novel genes associated with defense and metabolite pathways. This insightful book: Places contemporary research on heat stress in plants within the context of global climate change and population growth Includes diverse analyses from physiological, biochemical, molecular, and genetic perspectives Explores various approaches to increasing heat tolerance in crops of high commercial value, such as cotton Discusses the applications of plant genomics in the development of thermotolerant ‘designer crops’ An important contribution to the field, Heat Stress Tolerance in Plants is an invaluable resource for scientists, academics, students, and researchers working in fields of pulse crop biochemistry, physiology, genetics, breeding, and biotechnology.

This book describes the strategy used for sequencing, assembling and annotating the tomato genome and presents the main characteristics of this sequence with a special focus on repeated sequences and the ancestral polyploidy events. It also includes the chloroplast and mitochondrial genomes. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is a major crop plant as well as a model for fruit development, and the availability of the genome sequence has completely changed the paradigm of the species’ genetics and genomics. The book describes the numerous genetic and genomic resources available, the identified genes and quantitative trait locus (QTL) identified, as well as the strong synteny across Solanaceae species. Lastly, it discusses the consequences of the availability of a high-quality genome sequence of the cultivated species for the research community. It is a valuable resource for students and researchers interested in the genetics and genomics of tomato and Solanaceae.

Plant Small RNA: Biogenesis, Regulation and Application describes the biosynthesis of small RNA in plant systems. With an emphasis on the various molecular mechanisms affected by small RNA and their applications in supporting plant growth and survival, this books presents the basics and most recent advancements in small RNA mediated plant genomics, metabolomics, proteomics and physiology. In addition, it emphasizes the various molecular mechanisms affected by small RNA and their applications in supporting plant growth and survival. Final sections cover the most recent advancements in small RNA mediated plant genomics, metabolomics, proteomics and physiology. - Presents foundational information about small RNA biology and regulation in plants - Includes small RNA pathway advances - Describes the application and scope of small RNA technology for agricultural stability

General inspection of a role performed in the cell by RNAs allows us to distinguish three major groups of transcripts: I. protein-coding mRNAs, II. non-coding housekeeping and III. regulatory RNAs. The housekeeping RNAs include RNA classes that are generally, constitutively expressed and whose presence is required for normal function and viability of the cells. On the other hand, a group of regulatory RNAs includes RNA species that are expressed at certain stages of organism development or cell differentiation or as a response to external stimuli and can affect expression of other genes on the levels of transcription or translation. Non-coding RNA transcripts form a heterogeneous class of RNAs that can not be characterized by a single specific function. Initially, the term non-coding RNA (ncRNA) was used primarily to describe polyadenylated and a capped eukaryotic RNAs transcribed by RNA polymerase II, but lacking long open reading frames. Now, this definition can be extended to cover all RNA transcripts that do not show protein-coding capacity and is sometimes used to describe any RNA that does not encode protein, including introns. This book is an in-depth look at the function of Non-Coding RNAs and their relationship to Molecular Biology and Molecular Biology.

Concern about the environmental consequences of the widespread use of pesticides has increased, and evidence of pesticide-resistant virus vectors have continued to emerge. This volume presents a timely survey of the mechanisms of plant resistance and examines current developments in breeding for resistance, with particular emphasis on advances in genetic engineering which allow for the incorporation of viral genetic material into plants. Discusses the mechanisms of innate resistance in strains of tobacco, tomato, and cowpea; various aspects of induced resistance, including the characterization and roles of the pathogenesis-related proteins; antiviral substances and their comparison with interferon; and cross-protection between plant virus strains. Also presents several papers which evaluate the status of genetic engineering as it relates to breeding resistant plants. Among these are discussions of the potential use of plant viruses as gene vectors, gene coding for viral coat protein, satellite RNA, and antisense RNA, and practical issues such as the durability of resistant crop plants in the field.