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Betalains are tyrosine-derived red-violet and yellow plant pigments known for their antioxidant activity, health-promoting properties, and wide use as food colorants and dietary supplements. By coexpressing three genes of the recently elucidated betalain biosynthetic pathway, we demonstrate the heterologous production of these pigments in a variety of plants, including three major food crops: tomato, potato, and eggplant, and the economically important ornamental petunia. Combinatorial expression of betalain-related genes also allowed the engineering of tobacco plants and cell cultures to produce a palette of unique colors. Furthermore, betalain-producing tobacco plants exhibited significantly increased resistance toward gray mold (Botrytis cinerea), a pathogen responsible for major losses in agricultural produce. Heterologous production of betalains is thus anticipated to enable biofortification of essential foods, development of new ornamental varieties, and innovative sources for commercial betalain production, as well as utilization of these pigments in crop protection.

The Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research maintains a diverse collection of wild potato germplasm with more than 2800 accessions from 139 botanical species, 19 Solanum series and 14 countries of origin. During the past two decades, almost half of the collection has been screened for resistance to late blight (Phytophthora infestans) and pale cyst nematode (Globodera pallida (Pa2/3)) infection under laboratory conditions. In particular, resistance to tuber blight was considered, which is an important component of P. infestans resistance and has not been investigated that detailed yet. Out of the 1055 accessions tested, 68 were very resistant and 311 were classified as partially resistant against tuber blight. Besides in accessions of species well-known for foliage resistance, resistance to tuber blight was also observed in previously less reported species such as S. acaule, S. fendleri, S. megistacrolobum, S. polytrichon, S. jamesii, S. trifidum, and S. tarnii. In regard to G. pallida infection, 78 out of 749 tested accessions were classified as resistant, belonging to the species S. acaule, S. circaeifolium, S. gourlayi, S. kurtzianum, S. oplocense, S. sparsipilum, S. spegazzini and S. vernei. New or previously less reported sources of G. pallida resistance were identified in accessions of S. brevicaule, S. demissum and S. microdontum. In various accessions of different species, combined resistance was observed and the relationship to their country of origin is discussed.

Background The use of vegetable grafting has proven to be effective not only in providing stress resistance but also improving fruit yields. There have been no studies on grafted vegetables' effects on the vascular systems, specifically xylem vessels. This study tested the effects of two groups of rootstocks, Solanum spp., and Solanum lycopersicum , on seedling growth, anatomical parameters, and further plant growth and yield of eggplant cv. Madonna. The experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design with four replications and five plants in each replication. Results The results showed that seedling growth parameters including height, and stem diameter were significantly different between grafted and non-grafted eggplant plants. In terms of roots, cv. Optifort rootstock had the longest roots, while Solanum spp. rootstocks had the largest root volume. The radial widths of rootstock collenchyma and phloem were significantly greater in SG-self-grafted than in SR-self-rooted and in other rootstocks. Rootstock xylem area was higher in Solanum spp. than in self-rooted seedlings and cv. Emperador rootstock. Correlation analysis showed that rootstock anatomical traits, including xylem width and cortex parenchyma cell number, had significant positive correlations with yield (r = 0.40 and r = 0.58, respectively). Rootstocks such as ST ( Solanum torvum ) and A ( Solanum integrifolium) which had wider xylem and more cortex cells, exhibited higher yields. Conclusion Rootstocks with larger xylem widths and higher cortex cell numbers, such as ST and A, promoted greater yield in grafted eggplant. These results emphasize the importance of selecting rootstock-scion combinations with favourable anatomical traits for optimal productivity.

Here, we report the draft genome sequence of Solanum commersonii, which consists of ~830 megabases with an N50 of 44,303 bp anchored to 12 chromosomes, using the potato (Solanum tuberosum) genome sequence as a reference. Compared with potato, S. commersonii shows a striking reduction in heterozygosity (1.5% versus 53 to 59%), and differences in genome sizes were mainly due to variations in intergenic sequence length. Gene annotation by ab initio prediction supported by RNA-seq data produced a catalog of 1703 predicted microRNAs, 18,882 long noncoding RNAs of which 20% are shown to target cold-responsive genes, and 39,290 protein-coding genes with a significant repertoire of nonredundant nucleotide binding site-encoding genes and 126 coldrelated genes that are lacking in S. tuberosum. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that domesticated potato and S. commersonii lineages diverged ~2.3 million years ago. Three duplication periods corresponding to genome enrichment for particular gene families related to response to salt stress, water transport, growth, and defense response were discovered. The draft genome sequence of S. commersonii substantially increases our understanding of the domesticated germplasm, facilitating translation of acquired knowledge into advances in crop stability in light of global climate and environmental changes.

Under cadmium (Cd) stress, Solanum nigrum accumulated threefold more Cd in its leaves and was tolerant to Cd, whereas its low Cd-accumulating relative, Solanum torvum, suffered reduced growth and marked oxidative damage. However, the physiological mechanisms that are responsible for differential Cd accumulation and tolerance between the two Solanum species are largely unknown. Here, the involvement of antioxidative capacity and the accumulation of organic and amino acids in response to Cd stress in the two Solanum species were assessed. Solanum nigrum contains higher antioxidative capacity than does S. torvum under Cd toxicity. Metabolomics analysis indicated that Cd treatment also markedly increased the production of several organic and amino acids in S. nigrum. Pretreatment with proline and histidine increased Cd accumulation; moreover, pretreatment with citric acid increased Cd accumulation in leaves but decreased Cd accumulation in roots, which indicates that its biosynthesis could be linked to Cd long-distance transport and accumulation in leaves. Our data provide novel metabolite evidence regarding the enhancement of citric acid and amino acid biosynthesis in Cd-treated S. nigrum, support the role of these metabolites in improving Cd tolerance and accumulation, and may help to provide a better understanding of stress adaptation in other Solanum species.

Breeding tomatoes for tolerance to water deficit (WD) has become a crucial goal amidst climate change scenarios marked by water shortages. Given the limited tolerance within the cultivated genepool, the red-fruited wild relatives Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme (SLC) and Solanum pimpinellifolium (SP) are promising sources of valuable alleles. In this study, we utilized four SP and six SLC genotypes, chosen to represent broad genetic and ecogeographic diversity, to explore the stability of tolerance to WD across highly diverse experimental conditions, including early developmental stages (plantlet), greenhouse experiments (short and long cycles), and field conditions. The impact of WD on phenotypic traits exhibited a consistent direction across all experimental conditions: plant growth traits were negatively affected, whereas fruit quality traits demonstrated a positive response. Biomass partitioning into stems, leaves, and fruits remained unaffected by WD. The genotype-by-watering interaction emerged as the main factor driving the effect of WD on phenotyped biomarkers, indicating substantial genetic variation in phenotypic plasticity in response to WD conditions. Poor correlation was observed among plasticity indices obtained in different experimental conditions, underscoring the need for multi-environmental experiments to unravel the complex genetic architecture of WD tolerance. Two genotypes (SP2, SLC1) originally collected from arid areas of South-America were identified as promising sources of WD tolerance.

Pepino ( Solanum muricatum ) is a nutritionally valuable Solanaceae crop, but optimizing its grafting practices to improve survival, growth, and fruit quality remains a critical challenge for commercial production. In this study, we systematically evaluated four pepino scions grafted onto nine Solanaceae rootstocks—including tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum ), pepper ( Capsicum annuum ), and eggplant ( Solanum melongena )—and optimized grafting parameters (cotyledon removal, grafting height, glucose pretreatment, and shading duration). We measured grafting survival, transplant success, vegetative growth, photosynthetic performance, metabolic activity, and antioxidant enzyme levels throughout early development. The optimal combination, ‘Qingcanxiang’ scion grafted onto eggplant rootstock ‘Moshi’, achieved survival rates above 90%, promoted shoot and root biomass accumulation, enhanced net Pn, and maintained elevated soluble protein and sugar contents. Multivariate analysis confirmed that genus-level taxonomic compatibility is a key determinant of graft success and physiological performance. Furthermore, heterografts improved fruit vitamin C content and sucrose accumulation while maintaining comparable yield, fruit morphology, and sensory quality. These findings provide a comprehensive and reproducible protocol for pepino grafting and practical guidance for improving growth performance, fruit quality, and stress resilience in commercial production.

Calmodulin (CaM) is a major calcium sensor in all eukaryotes. It binds calcium and modulates the activity of a wide range of downstream proteins in response to calcium signals. However, little is known about the CaM gene family in Solanaceous species, including the economically important species, tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), and the gene silencing model plant, Nicotiana benthamiana. Moreover, the potential function of CaM in plant disease resistance remains largely unclear. We performed genome-wide identification of CaM gene families in Solanaceous species. Employing bioinformatics approaches, multiple full-length CaM genes were identified from tomato, N. benthamiana and potato (S. tuberosum) genomes, with tomato having 6 CaM genes, N. benthamiana having 7 CaM genes, and potato having 4 CaM genes. Sequence comparison analyses showed that three tomato genes, SlCaM3/4/5, two potato genes StCaM2/3, and two sets of N. benthamiana genes, NbCaM1/2/3/4 and NbCaM5/6, encode identical CaM proteins, yet the genes contain different intron/exon organization and are located on different chromosomes. Further sequence comparisons and gene structural and phylogenetic analyses reveal that Solanaceous species gained a new group of CaM genes during evolution. These new CaM genes are unusual in that they contain three introns in contrast to only a single intron typical of known CaM genes in plants. The tomato CaM (SlCaM) genes were found to be expressed in all organs. Prediction of cis-acting elements in 5' upstream sequences and expression analyses demonstrated that SlCaM genes have potential to be highly responsive to a variety of biotic and abiotic stimuli. Additionally, silencing of SlCaM2 and SlCaM6 altered expression of a set of signaling and defense-related genes and resulted in significantly lower resistance to Tobacco rattle virus and the oomycete pathogen, Pythium aphanidermatum. The CaM gene families in the Solanaceous species tomato, N. benthamiana and potato were identified through a genome-wide analysis. All three plant species harbor a small set of genes that encode identical CaM proteins, which may manifest a strategy of plants to retain redundancy or enhanced quantitative gene function. In addition, Solanaceous species have evolved one new group of CaM genes during evolution. CaM genes play important roles in plant disease resistance to a variety of pathogens.

Leaf gas exchange is influenced by stomatal size, density, distribution between the leaf adaxial and abaxial sides, as well as by pore dimensions. This study aims to quantify which of these traits mainly underlie genetic differences in operating stomatal conductance (gs) and addresses possible links between anatomical traits and regulation of pore width. Stomatal responsiveness to desiccation, gs-related anatomical traits of each leaf side and estimated gs (based on these traits) were determined for 54 introgression lines (ILs) generated by introgressing segments of Solanum pennelli into the S. lycopersicum ‘M82’. A quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis for stomatal traits was also performed. A wide genetic variation in stomatal responsiveness to desiccation was observed, a large part of which was explained by stomatal length. Operating gs ranged over a factor of five between ILs. The pore area per stomatal area varied 8-fold among ILs (2–16 %), and was the main determinant of differences in operating gs between ILs. Operating gs was primarily positioned on the abaxial surface (60–83 %), due to higher abaxial stomatal density and, secondarily, to larger abaxial pore area. An analysis revealed 64 QTLs for stomatal traits in the ILs, most of which were in the direction of S. pennellii. The data indicate that operating and maximum gs of non-stressed leaves maintained under stable conditions deviate considerably (by 45–91 %), because stomatal size inadequately reflects operating pore area (R2 = 0·46). Furthermore, it was found that variation between ILs in both stomatal sensitivity to desiccation and operating gs is associated with features of individual stoma. In contrast, genotypic variation in gs partitioning depends on the distribution of stomata between the leaf adaxial and abaxial epidermis.

Stearoyl-acyl carrier protein desaturase (SAD), locating in the plastid stroma, is an important fatty acid biosynthetic enzyme in higher plants. SAD catalyzes desaturation of stearoyl-ACP to oleyl-ACP and plays a key role in determining the homeostasis between saturated fatty acids and unsaturated fatty acids, which is an important player in cold acclimation in plants. Here, four new full-length cDNA of SADs (ScoSAD, SaSAD, ScaSAD and StSAD) were cloned from four Solanum species, Solanum commersonii, S. acaule, S. cardiophyllum and S. tuberosum, respectively. The ORF of the four SADs were 1182 bp in length, encoding 393 amino acids. A sequence alignment indicated 13 amino acids varied among the SADs of three wild species. Further analysis showed that the freezing tolerance and cold acclimation capacity of S. commersonii are similar to S. acaule and their SAD amino acid sequences were identical but differed from that of S. cardiophyllum, which is sensitive to freezing. Furthermore, the sequence alignments between StSAD and ScoSAD indicated that only 7 different amino acids at residues were found in SAD of S. tuberosum (Zhongshu8) against the protein sequence of ScoSAD. A phylogenetic analysis showed the three wild potato species had the closest genetic relationship with the SAD of S. lycopersicum and Nicotiana tomentosiformis but not S. tuberosum. The SAD gene from S. commersonii (ScoSAD) was cloned into multiple sites of the pBI121 plant binary vector and transformed into the cultivated potato variety Zhongshu 8. A freeze tolerance analysis showed overexpression of the ScoSAD gene in transgenic plants significantly enhanced freeze tolerance in cv. Zhongshu 8 and increased their linoleic acid content, suggesting that linoleic acid likely plays a key role in improving freeze tolerance in potato plants. This study provided some new insights into how SAD regulates in the freezing tolerance and cold acclimation in potato.