Wounding is a common stress factor which is caused by strong wind, hail and insect feeding. Responses to mechanical damage are either local or systemic. A local response occurs in the vicinity of the wound area and includes healing and repairing of tissues, as well as protection against invasion of pathogens. A systemic response occurs throughout the plant. Signals are mediated especially by jasmonic acid, abscisic acid, ethylene, reactive oxygen species, systemin and sugars.
Phosphorus is one of the essential minerals necessary for proper growth, metabolism and development of plants. In many soils in the world the deficiency of inorganic phosphates (Pi) is often observed. It is estimated that natural sources of this element, necessary for production of mineral fertilizers, will be exhausted within ten years. Knowledge of the availability of phosphate is very important in agricultural areas because phosphorus deficiency can significantly reduce the production of crops, mainly grains. This will cause higher costs of food production, especially in developing countries. Plants have evolved two basic types of adaptation to phosphate stress conditions. The first enables the absorption and uptake of Pi by the root system, other mechanisms allow for efficient use of the reduced pool of Pi. The assimilation of Pi can be increased through secretion of various substances by the roots, including the release of organic acids or enzymes – extracellular APases. The mycorrhiza and soil microorganisms also play an important role. Intracellular APases are involved in the release of Pi from internal resources of the plant.
The method of in vitro cultures is a specific technique of cultivation and study of plant material under sterile conditions. Plant tissue culture uses the plant’s ability of regeneration of the whole plant from its parts, even from a single cell. The culture is maintained in proper conditions of light and temperature that are different for plant species. Properties of the plant material and composition of physical properties of the medium have a profound impact of the quality of culture. In vitro plant cultures are widely used in plant science and find its application in practice in micropropagation, protection of biological diversity by creating banks of seeds, biotransformation, plant natural products or by creating transgenic organisms.
JavaScript is turned off in your web browser. Turn it on to take full advantage of this site, then refresh the page.